Best place to stay as a base for discovering Tuscany

Yeshim

New member
Hello,
We will be visiting Tuscany between 19-23 April for 4 days, as three couples. We are planning to rent a car. Which place would make the best spot to stay to reach everywhere with ease? Since we have only 4 days do you think we should stay somewhere within walking distance to a city center, so that we won't need to drive all the time?
 
Hello Yeshim and welcome to our forum,

We have two articles suggesting where to stay in Tuscany - please take a look at those to start:
- if you have a car
- if you won't have a car

Like in the articles, I would suggest two different places where you can stay in Tuscany depending on what you are looking for in your holiday.

If you are seeking a relaxing vacation, with 4 peaceful days just discovering what you can of Tuscany, I would recommend you to book an accommodation in Chianti.
As you might already know, Chianti is a gorgeous area of Tuscany between Florence and Siena. Staying here you have the chance to organize a day trip to Florence or Siena, the most important cities in Tuscany, but at the same time spend the rest of your day immersed in the beautiful landscape of the surrounding countryside, maybe tasting some good Chianti wines.

Otherwise, if you desire all the comforts of being close to a city from which you can easily reach the center without taking your car, shopping, enjoying city life.... then I suggest you spend your holiday in a comfortable accommodation near the center of Florence. Here, you can either reach in a few minutes walking distance many of the attractions of this beautiful city or decide to take your car and head out to discover the area in the surroundings: in less than an hour’s drive, you can reach Chianti to the south of Florence, the valley of Mugello to the north of the city and the Casentino area to the east, as well as head west toward the coast toward Pisa or a day at the beach.

Here, you can find information about Chianti and search for Chianti Accommodations or learn more about Florence if you prefer the second choice I have talked about: Visit Florence.

Feel free to post any other questions! I hope you’ll enjoy your stay in the lovely region of Tuscany!
 
Looking for a base accommodation for me, my wife and our 25-year-old daughter while on a 3-day tour of some radius of towns (open to suggestions) that could include the Chianti Wine Region (Greve, Panzano and Castellina), as well as San Gimignano and Siena. Arriving early Sunday morning May 20, 2012 in Florence where we'll rent a car at the airport. Need accommodation for that Sunday night, Monday night (May 21) and Tuesday night (May 22). Places I've seen on this website seem to rent only by the week. Flexible on type of accommodation (e.g. small hotel, farmhouse) as long as we have private bathroom and a room with one double bed and one single bed. While we might have breakfast at the accommodation, we'll basically only sleep there, as we'll be driving each day to see local architecture, a winery or two, eat in local restaurants (suggestions?), visit ceramics shops, etc. We just want to soak up the local history/scenery/culture. One source tells us that Radda in Chianti is a good town to find a base. Early Wednesday morning (May 23), we will drive to Lucca, where my nephew will get married (and where we have accommodations for May 23-24). Thanks for any guidance.
 
Hello Yeshim!

What about Mugello area, in the northern part of Tuscany near Emilia Romagna? If you come here you can really enjoy an holiday out of the beaten tracks!! I'm a local resident and I manage, with my wife Roberta, an intimate inn. Our "Locanda Senio" (www.locandasenio.com) is located in the centre of a medieval village near Florence, here you'll spend some days of authentic Tuscany and relax yourself in our small spa.
 
Hello Yeshim!

What about Mugello area, in the northern part of Tuscany near Emilia Romagna? If you come here you can really enjoy an holiday out of the beaten tracks!! I'm a local resident and I manage, with my wife Roberta, an intimate inn. Our Locanda Senio is located in the centre of a medieval village near Florence, here you'll spend some days of authentic Tuscany and relax yourself in our small spa.

I'm sure your advice come from the love for your town but Palazzuolo sul Senio - which is indeed a nice small medieval village can't be considered like the best spot to reach everywhere, as Yasim was asking.
Personally I would suggest an accommodation in the outskirts of Florence or Siena.

Stefano - DT Team
 
Ciao Yeshim,

For 4 days with a car, you can pretty much stay anywhere because you'll be able to move around everywhere you need. If you want to enjoy the countryside, I'd recommend the Chianti area as Sara had recommended - the famous wine region lies between Florence and Siena and thus makes it great as a base to visit the most popular destinations in Tuscany, including Florence, Siena, Chianti, Pisa, San Gimignano and Volterra.

If you want to stay in a small village, I would recommend the Palazzo Malaspina B&B which is in the medieval village of San Donato in Poggio in Chianti. If you want to stay in the countryside, I'd recommend the Casolare di Libbiano B&B which is near San Gimignano.
 
Ciao PadreJ,

You've got one day less than Yashim before the wedding but I'd also recommend staying in Chianti so that you can go in a different direction every day and be able see the places you want to see in those few days: Chianti, San Gimignano, Siena. Are you planning to visit Florence as well on the first day or go back on another day? Highly recommend it!

The two B&Bs I've just suggested above actually rent for less than a week so make sure to take a look at them, they are also closer to the Florence-Siena roadway which will make it easier/faster to get to them and out on your day trips. If these do not work out, take a look at the listings at the bottom of this page dedicated to accommodation in Chianti (they also offer stays of less than a week)

Radda is a very charming town but right smack in the center of Chianti away from the main roadways that cross the region. It is ideal for visiting Chianti itself and when you have time to drive to places, since all the roads are two lane and it takes a little longer to get to places. San Gimignano, Castellina in Chianti, San Donato in Poggio, San Casciano in Val di Pesa are towns that are pretty central between Florence and Siena but on the western border of Chianti close to the Florence-Siena roadway making them better bases when your time is a bit more limited.

You'll have a wonderful time discovering the area you stay in - shopping for local products, eating good food, drinking good wine (it is hard to eat badly in Tuscany, most "trattoria" have extensive wine lists just like the restaurants do) and most of all taking part of your nephew's wedding in such a beautiful setting as Tuscany!!

Let me know if I can help with more suggestions! :)
 
Ciao Yeshim,

For 4 days with a car, you can pretty much stay anywhere because you'll be able to move around everywhere you need. If you want to enjoy the countryside, I'd recommend the Chianti area as Sara had recommended - the famous wine region lies between Florence and Siena and thus makes it great as a base to visit the most popular destinations in Tuscany, including Florence, Siena, Chianti, Pisa, San Gimignano and Volterra.

If you want to stay in a small village, I would recommend the Palazzo Malaspina B&B which is in the medieval village of San Donato in Poggio in Chianti. If you want to stay in the countryside, I'd recommend the Casolare di Libbiano B&B which is near San Gimignano.


Thanks for all your help.
I am checking out the options now. We prefer a relaxing time on the country side.
I kind of liked a place called Il Mulıno to stay; in Bagnoro. Do you have any idea about this place and would Bagnoro be far away from the atrractions ?(remind you that we will have a car)
 
With a car, we also definitely recommend the countryside although even a small village such as San Donato is perfect (it is about 3 streets long and wide ;) really medieval with walls around it). I had to look Bagnoro up to see where it was! South of Arezzo makes it central for visiting southern Tuscany - definitely would recommend visiting Arezzo, Cortona, nearby towns in the Valdichiana and then head toward Montepulciano, Pienza and Montalcino (known as the Val d'Orcia area) for great wines such as the Brunello and Rosso di Montepulciano and Tuscany's great cheese, the Pecorino di Pienza.

Siena is also a definite must-see and if you have time, make the trip to Florence (it will farthest at about an hour drive taking the fast A1 highway or longer if you decide to take the scenic drive through Chianti). So Bagnoro is definitely fine, just know that you're in southern Tuscany and, at that point, I've listed the highly recommended must-sees in that area which you should see, before heading further away. Tuscany seems small but it is really rich in things to see so you will find lots to discover in each area! :D
 
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