Anonimo asked 9 anni ago
Dear Elena My husband and I will be touring Northern Italy this September, and we stumbled on your absolutely phenomenal blog while we were researching things to do in Tuscany and we were blown away! Thank you for sharing so much information! We wanted to share our preliminary itinerary for Tuscany with you before we finalise our plans, and we would be really grateful for any recommendations you may have that will enable us to make the most of our time in Tuscany. My husband is an avid photographer, and we are both budding oenophiles and so, we would like to spend the bulk of our time enjoying the landscape and exploring the “wine route” in Tuscany. Our plans are: – To travel by train from Venice to Florence;- Spend the day and night in Florence (I’m afraid we are not too keen on art and museums though we do want to get a flavour of Florence and perhaps visit the key attractions);- Rent a car and drive from Florence to Chianti, spend two nights at the Meleto Castle and explore the Chianti Wine Region;- Drive from Chianti to Siena and spend two nights in Siena at the Villa Scacciapensieri.- We would like to use Siena as our base to explore Montepulciano, Pienza, Val D’Orcia and Bagno Vignoni. We have a number of questions for you: 1. Are our choice of hotels good? Or would you have any other recommendations that will allow us to fully appreciate the area?2. What are the best/recommended routes to follow for scenic photography?3. Would you be able to recommend any good wineries along the route? Do wineries in Tuscany allow people to visit without being part of a tour or is there some kind or regulation for this?4. Would you have any other recommendations for us – gourmet places to eat at, driving tips – it is all appreciated! We really look forward to hearing from you and thank you in advance!
elena nacci Staff answered 9 anni ago
Many thanks for your kind words and sorry for the delay, I’m really very happy you like my blog
Be sure in Florence there’s a lot to see and do also without necessarily having to visit museums, also just strolling though the city’s streets is incredibly pleasing. The shops are then fantastic and you will enjoy the atmosphere of an ancient Renaissance town, maybe also enjoying a coffee or an ice cream in the beautiful Piazza della Signoria.
Your plan is good! I love the Castle of Meleto in Chianti, that is also a very good winery, and from where you can conveniently explore all the area also including the amazing San Gimignano, that is still in Chianti though located west of it at about ne hour distance.
Among the countless good places where to eat and taste wine here are my recommendations:
– If you love meat, definitely go to Panzano in Chianti to eat the delicious T-Bone Steak at Cecchini’s Restaurant.
–The Castle of Brolio is a beautiful place to visit and taste wine, this is the place here the formula of the Chianti wine was born.
– Badia a Passignano is a scenic and ancient place where to taste good wine and eat excellent food at the osteria
You don’t need to be part of a tour for wine tasting, but for the places mentioned above I suggest you make a call to be sure to find place!
Siena is a good base to explore the Val d’Orcia and Villa Scacciapensieri is lovely.
The Val’ d’Orcia and its stunning hill towns is about at one hour distance.
If you then would like to spend one night right there you may stay at a nice place near Pienza or in the suggestive Bagno Vignoni.
Ciacci Piccolomini d’Aragona in Montalcino and Fattoria Poggio Grande area kong my favorite places for tasting wine.
Pienza is instead the place where to eat fantastic local specialities, also made with the famous pecorino cheese. In the area you can’t go wrong when coming to food and wine.
All the routes you will drive on are scenic, especially from Chianti to Siena, and from Siena to Val d’Orcia passing through the Crete Senesi.
Here are some suggestions for the best scenic drives in Tuscany.
Feel free to contact me again and enjoy planning your vacation!
elena
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