Just realized I made a mistake with my plan for a day driving from Florence to San Gimignano (our next stop). I had thought we would spend the day having lunch at a winery but it just dawned on me that drinking wine and driving is not a good idea. I've been reading about all the small towns in Chianti, looking for a pleasant place to stop, explore and take a short hike, but I am just getting more and more confused. Any suggestion would be appreciated, but spending another day in Florence and taking a tour in not an option.
Posted by
Carbondale, IL, USA
1201 posts
Posted by
OP
Parsippany, New Jersey, USA
19 posts
The photos are beautiful and Certaldo Alto seems to be just what I was looking for - a low key place to stop and just wander around. Any recommendations for lunch there? Thank you so much!
Posted by
Catadupa Alamere, CA
515 posts
Certaldo Alto in well mapped in Google Maps Street View so you could "walk" it right now.
Posted by
Ballwin
833 posts
Good thinking on not drinking wine + driving. For a winery tour I would suggest taking a bus/train/taxi, etc. Italy's standards are stricter than American standards (.05 bac I believe), with very high fines and jail time.
Posted by
Carbondale, IL, USA
1201 posts
We drove and parked in the lot near the walls. There is an entrance through the walls, as you enter the city turn to your right. There is a restaurant in the corner. I can't remember the name but it smelled wonderful as they were prepping lunch when we were there.
Posted by
Orono, Maine, USA
2 posts
Hi Peggy, This is the route you want. It is known as the 'chiantigiana' road. You don't need to plan too much in advance, every town along the way is beautiful and charming in its own right. http://maps.google.it/maps?saddr=Ponte+Vecchio&daddr=43.58802,11.31484+to:43.47682,11.29716+to:San+Gimignano&hl=it&ll=43.610228,11.184082&spn=0.599576,0.883026&sll=43.673832,11.134644&sspn=0.598941,0.883026&geocode=FULWmwIdy7SrACmlpyn7_1MqEzGIXPv24vEDYg%3BFbQZmQIdmKasACkhiO53FEsqEzERWUjokCwIEw%3BFVRnlwIdiGGsAClX74cuYDQqEzFRjOvpkCwIEw%3BFf1NlwIdr4OoAClT43N8MTwqEzGwpuXjkCwIBA&mra=ls&via=1,2&z=10 http://www.chianti-italy.com/chiantigiana.htm Enjoy! Amy
Posted by
OP
Parsippany, New Jersey, USA
19 posts
Thanks, Amy. Good to know we can also leave the day open if we choose to. I guess I was looking for specific places that people had enjoyed on the route because our time there is so limited and I just did not want to wander aimlessly. Guess we'll just have to go and see what we find!
Posted by
Hartford, CT, United States
89 posts
Just driving around the Chianti area is beautiful. When we stayed near Radda in Chianti, we went to Volpaia, a small town nearby. Not only are the views lovely there, but it's a ridiculously cute little town. We ended up going to La Bottega (http://www.labottegadivolpaia.it/) a great little restaurant twice during the long weekend. Even if you can't drink the wine, it's a wonderful place to spend a few hours. For actual hiking, the tourist office in Radda in Chianti gave us some good hiking suggestions. I'm sure if you stopped by, they could give you some ideas for whatever time you have available.
Posted by
Ann Arbor, Mi
3696 posts
I think 'wandering aimlessly' is one of the best parts of any trip.... never know what you might find! Most of my best memories are of the places I had never planned to visit or the towns I had never heard of....but I do not need to spend hours in museums or galleries to come home with incredible experiences. As for Certaldo Alto, it is wonderful. I am a photographer and did a wedding there about five years ago. It was a magical little village.