Any suggestions for a single traveler in Tuscany in June?
I have already done Florence pretty extensively, so I would prefer to stay/focus on other areas.
Any suggested food or wine tours?
Any non-miss towns?
First time at Cinque Terre - any suggestions/tips?
Restaurant and B&B recommendations also welcomed! (would like to stay somewhere other than Florence)
Any antique markets?
Posted by
Portland, OR
83 posts
I always suggest staying in Montepulciano! It’s one of my favorite towns in Italy and has so much to do. It’s large enough that there are great restaurant and shopping, yet small enough to have an intimate and local feel.
Here are some of my top suggestions of places to see/stay:
Montepulciano Accommodations:
Take a look at Fonte Martino Guest House (https://www.fontemartino.com). I came across it last year and have stayed twice. The owners are American and created something really special. They are located about 5 minutes from town and their place has an amazing view of town.
If you want to stay inside the town walls, check out Charming Homes Montepulciano (https://www.charminghomemontepulciano.com/en/). It’s located along the main Corso (main shopping street). Alberto (the host) is a wonderful person as well.
Siena Accommodations:
If you are looking to stay near Siena, check out Aia Mattonata (https://www.aiamattonata.it/). It is just outside of Siena and rated as one of the top B&Bs in Siena (if not the top). The hosts are so wonderful too!
Tours:
I would suggest Ciao Fabry Tours. I know he goes all over Tuscany, but his focus area is Montepulciano, Pienza, Siena, etc… He is fantastic and can show you parts of Italy only a local knows. You can choose one of his standard tours or you can tell him what you would like to experience and he’ll make it happen. Oh, and he is hysterical as well! (http://www.ciaofabrytours.com/)
Antique Markets:
I am not sure when you are travelling, but on the first weekend of each month, Arezzo has an amazing antique market that lines its streets. So many great finds that your issue will be how to transport them home! The market is on June 1st and 2nd. (http://www.fieraantiquaria.org/)
I hope these suggestions help! Let me know if you have any other questions. -TJ
Posted by
Maryland
865 posts
We love Siena, Volterra, and perhaps San Gimignano (the last is admittedly the famous stop).
There are a large number of Agrotourismos in the Hill Country both southwest of Florence, and down towards Montepulciano. They range from rustic (cook for yourself in an old farmhouse) to quite swank. This will require a car of course. If you are driving the Hill Country, roads are good but twisty as heck so don't count on quick trips.
https://www.agriturismo.it/en/farmhouse/tuscany
You can google "Winery tours, Tuscany" for a range of ideas. Or Google, Tuscany, Wineries for a choice of places near to where you are staying and check out which are open, hosting tours, etc. Again, a car helps here.
Cinque Terre - We actually really enjoyed staying in Levanto, the next town north of the CT towns. The trains all stop at the 5 towns plus Levanto and the prices were better. Perhaps not as picturesque at night, but a really nice Italian small town none the less. Hiking trails connect with the CT towns (when winter landslides have not broken the trails, which is very common. If I were staying in one of the 5 towns I would pick Corniglia, which we liked best, but we never stayed there. Time is short to book something for this June. Good luck.