itinerary help - short visit tuscany

agramaria

New member
hello
I am planning a surprise birthday trip to Tuscany for my boyfriend and would like some help with my itinerary.
Day 1
We arrive in Rome on Sunday 04november, early morning ,where we will rent a car from the airport. We will head to Siena, with a short stop at Orvieto perhaps for a coffee. In the late afternoon after lunch and sightseeing in Siena we will head to San Gimignano with a stop at Monteriggioni. We will stay at San Gimignano overnight. Any suggestions where to stay?
Day 2
We will do any sightseeing we didn’t get to do in San Gimignano and then head to Chianti. Specifically I am thinking to go to Greve in Chianti where we can do a wine tour, spend some time in Panzano square and fortress Castellina. I am not sure whether to book a wine tour or go by ourselves and visit one or two vineyards(Casaloste, Castello d’albola, etc). As for accommodation I have read about Castello Vichiomagio but any recommendations for hotel or B&B would be appreciated.

Day 3
We will head to Florence and spend the day there sightseeing and maybe on the way to Florence we might stop at barberino val d’elsa center. Overnight in Florence again any accommodation recommendations would be great.
Day 4
- Spend some time in the morning in the shopping outlet in Florence and then head to Pisa. Then we will start our journey back to Rome, depending on how much time (and daylight) we have we may stop at montepulciano or montalcino and pienza. Overnight in Rome for an early morning flight.
Do you think I have covered the ‘must see’ areas of Tuscany for a first time visitor? Any comments or recommendations to my itinerary would be appreciated.

Looking forward to your input
Thanks
agra
 
lots on your itinerary - take your time and enjoy Tuscany without rushing!

Ciao Agra,

What a wonderful trip you're planning, I'm sure you and your boyfriend will have a lot of fun and fall in love with Tuscany! Just make sure to not rush, Tuscany is best enjoyed slowly.

Day 1 - Busy day but think it will work out well!
For San Gimignano, take a look at this category to see some choices both within the town and in the surrounding area: http://www.tuscanyaccommodation.com/san-gimignano-accommodation/
If you're interested in staying in the town, take a look at "Attico Duomo" since it is right in the main square in San Gimignano, with great views of the remaining towers and the Duomo.
If you're interested in staying in the countryside outside of San Gimignano, I highly recommend Casolare di Libbiano, a very charming and romantic B&B: http://www.tuscanyaccommodation.com/casolare-di-libbiano.html

Day 2 - for your day in Chianti work upwards from Castellina, then to Panzano, then to Greve.... so maybe the wine tour might be better done around Panzano so you can take more time working your way up. Most wineries offer wine tastings and tours of their estates, some requiring some advance booking so you do need to have an idea of where you'd like to stop if you want to do it that way. Castello Vicchiomaggio offers both accommodation and wine tastings/tours (many estates do actually! I'd recommend Fattoria Viticcio for this same reason - accommodation+wine tastings/tours right outside Greve in Chianti.

Day 3 - There are so many possibilities in Florence. I'd recommend a B&B in the center of the city to make it a romantic stay - you can start by looking at the whole list here:
http://www.florenceaccommodation.com/florence-city-bed-and-breakfasts/
and in particular, I'd recommend:
Casa dei Tintori - really small B&B but very central near Piazza Santa Croce
Casa del Garbo - if you want to enjoy staying right in Piazza della Signoria with view on Palazzo Vecchio
Antica Dimora Johlea - romantic rooms and terrace with a view

Day 4 - Which shopping outlet in Florence are you referring to? The closest outlets are outside of the city, one in Barberino di Mugello (Barberino Designer Outlets) and the other in near Regello (The Mall).
See the whole list and details of location here: http://www.discovertuscany.com/what-to-do-in-tuscany/shopping/outlet-in-tuscany.html
This might turn out to be an all morning excursion, so while I encourage you to head to Pisa in the afternoon, I doubt you'll also get time to stop again before Rome. Don't rush Pisa to "see more" in your day, otherwise you'll feel rushed and probably end up enjoying less what you do see. I highly recommend you take the time to not just see the monuments in Piazza dei Miracoli but to visit some of them, in particular the tower and cathedral. You could book your tower ticket ahead of time if you want to make sure you climb up at a specific time.

If you have any other questions about accommodations or sights, feel free to post again! I'm sure you'll both love Tuscany and want to come back to spend some more time, maybe with a few more days overall to experience the relaxing side to Tuscany ;-).
 
Dear Lourdes,
Thank you very much for your help :) and for all the information you gave me! you are a real Tuscany expert from what i have been reading around!
unfortunately Attico Duomo and Fattorio viticcio have accommodation on a weekly basis only. So i think i will go for the following, though i am still in a searching process.
san gimignano - antico poso
greve in chianti-Castello vichiomaggio (i wanted vignamaggio but has 2 nights minimum like most accommodation in Chianti)
florence - David (though slightly pricey and not very central , but looks good and we are in florence for my boyfriends bday so maybe it is worth it)

as for wine tours i thought we do one in Castello Verrazono, one in our hotel and if we have time in Panzano before we head up at academia del buon
 
more ideas of places in San Gimignano and Florence

Ciao again,

Did you contact either Attico Duomo or Fattoria Viticcio about staying there 1 night?
Just because even if places generally do one week rentals during the high season, during the low (like November), they'll also consider shorter stays. Not sure of these two but just so you know in general that it often works like that.

For near San Gimignano I have another recommendation: the B&B Casolare di Libbiano which does do 1 nights stays. It is very charming place - take a look and contact them for availability and precise rates: http://www.tuscanyaccommodation.com/casolare-di-libbiano.html

As for Florence, the David is quite outside the city center... if you're looking at that budget, you definitely can find something more central and even nicer.
Take a look at Johanna B&B: http://www.florenceaccommodation.com/johanna-i.html
and once you're on their website, at the other B&Bs they have in the center
as well as Casa dei Tintori: http://www.florenceaccommodation.com/casa-dei-tintori.html
and Le Stanze di Santa Croce: http://www.florenceaccommodation.com/le-stanze-di-santa-croce.html

Rather than do a wine tasting at your hotel in Florene, I recommend you head to Piazza del Vino, an excellent wine bar offering tastings in the afternoon as well as special dinner with various wines throughout the meal - that would be perfect for your boyfriend's birthday!
Here is our review for the wine tasting: http://www.visitflorence.com/what-to-do-in-florence/wine-tasting-in-florence.html
 
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