Hi. My husband and I are planning a trip to Tuscany in May 2022. We have been to Florence, Lucca, and Montepulciano. We loved all of those places. Can anyone recommend some new towns for us? We love good red wine, great food, and comfortable accommodations. (maybe with a swimming pool) From reading different posts, I'm thinking we should rent a car. We do better with trains, but we've driven in Northern Italy so I think we could drive. Or maybe a combo of trains and driving. Thanks!
Posted by
4384 posts
How many days do you have? Where are you likely to fly in/out?
I especially like southern Tuscany and all of the Etruscan sites--Pitigliano, Sorano/Sovana, Massa Marittima, Orbetello and its lagoon of flamingos. This area is unique, but you don't have to go far to get the typical rolling hills, farms, hill towns of central Tuscany either.
But there is no shortage of appealing places in Tuscany--I'd look around Siena, anything with Chianti in the name (Chianti classico is one of my favorite reds). We found the driving easy, but we stay out of large cities.
Posted by
11159 posts
We have spent a lot of time in Tuscany and on four of those trips we stayed in Chianti. For good red wine stay in the Chianti region!
Look at the towns of Panzano, Castellina, Radda, Greve. It is a very green area between Siena and Florence. The historic road, SR222, , the Chiantigiana ,runs through it . You are centrally located to explore much of Tuscany and I highly recommend it. We rented a wonderful villa with infinity pool overlooking the vineyards in Panzano for our extended family one year from a reputable local agency, Chianti and more.
A nice hotel is Relais Vignale in Radda in Chianti which has a pool. We always rent a car for Tuscany and Umbria. I can’t imagine exploring this rural area depending on buses. You would be very limited and miss a lot. We have never had any problems driving in Italy, eleven trips. We have many friends who have been to Tuscany and all of them rented a car.
If you have any more questions I would be happy to answer them.
Posted by
OP
2 posts
Thank you! I am looking at flights now. We could fly into Florence or Rome and leave from either one. We have 2 weeks. We do plan to visit our friends in Lucca for 3 days.
Posted by
4384 posts
Flying into Rome and out of Florence (or vice versa) would be great if you are interested in southern Tuscany. Otherwise, I'd just go with round trip Florence and do a loop of sorts.
Since you are returning to Lucca, you might be interested in checking out northern Tuscany before you drop the car (or when you first pick it up). There are some beautiful mountain towns like Barga.
Two weeks is wonderful. I have always had fantastic weather in late May for the most part.
Posted by
Irving
2950 posts
Consider sleeping in Siena or an agriturismo, but you’ll need a car to explore the towns and countryside. If you fly into Florence, drive along the SR 222 road to Siena, the Tuscan landscape is amazing and you never get tired of the views.
You may have problems with parking if you sleep in Siena, so ask your hotelier or host how to get around this. I also recommend sleeping in the old town because Siena comes alive at night and has a beat to it; Italians love Siena.
The hill towns I recommend are: Volterra, Pienza, San Gimignano and Cortona. I would also check out Pisa.
Posted by
Hobart Tasmania
355 posts
@Annette
As you most likely will have a car, a couple of Agriturismo that may meet your desires.
Central Tuscany San Gimignano
San Gimignano b&b - Villa Baciolo
www.villabaciolo.com/en/
Eastern Tuscany – Chianti/Cavriglia
Try “La Villa di Primo” in your browser.
Others we have used in Tuscany and Umbria over the years, have told me that they have temporarily taken their websites down, a couple were prepared to take email reservations from me for Sept/Oct 2022.
Buona Fortuna
Ron