Hello!

I’m hoping you can help my husband and me decide between some rentals in Montepulciano. We are planning a fall 2 week holiday, and after, some discussion, have decided on staying in southern Tuscany near or in Montepulciano. So far, we have heard from the Politian and Al Poggiolo in the town itself and Sant’Antonio a short distance away.

We have a few questions. We are a couple in our mid sixties and stayed in Bonnieux, Provence last fall for 3 weeks. We loved it. While my husband did not mind the steep hills, I was somewhat challenged by them. I walked them, but sometimes complaining a bit. (I’ll try to get in better shape for this trip!) My question is how the hill in Montepulciano compares to the Provençal hilltop towns. Also, do any of you have any knowledge of services (stores, cafés, restaurants, etc.) in the vicinity of the 2 in-town apartments, and any specific recommendations? Do any of you prefer one over the other? It appears that the Politian is somewhat higher, and father from restaurants and cafés and the parking is outside the walls. We have been unable to figure out what that exactly means. However, the Politian has WiFi, and we like to use that to keep in contact with family in the states. Al Poggiolo has parking and a garden, but no computer access in the apartment. We’ve been assured that there are connections nearby.

There is the additional issue of how far Sant’Antonio is from the town itself. Most recently, we have stayed in villages because we can go to a café or restaurant for meals or easily pick up croissants for breakfast and eat in our apartment. We really prefer not to drink and drive, so like to be located in or near a town. We do cook sometimes. So, since Sant’Antonio doesn’t serve meals, the question of distance seems to be important. Sant’Antonio’s web-site says that it is a couple of kilometers, but how does that translate into practicality? Can one get into the town easily, and is parking difficult, particularly in the morning or at dinner time?

I can't help with the two in-town apartments, because we haven't seen either of them, except to say that you're never very far from most amenities within the walls. There are restaurants and bars at both the upper and lower ends of town (and in the center, for that matter). I've posted reviews on ST for a number of them. Groceries are a little harder - unless I missed it, the only supermarket is the Coop outside the walls at the lower end of town and there aren't a lot of other food shops inside the walls except those selling cheese, oil, etc., mainly to tourists. One other caution regarding Internet access since that's important to you: the only Internet cafe we found in Montepulciano was closed far more than it was open while we were there last year.

As for Sant'Antonio, I highly recommend it. Not only are the apartments lovely and the location marvelous, the owner (Nico) is wonderful. We spent two weeks there last April and had a great time. The only downside (if it is a downside) is that it is probably 2 or 3 kilometers from the town. The roads are busy and not ideal for walking, so you will definitely want a car (which you'll need for touring the area anyway). We never found parking to be a problem at either the upper or lower end of town, especially in the evening. Drinking and driving is of course another issue, and it is not ideal to have to drive after dinner, but the pleasure of staying at Sant'Antonio was worth it.

Montepulciano is very steep. Other than the piazza at the top, there are no flat areas as there are in some other hill towns. So, if you stay inside the walls, your leg muscles will be challenged.

I agree with Kevin that Sant'Antonio is lovely in every way. You can sit outside and enjoy the light of Tuscany and the views. It is very peaceful and calm--a great respite from busy days. You can drive into the village or other places for meals quite easily. You can drive up to the piazza on top where there are restaurants.

I do know that the Politian gets great reviews but if steepness is an issue, I think Sant'Antonio would serve you better--and, like the rest of us, you will be happy there.

quote:

Originally posted by Margie in MA: While my husband did not mind the steep hills, I was somewhat challenged by them. I walked them, but sometimes complaining a bit.

We did a day trip from Pienza to Montepulciano last September and had to cut the walking in Montepulciano and revise the plans for the day because my wife could not take the constant ascending and descending everywhere we turned, particularly when going downhill. Montepulciano is all hilly. To put it in perspective, my wife is not near any need for surgical interventions to her knees, does not take painkillers, although uses an anti-inflamatory in liquid form called Pensaid; she just has some meniscus damage. She managed very well everywhere else we went.

Of course, everybody's condition, conditioning and circumstances are different.

We stayed in Politian apartment one for 3 nights around mid May, 2006. It was a very nice apartment with a great view. The bed was comfortable but a bit narrow for us. We were able to find street parking in front of the apartment building. Please make sure you ask for detail driving directions. We had problem even with gps because of the one way streets. I just checked its web site and glad to see apartment#1 got new bathroom! We had problem with the washing machine and hopefully it is fixed. Overall, it was a good apartment. The kitchen was not very clean, but it was ok. Walking to bakeries, restaurants...., I would say it was gentle walking about 10 to 15 minutes. We ate at cafe Poliziano(10 minutes from apt) for 3 nights. The T-bone steak was excellent. We didn't see supermarket in town, but several small markets. I remember the one I liked was very far(may be 20 minutes? gentle walking) from the apartment. You can ask Giacomo for the detail and the distance for markets, he is very nice. There were a lot of wine shops, but we bought our Brunello wine from a market(upstair was a market and downstair was a wine cave). I have not stayed in Bonnieux, but drove thru and walked around a bit last year. I think walking in Montepulciano would be easier!

I agree that Montepulciano is very steep. I have clients staying at Il Poggiolo next month and can let you know how they liked it. Most people enjoy their stay there.

Sant' Antonio is a wonderful property and I will have the pleasure of staying there next May for one week! Again, all clients that have stayed there love it. Nico is an outstanding host.

All the best,

Leslie

We spent a week at Al Poggiolo in Nov. 2006 and loved every minute of our stay. One of the apts. only has a few stairs, if I remember correctly.

My husband had taken a bad fall just a couple of weeks before our trip. I had considered changing our entire trip and staying in flatter areas, but he said no. Walking the main streets of Montepulciano wasn't too difficult for him. The steeper side streets were more of a challenge, but he never complained. We just went more slowly. The most difficult were the ones without any handrails. We tried to avoid those and also because they were slippery.

There are small markets in town and the big Conad outside the walls. We usually used the Conad because we could drive and didn't have to carry everything as far.

The internet shop did have odd hours, I just assumed it was because of the time of year. Since we were there for a week, we just made a note of the times and tried to work around them. I think it's the only one in town, and it is closer to Al Poggiolo than Politian.

We hope to return someday, of course, and we'll stay at Al Poggiolo again. The owners provide a binder of recommendations, including restaurants, in each apt. They also offer 2 washers and 2 dryers inside the building. We were the only ones there that week, so we didn't have to worry about sharing them.

I think the available parking is also a big plus. You are inside a secure area so you don't have to worry about leaving things in the car (like a GPS.)

I wrote a review on ST about our stay. I will always happily recommend Al Poggiolo to anyone!

Denise

I've stayed at Montorio twice now and can highly recommend the place. It's right outside Montepulciano and just next to the beautiful St. Biagio church. Views of the church and the town beyond are fabulous and parking is always available. There's a small grocery store right down the street and you're in walking distance to the well-known La Grotta restaurant (right next to San Biagio). Two minutes by car and you can park free for visiting Montepulciano -- but it is a long hike up stairs to get there.

Thanks so much for your kind and helpful comments. In the end, we decided to stay at the Sant Antonio. We have not stayed in an agrituristica before, except for some short stays at bed and breakfasts, and thought we’d try something different. Although we liked village stays, we took into account many of your comments about the steepness of the town. Sant Antonio comes highly recommended, and although it is not in the town itself, it seems close enough for meals and provisions. We will cook probably half our meals in the apartment and the setting of the Sant Antonio looks lovely.

For those of you who mentioned Pienza, we will go there during our stay. We just wanted to be a bit closer to the highway for easy access to some of the places we want to visit.

Thanks again for you help. We have additional questions, but will post under new headings.

Margret

Margret, you will not be disappointed in your choice. You will join all of us who have gone before you in knowing that you will return there someday. We have stayed there many times and will be there again in August. It is a lovely experience. Actually, it is not an agriturismo as it is not a working farm. As it is an historical property--14th century monastary--it can not be an agriturismo.

You will enjoy Nico and his kind ways. Have a great time.