We will be renting a car as we leave Florence in the last week of September 2023. We have 7 days and nights to visit Tuscany and cover the Hills towns- both touristy and not touristy. We'd like to stay in an agritourismo or two. Looking to stay 2-3 nights in 3 separate areas to maximize our places to visit. Would also like some hiking time in the Tuscan hillsides to see the scenery if you know a great trail. So looking for ideas for which areas/towns to stay in as home base. Thanks
Posted by
8323 posts
Consider staying at least a couple of days in Siena.
Can't say about and agritourismo, since we were never interested in staying at one.
Lucca is another place you should visit and perhaps stay there. You could visit Pisa from there.
San Gimingnago (sp>) is worth a visit for an afternoon. It is a small town with lots of towers.
Orvieto is in Umbria, but worth a visit.
Posted by
22 posts
Looking for similar ideas, so Cori I hope you don’t mind my following your thread. We are planning on spending two nights in Siena after leaving Florence, and then want to stay in one small town for three nights.
Posted by
Gettysburg PA
7229 posts
I’d pick 2 locations
One in Val D’Orcia region -Pienza or Montepulciano
And one near Siena/Chianti region
Lucca is nice but too far west for exploring much of Tuscany
A lot of agriturismos require minimum stays-not sure if you’ll find many that accept 2 nighters
Posted by
Rural Georgia
2201 posts
ChristineH is spot on. We spent 7 days just outside Greve in an agriturismo. We chose it because of easy access by bus for a day trip into Florence, which we had visited on a prior trip.
Determine how far you are willing to go on a day trip. We decided on no more than 45 minutes to an hour one way. Then, go to Google Maps and plot out all the places you want to see. For instance, from where we were, Lucca was just doable but Montepulciano would have been a little too far. Conversely, if we had stayed closer to Siena Montepulciano would have been within range but Lucca would have been too far, If you stayed in an agriturismo near San Gimignano, both Lucca and Montepulciano would be ~1 1/2 hours away. You'd make up that added time on the trip by not having to move from one lodging to another.
We've found staying in one home base works best for us. If you choose to stay in more than one location, remember you'll chew up your limited time moving from one place to the other. I'd stay in Siena if you had more time, but I suggest you make it a day trip and spend more time in the countryside.
Posted by
Rhode Island
106 posts
We stayed at bonellino_vecchio last year just outside of Pienza, and really enjoyed it. Easy access to Montepulciano and Montalcino, and Sienna was about and hour away.
Posted by
Melbourne, Australia
17 posts
Although you'd be crazy to avoid the Tuscan/Umbrian hill towns; if being near Firenze and Lucca etc. is essential; try Prato; a historic walled city 15 minutes by local train away from Firenze and half-way to Lucca. We avoid driving in Firenze, Venice and the lakes at this time of year, the train system is fantastic for the large towns and cities, but impossible for the small country towns and villages.
Agriturismo are usually located in small out-of-the-way places and quite expensive. Great places to visit for lunch, but not as a base for regional travel. We're staying at Citta Della Pieve on the Tuscan/Umbrian Border again this year; next to Chiusi and perfect for Sienna, Perugia, Assisi, Montipulchiano and Cortina etc.
Think of renting and returning your hire car at Chiusi - it's great for catching the fast train to Rome/Firenze or Milan and opens up the best of the historic Italian countryside😄
Posted by
34 posts
In September 2019, we stayed at Tenuto Santo Pietro near Pienza for four nights, https://tenutasantopietro.com/it/. We had a rental car and used this lovely farm as our home base. The breakfast was very good and we ended up eating dinner in their restaurant every night as it was so good. And we didn't have the energy to go out again at night. The owners were very kind. We also did a wine sampling one afternoon on the back patio. Bellissimo!
Prior to Pienza we stayed in Lucca for three nights. It was also amazing! And easy to take the train to Firenze from there.
Posted by
OP
3 posts
Thank you everyone! I am using all of your tips and appreciate your input, and can't wait to go in September!
Posted by
189 posts
Last summer we stayed a week at La Bruciata Agriturismo about 1.5 miles outside of Montepulciano. The views from our room took my breath away. It was everything I had dreamed of. We took a cooking class in the chef's kitchen in his home in Cortona. Drove to Siena for the day. Spent another day at 2 hot springs towns. Went to a farm where they make pecorino cheese in Pienza. And so much more! And relaxed by the pool overlooking the vineyards. Most magical week ever!