May 8 to 11, 2009 in Siena

Joann

New member
This may be similar to another question, but we are more interested in food, wine, pleasant shopping excursions, places to have picnics, people watching, anything around ponds, lakes, etc. We will have a rental car, and on May 11 will proceed to Umbria for 3 days(also any recommendations of websites similar to this would be helpful. ) Any ideas as to how we may occupy ourselves while in Siena?
Many thanks.
 
Ciao Joann,

Aside from visiting some wineries around Siena, I'd definitely add to the mix visiting the small towns spread to the south of the city in the areas known as the Crete Senesi and the Val d'Orcia. These include Buonconvento, Montalcino, Montepulciano, Pienza... visit the Abbey of Sant'Antimo near Montalcino, very beautiful. Montalcino is famous for its wine, the Brunello. The town has a lot of enoteche or wine bars where you can do wine tastings by the glass.

As for natural areas, ponds or lakes - you can head a little further south towards Monte Amiata, full of trails and green areas where you can stop and picnic. Tuscany doesn't have any large lakes (aside from the man-made Bilancino to the north of Florence) but since you're headed towards Umbria, a stop at Lake Trasimeno should definitely be on your list.

Check these sites out for more specific details:
http://www.prolocomontalcino.it/
http://www.parcodellavaldorcia.com/indexb.asp
http://www.amiataturismo.it/on-line/Home.html
 
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