Hello everyone,
My wife and I are visiting Italy for the first time in the summer of 2021. We are going to be exclusively traveling by train. My wife is wanting to visit a winery when we are in Florence.
Has anyone had a great experience at any local wineries in that area that someone could access easily without a car rental? Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.
David W.
If you won't have a car, then a tour or hiring a private guide or driver would be your choices. You might start by looking at the obvious sites, like TripAdvisor, Viator, or Toursbylocals. You could try doing a search on this forum (look for the search bar at the top of the page), but most threads will be a few years old, and who knows what will still be available post COVID.
I would agree. Given that most are not open to the public without an appointment a tour would be the best way to visit. You might also check out local Enotecas in the area you are staying. They often have local wines to try )(some will even have other tastings like olive oil or balsamic vinegar) and it's where you buy wine form the local wineries as few offer on premise sales.
Couple of issues. You cannot just drop in to a winery. Most of the better ones will require a reservation and a fee so a car really works best. If you are in Florence, hit the local TI and see what is offered for tours. Try for a small van tour since some of the better wineries are not accessible via a touring bus. Road too narrow with switch back curves. Some of the wineries offer wine pair lunch. We did one. It was expensive but the experience more than worth it. It was a five course lunch with five wine pairings. We were the only ones during lunch so we received a lot of attention and a lot of wine. And you need to be careful on that point if driving as the laws are more severe in Italy than the US.
Try Tuscan Trails. We took the Chianti tour in 2018 (and like you, we did not have a car). Todd will pick you up in his van at a central location in Florence. This was within walking distance of our hotel. The all day tour was great.
hey danda0624
as others have mentioned here, without a car is difficult to get to and you will need to schedule tasting.
as frank mentions, a small van tour is best. how long will you be in florence, are you willing to take a tour to the countryside and budget in euros? they are not that cheap as some people think, but you get the experience from someone that knows area, ride in a comfortable vehicle, "front row seats" to the place. ask your host/hostess at hotel you're staying at if they have a recommendation.
we took a wine tour to parts of tuscany, wanted to go somewhere and said no. they just do this circle, they get kickbacks from certain wineries and short time in villages/towns, you're on their time not yours.
withlocals.com/florence does a private chianti tour in a vintage fiat 500. under day trips
tuscan-wine-tours.com (signature tour super chianti). friends did this tour and loved it so much. they wanted to see the famous butcher of chianti, "dario" and it was everything they asked for and then some, plus lunch.
come&seeitaly.com click wine&food then florence and you'll find what they offer and what interests you and your wife.
there are tourist kiosk information booths in the plazas that will offer you all kinds of things to see and do. stop in and you can decide if you see something.
with the way covid-19 is now, some places are probably closed, check the cancellation policies, or wait till you are able to travel to europe or are there to make reservations. good luck and hoping you find something
aloha
Tuscan Trails certainly worked for us. Todd is like the best history teacher you wish you ever had, and you can drink while he talks!
I'm not sure if we did this in 2014 or 2015, but the current online reviews are consistent with our experience. The included lunch was almost worth the price of the trip.
Another option that is popular with people on the forum is Tours by Roberto. https://www.toursbyroberto.com
He is one of Rick's "friends and fellow tour guides," and appears in several of Rick's shows. He is also in Rick's tour books.
We did one of his "Joinable Tours" that are about 6 hours. He picks you up at your hotel. His tours are not all wine focused because he want to show people off- the -beaten-path parts of Tuscany. But some, like the Clay Hills tour that we did, go to a winery for a tour and a delicious lunch. He has a great sense of humor and is a wealth of knowledge about Tuscany and Italy.
We loved our Day Trip with WalkAbout Florence - Chianti Wine & Food Safari --- it was so great that we did another tour with them the following day - Best of Tuscany. Check out their website. I can't recommend them enough. You can also see photos and read reviews on TripAdvisor, but it's best to book on the WalkAbout Florence Website and NOT go thru TripAdvisor which uses a 3rd party booking agent. The WalkAbout Florence website is very easy to use. You will love the Chianti Wine & Food Safari tour.
There are two wineries that are easily reached by a combo of bus and taxi.
https://whatsuptoscana.com/english-home/wine/vignamaggio-en
https://www.verrazzano.com/en/guided-tours/
Both are excellent, our preference is the first.
To reach them, bus ( very inexpensive) from Santa Maria Novella station to Greve in Chianti then a taxi (8-20 euro) to the winery.
We very much enjoyed the tour and lunch combo.
You may want to email Castello Verrazzano about transportation to their winery from Florence. In 2019 they were offering this. It is a beautiful winery in Greve and the lunch with tasting is outstanding.
A second vote for Tours by Roberto! We had such a lovely time with him. His tours usually include at least one winery, history, and a great lunch.
Castello Verrazzano can be reached by bus, instead of getting off in Greve, get off in Greti ( stop before Greve) by their tasting room. Then 20-30 minute walk up to the Castello.
We preferred Vignamaggio because their cellar tour was exceptional. Food at both was of the same wonderful quality.
I did a horse riding experience followed by wine tasting which was fun
they organize all the transportation
cant remember the name but im sure its easily found on google
