We want to explore the Tuscany region for about a week and we need recommendations for a great relatively uncrowded town to stay in our entire time that is ideally located for our interests. Our interests are short to medium walking/hiking treks, biking, visiting wineries and unpopulated charming locales where we can soak up the culture. We like to do our own thing with a rental car rather than a bunch of touristy visits with the exception of maybe one day in Florence. What would make a good base camp?
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
18091 posts
First I would try to determine which towns and villages you want to visit from your base, then we could suggest some towns as a base.
There is really not a strip of land in Tuscany that is not close to a winery or hiking paths.
There are over 12,000 wineries in Tuscany, about 3 times the number of wineries in all of California.
With a car you could also consider an agriturismo (farmhouse converted to villa for tourists).
Generally the Chianti Hills and the Val D’Orcia are popular choices, with plenty of towns to choose from. Montepulciano and Pienza in the Val’D’Orcia are particularly popular with Americans, if you think you might become homesick and wish to be able to hear English spoken in the streets everywhere.
Posted by
OP
26 posts
Thank you!
Posted by
Tel Aviv
16117 posts
Also, please tell us when you want to go. The time of year makes a big difference, even the month.
Posted by
Tucson
23 posts
I visited Tuscany multiple times, and since you mention hiking I feel compelled to reply!
First of all I'd say it depends heavily on the kind of hiking you want to do, most people associate tuscany hiking with rolling hills in the south, but the norther part of Tuscany is actually beautiful, and it has mountains very much worth visiting.
Apennines and Apuan Alps, the latter is much letter know, despite being the place from where the marble the ancient romans used comes from (or at least in part from there, not sure if all of it).
If you are drawn by the kind of hiking I just described, without sacrificing on visiting some towns, and enjoying some wine, I'd recommend checking out Lucca, much cheaper than florence, way less crowded, and the areas I mentioned for hiking are much closer than Florence or any town in the south.
If you are curious I used this guide for hiking (and can recommend them): https://stefanogabryel.net/
There are things you can do on your own with a little research, but visiting the mountains is something I usually prefer doing with a guide, since a mistake can cost you hours if not a day of a potentially good hike.
Places I would not miss at all if I were going there for the first time again:
- Tuscan-Emilian Apennines (especially anything where you walk on the ridge)
- Apuan Alps
- Small villages in the Apuan Alps, places like Pruno, Isola Santa, Seravezza, Terrinca