Hi, I discovered this site only last week, and have found it excellent. I wish I had found it earlier, as I have been planning my trip to Tuscany over the last few months and this would've been a great resource.
A group of 4 of us are spending a week in Castellina in Chianti in a villa rental. It is first time in the region, and "slow travelling". Would welcome any suggestions for day trips around the area? What realistically can be done in a week? We also want to see Florence. Also I read the info on driving in and out of Rome, is this really as difficult as people say it is, as we are picking up and dropping off our rental in Rome.
Look forward to any feedback and advice. What is the weather like in early October?
Cheers, NZ Traveller
This message has been edited. Last edited by: Kim,
Posts: 2 | Location: New Zealand | Registered: 13 September 2003
I am in the process of compiling a list of markets, sagre and festivals in Tuscany. Give me a day or two and I will post it for you.
Where in the Chianti is your villa? Florence as a day trip is good if you are not that into art, otherwise you may only touch the surface. You can though make reservations for the museums to avoid standing in lines. Here is an EARLIER THREAD on this subject.
I am biased but a day or two in Siena is a must in my book. Volterra is a town that I just love and has a wonderful Etruscan museum. You could easily spend all of your week just going from one small hill town to another in the Chianti. What are some of your favorite things to do i.e. wine tasting, museums, dining, etc.?
Hi NZ and Welcome to the board. I love New Zealand. I've been there twice. Once hiking the South Island and the second time visiting the gardens of the North Island.
We spent some time in a rental outside of Castellina in 2001. This thread discusses day trips in the area and includes how we spent our week. There are several other threads on the board with suggestions on places to visit in Chianti. As Cristina suggested, telling us your interests will help us give you some great suggestions.
Posts: 9628 | Location: Edmonds, WA | Registered: 25 October 2001
Thanks for the advice, and glad you have been down to NZ. We are travellers in our late 20's, and hope to experience all that Tuscany can offer. In particular we would like to look at a few of the vineyards...ones with a nice setting and outlook, we want to try some local restaurants with good atmosphere and good food (not necessarily flash), and also love anitpasti (things like proscuitto, and olives and any other new foods that we can't get here at home). We are interested in looking at sights and architecture, but won't want to spend all our time going through museums. We hoping to do the sights in Florence and Siena.
We are staying at the Ill Querceto property in Castellina. Has anyone stayed here? Before we head up to our rental, we have 3 nights in Rome, and then hope to find a place to stay for a night on the way up - can you suggest a good town/place to stay between Rome and Chianti (do you recommend Siena, as we were wanting to do a day trip there anyway?)? What is Montepelciano like i.e. do you recommend it?
On one of the threads, someone mentioned "Volpaia" - what is this? is it a vineyard? I haven't seen any references to it in any of our guidebooks (Lonely Planet, and DK eyewitness guide).
I also have to admit that the shopping opportunities mentioned on the message boards also are tempting....
Look forward to any further suggestions...
Posts: 2 | Location: New Zealand | Registered: 13 September 2003
Siena is a great place to stay but since yo are going to be inCastellina I wouldn't waste the packing and unpacking time. It will take about 30/40 from Castellina to Siena so not far enough away to warrant an overnight stay.
I'm working on the list now so hopefully will post it tonight my time.
Hi -- is the one night stay between Rome and your villa just because you're ready to leave Rome but can't get into the villa yet? Otherwise, no reason to not go straight from one to the other...it's a drive of less than 3 hours.
If you do want to overnight, Siena is splendid and definitely worth time; you'll want to spend a day there while staying in Castellina if not doing it this way. Best of all, you could take the train from Rome to Siena (about 3 hours, with change required in Chiusi, which is a very small station and easy to change trains in) and not pick up a car until ready to leave Siena the next day...much easier to do that way than driving in Rome traffic as your first Italian driving experience! Montalcino, Montepulciano and many more are all places you will want to be visiting during your stay in the area. Don't miss Sant'Antimo monastery outside of Montalcino.
Another way to go would be to do your overnight in Umbria, some place like Orvieto. You can take the train there and pick up car the next day, too.
Best wishes,
SALLY WATKINS, Certified Travel Counselor sally@century-tvl.com www.sallywatkins.com Italy Specialist Certified Swiss Specialist Certified Aussie Specialist My business depends on referrals - please tell someone today!
I have info on My site for places to eat and visit on the 222, the Chianti wine road! La Volpaia give a great tour, and the place is really interesting, hidden in an old village! you have choices too of where to eat there, there is the Bottega (with Carla and her mom's handmade pasta) or the Bar Ucci, Carla's sisters place for a light snack, or the Volpaia winery just opened their own Osteria, I met the chef, but haven't eaten there yet.
Castellina is a favorite place and we have spent 3 weeks there over the years. Here is a list of things to do
Castellina and immediate surroundings:
Eat at Gallopappa or Il Pestello Etruscan Tombs both north of town and south of town in Fonterutoli. Walk and shop in the old town and new. Pep Bizzarie has great ceramics. Antica Delezie has wonderful gelato.
Surroundings:
Monteriggioni has Bar Orso for outstanding sandwiches, salumi, Illycaffe. In the old citadel of Monteriggioni there is Terra di Siena which is a great wine shop. North of Monteriggioni on the road to Colle Val d'Elsa is Isole di Abbadia, a wonderufl old borgho and abbey being restored. The restaurant there is super. Casole d'Elsa is also niec, a small artistic town on the way to Volterra. Radda and Vertine are wonderful smaller Chianti towns.
Longer drives (about an hour or less)
Sienna Volterra Firenze San Gim
Longer drives (over an hour) Monte Oliveto Maggiore Montalcino St Antimo These three can be done in a well planned day. Get to Monte Oliveto early and tour the closters and grounds. Go to Montalcino for lunch (Bocon di Vino for fancy and wonderful, Grappolo Blu for cheper, rustic and wonderful). Walk Montalcino, taste wine at the Enotecca Fortezza or Osticcio, buy wine at Bruno Dalmazio or Pierangolo, look at ceramics at L'Angolo di Terracotta. Then go to Saint Antimo for 6:30 service with Gregorian chanting. Back to Montalcino for more wandering and/or dinner. Or have dinner on the way back to Castellina in Buonconvento at Mario or Da Duccio.
In 7 days, I would break it up like this (each line is a day):
Castellina and Radda and Vertine
Monteriggioni, Casole d'Elsa, Colle val d'Elsa, Abbadia
quote:Originally posted by Kim: Dean, do you go past Bar Orso from the Siena-Firenze super strada exit to Monterrigioni?
Yep. Exit the Firenze Siena strada in the direction of Monteriggioni (or take the road from Castellina thru Catellina Scalo and pass under the strada) and on the right is Bar Orso. There are about 7 parking space just across the street and there is a large parking lot behind that area down a gravel road.
Bar Orso makes wonderul caffe, has great paste, the best Ricciarelli (better than Naninni in Siena). In the second room is a sandwich bar where you can order paninni and focaccia stuffed with excellent quality Tuscan artisan production salumi. The Prosciutto Toscano is great. They also have porchetta. The big pig is (stop reading here Pauline and all other vegetarians) plunked down on the counter, smiling face and all and hacked up till nothing is left but the tail! The fresh mozzerella for the mozzarella pomodoro is incredibly fresh. They also have some vegetables sott'olio.
The last and perhaps best part of the Bar Orso experience is the bathroom. There is nothing special about the fixtures or the room itself. But when you are done, and look for the handle to open the door, there isn't one. The door opens via an electric eye! Why don't ask me but its a kick.
On our last trip we stopped there twice, on our way from the Veneto to Montalcino for lunch, and a second time from Montalcino to Lucca. Its my favorite bar in all my travels in Italy.
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