Tuscany Base Suggestion?

We stayed here two weeks ago and it was awesome. It is in Castellina which is between Siena and Greve. A great location off of 222 with a nice downtown area. Plus it is only 10 miles from the superstrada to get to Florence.

Siena is an excellent hub. A car inside the city walls is problematic. Lots of places to stay close to the city. Check out Trip Advisor or Rick's agriturismo page for some. Hotel Santa Caterina is just outside the Porto Romana. I like your other idea better based on past experience. For the last 3 or 4 years we have done A northern/southern division of time. 3 or 4 days in 2 places or 2 or 3 days in 3 places. As for the northern I would pick somewhere in the Chianti area, we like Vignamaggio between Greve and Panzano or perhaps Cortona (also makes Assisi easy). In Cortona We like Hotel San Michele which is almost in the exact center of town and has its own parking garage. As for the south, Montalcino is our favorite primarily because it is good city for wine and food and is a great place to settle into. We like Hotel Dei Capitani, easy to get to by car, own parking lot, and you have to stroll the main drag to get to most places so you get to see the town. Tremendous view of the valley north of Montalcino. Ask for a "valley view" room. If wine is not a big deal in the decision, try Pienza or Montepulciano as a base. There are a number of agriturimos in this southern area including a number at the Brunello vineyards in and around Montalcino.

David, you don't say when you are going. If in th esummer or early fall, when it is still "swimming pool" time, I can highly recommmend Il Molino di Quercegrossa, an agriturnismo on the 222 about 8 miles north of Siena, among the vineyards. It has about 7 inviting swimming pools; very nice for an hour or so at the end of a busy day. Their rooms are simple and very reasonably priced. And there is a restaurant on premises if you don't feel like going in to Siena for dinner. As to your second question, I personally would favor two bases, 3 or 4 nights each, over one.

Thanks everyone- so many great choices. Ooops- sorry Lola- we are going in about three weeks- last two weeks of October.

Hi David, We were in Tuscany last October. We had a rental car and found Hotel I due Cigni in Sant' Albino, a small village about 4 km. from Montepulciao, to be a good option. The hotel provided a great base for our 3-day stay in the area. The hotel is family-operated and they all made us feel like one of the family. The free WiFi was a plus for us in addition to the cleanliness of our room. The 65 Euro cost included a very nice breakfast with pastries, meats, cheeses, and fresh fruit. While it is a distance from Montepulciano but we had dinner in town each evening. The staff gave us good advice about towns to visit in the region. We visited Pienza, San Quirico d' Orca, Monticchiello, and Cortona. We rented our car in Bologna and stopped off in Volterra on our way from there. I'm not sure about the distance to visit Siena and San Gimi but you can check on ViaMichelin. Another plus was having a safe place to park our rental car. Enjoy your time in Italy - October is a great time to be there!

David, I'm doing similar trip in May but without a car. And i agree with Lola (not just because i like her name) about having more than one base. At the moment i'm planning on spending three nights in Perugia, then same in Siena and then heading to CT.