I will be travelling with a small group to Tuscany and would like to find a home base between Pistoia and Siena. Possible towns include Greve, Volterra, San Gimignano, Monteriggioni. Activities include a 30K race in Pistoia to San Marcello, the Palio, and other events like a possible wine tour, cycling or hike. While Greve is a great location and close to the Verazzano winery, I believe that the town is too small for my club of 10-20 people. Please give suggestions and explain why you are advocating for a specific town.
thank you,
Nick
Posted by
Santa Cruz, CA
65 posts
Will you be renting a car or cars for your large group? Or hiring a small bus? Some of the places you list (e.g., Volterra) do not have train access, and some have very limited public transportation options. That will bring to bear on your choice of home base. Volterra would likely make a lovely home base if you have car or van access for easy-to-reach day trips. Ditto for San Gimignano, although there is a train station nearby in Poggibonsi.
Posted by
OP
19 posts
Thanks Lynne with an e. Volterra and San Gimignano were the towns that i was originally targeting. We have stayed in Volterra and outside of Poggibonsi in the past. Do you know anything about Monteriggioni or Colle di Val d'Elsa? Geographically these are perfect but not sure if these towns would be culturally as good as Volterra or SG.
thanks,
Nick
Posted by
Lubbock, TX
408 posts
Monteriggioni is tiny. I would think Volterra would have more variety of restaurants and shops, basic necessities to support your needs for a group.
Posted by
Santa Cruz, CA
65 posts
Do you know anything about Monteriggioni or Colle di Val d'Elsa? Geographically these are perfect but not sure if these towns would be culturally as good as Volterra or SG.
I have no intel on these 2 towns. I stayed in Casole d’Elsa, a small, charming hill town just south of San Gimignano and southwest of Colle Di Val d’Elsa. I was there 10 years ago while attending an art class. The art center arranged accommodations for us (including most of our meals), so I don’t have much insight on how easy or not it might be to find lodging for your group in Casole. It would make a good home base for nearby day trips, but that may be equally true of Colle. (Easy drive from Casole to Volterra, which I did as a day trip.)
Not sure what you are looking for culturally when choosing your home base. Casole is small, quiet and was not overly touristy, but there is a local art and restaurant scene in the centro. If you’re looking for museums or nightlife, you won’t find it there; but your evening passeggiatta would be lovely! Volterra is a larger town, so that may be more to your group’s liking, although it is further west, hence not as convenient to reach your other destinations. Seems like it’s hard to go wrong with any of your ideas in Bella Toscana!
(Sorry for my delayed reply. I took a break from this forum for a bit.)