Somewhere similar to Castellina?

Jules444

New member
Hi! Just retuned from Castellina, and loved it, but looking for somewhere similar for next time. Visited Radda and Greve too, so not those. Any suggestions? We like to be able to walk into town on an evening rather than drive. Thanks in advance!
 
Ciao Jules,

So you're looking for something similar to stay at, similar to Castellina, but closer to town so you can walk to town for dinner/evening strolls? Many of the farmhouses often are in the open countryside... and unless they are practically in town, I'd still recommend to drive instead of walk as many of those main roads are narrow and dark at night, not made for pedestrians.

So I'd suggest staying in a town next time as opposed to the countryside... I'd recommend Volterra or San Gimignano or Colle Val d'Elsa. Did you visit any of these?
 
We have already stayed in volterra and lucca, and really loved Castellina, so may go back as we were within walking distance ( I know what you mean about the roads!) have visited pisa, Florence, barga and siena on various visits.
we were trying to avoid another walled city. So any suggestions most appreciated!
 
Seeing where you've been already, I'd suggest any of these:
Arezzo, San Quirico d'Orcia, Pienza, Cortona, Montalcino.

Sorry but many of the towns in Tuscany do still have walls around, left over from medieval times. And it is part of their charm, so I don't think staying at another walled town is a bad thing ;)

You could also stay in Florence - walking around in the evening to dinner can be a great delight, especially during the warm summer months when there are street musicians, entertainers and more. Lots of good restaurants too is a big plus!
 
Thank you for those suggestions. Definitely 2 or 3 nights in florence and the further 4? I will look at your suggestions thanks!
 
Yes, 3 nights in Florence and 4 in another small town - I really highly recommend San Gimignano as a great place to enjoy in the evenings for dinner and gelato once many of the day time visitors have departed ;).

Another great option is San Donato in Poggio, a really small medieval town but with several places to eat at and just the basic shops.... but Arezzo, even if bigger, is not on many people's itinerary so it pretty quiet in the evenings. We saw lots of locals when we stayed a night in April.

If you want to discover a new area of Tuscany, I'd also suggest heading into the Casentino and staying near Poppi. You can read more about the area here and read about the castles you can visit in the area.
 
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