Italy, Tuscany
Updated: 6 hours ago
How to get around Italy, the land of la dolce vita. The best destinations to experience the slow-living. A road trip through Tuscany and its villages. Hotels with incredible views.
May this travel guide never keeps you from exploring by yourself and getting off the path. As much as I love giving recommendations and help you plan your trip to make things easier, I need to say: Please make sure there are days to allow youself to simply wander around, walk aimlessly, and be spontaneous. I learned the hard way so you don't have to, but creating the space to also have your own experiences instead of replicating absolutely everything from a travel guide will always give you the most adventurous annecdotes and moments you'll rememeber forever.
Because of my Italian heritage I have a special connection to this country. Italy is this place that you can never get enough of. In fact, moving to Italy at some point is one of my biggest dreams. The landscape leaves a permanent print in your mind. The sweet aroma of the flowers and citric keeps you company along your stay. The heat and cicadas follow you wherever you go.
To start planning this unforgettable trip to Italy, wherever destination you pick, it is important to determine which towns you want to visit to create an efficient route. To get from one city to another, or from one region to another the best is the trains. These two are the most reliable and legit options:
Always check for the strikes calendar in Italy, they even have strikes at the airports. Sometimes the schedule changes and strikes catch you by surprise. Sometimes the strikes affect one company but not the other one.
Do not book with Eurorail, or any other third party company. It usually leads to cancelations due to overbooking.
Tuscany Travel Guide
When I mentioned above one of my biggest dreams is to live in Italy, this is not only Italy, Tuscany is where my vision relays. The weather, the landscape, the wine, the food, the slow paced life, all this is art that has a complexity within the simplicity. Life in Italy is simple but that doesn't mean there are not nuances and layers. In fact you can taste, and deeply savor those nuances and layers in the food, the wine and the way the present moment is enjoyed.
Querceto di Castelina Dinner Party
How to get around Tuscany?
Rent a car. Driving through Tuscany is very easy, and the landscape seems painted by hand.
Florence is the closest major city to the rural Tuscany and it is part of Tuscany itself. Driving only twenty minutes will already leave you in the beautiful hilly countryside. Rome is a great option to start in the South of Tuscany, about two hours to Montepulciano. Pienza is about 20/30 min away from Montepulciano, and San Gimigniano is one hour and thirty minutes away from Pienza. Of course Florence will be the most convenient in term of distance.
Tips for renting a car in Italy
Do I need an International Driver's License (IDP) to rent a car in Italy?
Most of the rental cars don't ask you for it, and if you get stopped by traffic enforcement you can be very honest and they might let you go or give you a fine. In very unlikely and uncommon cases they will tow your car. It is not legally required by car retal agencies to ask you for it. I rented cars in different regions of Italy and was never asked for an IDP until I was asked for it in Florence, right at the AVIS closer to Santa Maria Novella Train Station. They basically asked me to pay more money if I wanted to drive without an IDP which is obviously a scam to get more money out of you. So my recommendations is to have and IDP to avoid people taking advantage of you. If you don't have one and you are renting a car in Florence, please rent at the airport Avis. It is fast and no IDP asked.
Fuel in Europe is expensive, I recommend to pay to return the fuel tank empty and let them take care of re-fueling, unless they spicify there is an extra surcharge. Uber doesn't exist in Tuscany, unless this changes over the course of the next few months or years. Public transportation in the towns is also not a thing, and if there is a single bus good luck waiting for hours, if it ever arrives.
It is easy to drive in Italy. The right lane is for slower cars and some people go really slow. You can drive at your own speed-as long as you respect the minimum speed limit-, in a way you feel comfortable, and keep living the slow paced life of Italy.
ZTL in Italy
ZTL is the Zona di Traffico Limitato, meaning limited traffic area. There are many of these areas all throughout Italy, especially in very old towns and historical centers. Florence is very well known for its ZTL's. Other towns in Tuscany also have their own ZTL's. Make sure to research before renting a car on the specific place you want to visit. Driving through a ZTL triggers extremely expensive fines -hundreds of euros.
Best towns in Tuscany
I love Tuscany so much that it is hard to categorize towns as "best" because all of them have their own unique aspects and are so quaint. Here is where I involve pure subjectivity and base "best" on my own experience.
Where to stay in Tuscany?
So many wonderful spots in Tuscany. I will list a few options in different locations.
From all the towns, my favorite so far is San Gimignano.
Chianti:
Borgo Tre Rose
A row of pines welcome you on the driveway to this beautiful stay. They have apartments with kitchen and single rooms. The borgo is located right in the limit of Tuscany and Umbria, permitting this flexibility to visit both regions within a few minutes. There is a pool and the retaurant on site is phenomenal. Make sure to reserve a table for dinner if you want a nice view. No need to make a reservation for breakfast.
Borgo Inalbi
This is a twenty minute ride from Florence, which makes it really atractive if your desire is to explore the city at some point. You can have your own apartment with a beautiful Italian style kitchen and well decorated bedroom. Each apartment comes with its own private outdoor space. The only downside to this place is that is really family-kids oriented and there are many kids around. They have two pools on site but do not separate adults from kids, and they occupy both pools. I found it not so calming but if you have kids, this is ideal.
Querceto di Castellina
Here you can choose to stay in your own little villa, or in one of the apartments. All of them with kitchen, living room area, and outdoor area. Waking up to the sun bathing the hilly vineyards is priceless. Additionally there is a pool on site, farm animals and they offer a complimentary wine tasting for guests. Once a month during the summer they have a big family Italian style dinner party. If you wish to be part of the table bookings need to be done in advance.
Food in Chianti:
The best thing you can permit yourself to experience is to buy produce at the local shop or market and rent a place with your own kitchen to cook. Use their ingredients, learn their recipes. Have their fresh fruit in the morning and a nice piece of bread with butter and jam.
Ristorante La Bottega di Volpaia
Incredible view, right in the garden white tablecloths dancing with the wind and glasses filled with delicious wine.
Ristorante La Bottega dil Borgo
Cute, traditional restaurant in the town of Castellina, you will feel you are in a nonna's kitchen.
Casa Sangiovese
Newly opened restaurant with a phenomenal view, they also offer cooking classes. Excellent wine selection.
What to do in the area
Visit these vineyards
Querceto di Castellina
Le Miccine
Contact them prior you visit specifying the type of wine tasting you wish to do and schedule your date and time.
Castello di Albola Picnic
Have a picnic at this stunning vineyard Castello di Albola. The beautiful basket comes with a tablecloth, that can also be used as a blanket to lay on the grass. Meats, cheeses, breads, and much more. Only on Saturdays from 12 to 3 p.m. Contact them to reserve your basket. No payment in advance required. Pick your basket, get your prefered bottle of wine, they will also provide the glasses. Choose the perfect spot in the entire vineyard to sit and enjoy.
Contact here: info@albola.it
Cooking Class
This class in Greve, Chianti you'll learn how to make pasta and after cooking it you'll enjoy it at the garden table with magnificent views and delicious wine. Book through Get Your Guide and use my dicount code THEWILDVOYAGE5
Explore the markets
Catelina in Chianti Saturdays 8 am-1pm.
Greve in Chianti Saturdays 8 am-1pm
Pienza
Although I loved Pienza, I consider it significantly small and lovely to feel local life, there is no much to do and see in the town itself unless you drive out after walking the few blocks that are part of this beautiful place. I am a person who needs to explore and be on the move, and for the traveler style that I have there is so much to do and see in Tuscany that staying in Pienza would deprive me of keep discovering, but if you have the luck to actually live in Italy and have a car to get around I wouldn't doubt to get a place in this town.
Pienza is pure authenticity. It is not crowded. Locals gather on the streets taking chairs from their own living rooms and placing them on the beautiful path to catch up with neighbors.
Since this is a matter of a few blocks I recommend to walk, enjoy the views of the hills, enjoy a meal or a delicious gelato at Buon Gusto Gelateria, take good pics, observe the locals, live the culture, maybe buy a new colorful fan, or kitchen apron at one of the shops.
Montepulciano
Although I don't think is fair to compare towns in Tuscany, just for size reference Montepulciano is bigger in comparison to Pienza. It has a different charm, no better, no worse, simply different. This attractive Tuscan town is built on top of a hill, which means a lot of steep walking.
Stays:
Palazzo Tombesi Trecci
Residenza Fabroni
Plazzo Mosella alla Porta
The wild boar is the official mascot in Tuscany, but they particularly love it in Montepulciano. As a matter of fact they even have wild boar merchandise: shirts, hats, stuffed animals.
Walk through Montepulciano and get lost through shops, jewelries, architecture, Chiesa de Santa Lucia, and keep in mind these two great restaurants...
Food in Montepulciano
Caffe Poliziano:
Located in the heart of town this is a well known spot because of its serene views of the pleasant Tuscan hills. It is also popular for its sophisticated tea menu. https://www.caffepoliziano.it
Podere Il Casale:
Driving to the outskirts of Montepulciano you will find this property with a restaurant concept: all the ingredients used for the preparation of the meals are all produced in their own farm and gardens. The view from here is really something else, and there is a sense of home and privacy, since there is no easy access and it can be a little bit tricky to find it. They also have cooking classes.
Val d'Orcia
This is a route through Tuscany, very popular for its wonderful landscape, and photography spots. If you are planning on a road trip through Tuscany this is a must. The most popular spots of their route are:
Gladiator shooting spot -picture below-
Cypress Road
Capella della Madonna di Vitalità
Podere Belvedere -picture below-
San Gimignano
Although I did a road trip through Tuscany, this is the town I chose to stay in. I couldn't resist its beauty. Its strategic location, only 45 min away from Firenze -in English Florence-makes it the best place to stay and live that summer under the Tuscan sun.
Where to stay in San Gimignano?
Relais Santa Chiara:
Convenient location, five minutes away from the town of San Gimignano by walking. It faces the countryside so the views of hills and vineyards will be seen from pool and bedrooms. Breakfast buffet is delicious and peaceful. The rooms are spotless and look really nice.
What to do in San Gimignano?
Vineyard tour and wine tasting :
There are several places that offer wine tours, after all you are in one of the most important wine regions in the entire world. Tuscany is the wine country of Italy, though Italy itself is a wine country. Chianti is a very popular region and a lot of people prefer to taste this wine, but there are plenty of options when it comes to good wine in Italy. I recommend:
Golf:
You can golf in Tuscany of course. It is challenging, there is even a manual to know how to hit the ball to avoid the frustration. To book your tee click here: castelfalfi.com
Borgo Pignano:
Want to see a sunset over the hills? Visit Borgo Pignano before dusk, get an aperitivo and contemplate the orange light bathing the countryside as the sun goes down. This is located only 20 min away from town.
Walk through the Old Town:
A stroll through the old town is a magical moment of people sitting in the main piaza, musicians playing the guitar and singing old classics, gelato, glasses of wine, the stone of the walls showing its beauty and resistance after thousands of years. Shops with authentic products made in Italy: handbags, leather, coats, hats, anything you want. This small town is not quiet, it gets very lively from 7p.m through 11 p.m .
Picture of Tenuta De Castelfalfi
Il Segreto di Pietrafitta
Pool with a view of the hills. Sauna with a view of San Gimignano, access to the town by car.
Food in San Gimignano:
Tartufo -Truffles in English- and ragu are very big in this town, almost every restaurant has them on the menu. I am personally not someone who likes truffles, but I do like ragu. It is good to try traditional and local meals, so I would say one of these two ingredients should be on your meal when you visit San Gimignano. Buon Appetito!
Enjoy Sanji:
Perfect spot to enjoy a well done Aperol spritz and sunsets.
Osteria San Giovanni:
For some tartuffo dishes.
Gelateria Dondoli:
The most famous gelato in the world, they won the award as best multiple times.
Chiribiri Trattoria: Very low key, family owned, perfect to practice your Italian if that's something you are into. They are very patient, lovely people, and their cooking is fantastic.
Vineyards worth visiting in Tuscany:
Although I named most of them along this post I will make a list of all the vineyards here to make it visually easy for you.
Querceto di Castellina
Tenuta di Castelfalfi
Le Miccine
Castello di Albola
Castello di Volpaia
Castello di Brolio
Il Palagio
Villa Il Pozzo
My best wishes to your Tuscan adventure!
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