Which hill town to see?

Good question and the good news is: you couldn't go wrong with any of these choices. Volterra is on the western edge of Tuscany, the other two are more "central" but that's probably not a huge factor to you. Some say Volterra is less "touristy." But if vino is your thing, that would tilt it a bit more toward Montepulciano. And if you're a big fan of Under The Tuscan Sun (the book, please, not the movie), then it's Cortona. What I've said assumes you're driving. Doing Tuscany hill towns with no car is way different.It's not easy to decide amongst them. Depends on what you're looking for. Here are thoughts on this subject from one of Rick's guides. from Rick's guide, which hill town?

Are you driving?

Yes we are driving. Our plan is to stop in a hill town on our way to Florence. And yes we do love wine. When we were there two years ago we just drove through and did not take the time to stop. Looking for something new.

I prefer Montepulciano from your list or San Gimignano. Haven't visited Volterra and Cortona to me is just OK when compared to Siena, Montep, SG and in Umbria Assisi.

Recently spent a very brief afternoon in Volterra dn we found it to be amazing. Very small, compact, quaint, unspoiled. We were sorry we didn't have much more time to spend there to explore. Rick Steves calls this town his favourite town in Tuscany.

we went to 6 of them this past spring. cortona, sam g., montepulciano. montalcino, volterra, and pienza, loved all of them, you cant go wrong. good luck :):)

Thanks to you all! This is such a great way for us all to make the most of our vacations.

Sorry to be a consumer for a moment, but Volterra sells beautiful alabaster, which I didn't find anywhere else. It's a lovely little town, as the others are as well. And, if you really can't decide, you could do all three!

Have a great time!

We are planning to stay at Soriano nel Cimino, which looks like a beautiful hill town south or Orvieto. Has anyone been there?

We went to all three of your choices. My favorite was Montepulciano. Cortona is pretty but when we were there it was very crowed and seemed more commercial (maybe because of the book/movie).We stopped in Volterra on oir way to Pisa. It was nice, but Montepulciano just clicked with us.

My wife and I are going to be in the same area in mid october. We are spending a few days in the orvieto area and a couple of days near Sienna. Our plan is to stay at B&B/agritourismo places and maybe do some exploring along the way. Do we need to rent a car or is there public transportation to other hill towns in those areas. Would we be able to get transportation from our B&B to a town close by? We are unsure of how to plan our trasportation. Any advise would be welcomed along with any lodging/dining gems in the moderate price range. DK

I'm interested in knowing where people stayed in the hill towns - we're looking for a place outside of town - a villa or B&B in the country - for 2 people. We'll have a car. Thanks.

Gretchen,
We stayed outside of Orvieto at a wonderful
b&b/agriturisimo called Locanda Rosati. Our time
there was one of the highlights of our hill town
trip in June. It's in Rick's book or check it
out on Trip Advisor. Enjoy! Carol, Santa Cruz

Is is possible to stay in an agriturismo for only one night? It seems Rick along with others mention 2 night minimums?

Hello Gretchen. Advantages of Volterra's geographical location are : It is near San Gimignano. And Volterra is located near the west coast of ITALY : you could visit the island ELBA. Volterra being located in western Tuscany would not prevent you from visiting Montepulciano.