Renting a car from Florence was a good call. Sienna is lovely, but the Tuscan countryside is not to be missed. Some of our favorite moments were on day trips from our Sienna base. Seeing the main sights of Florence, and Sienna are a must, but The key to getting the most out of a Tuscan vacation is getting off the well trodden tourist path. We did this best in one trip where we took in the lovely small hill town of Montereggio and Volterra and the impressive San Gimignano.
Two destinations in one day trip is ideal. The towns can sometime blend if you do too much at once. Montereggio is small enough where you can experience the whole town in an hour. The opposite would be a large town like Volterra which really has too much to experience in a short visit of a few hours. Timing of the visit is also key. We hit San Gimignano late in the afternoon, as the tour bus crowd was winding down. Spontaneity is also important- we randomly stopped at a vineyard near San Gimignano and had a great time meeting the owner and buying wine and seeing his olive trees and vines. Our dinner in San Gimignano was one of the best of the week.
Our second day trip was to Montalcino and to Bagno Vignoni. Both were not crowded which made them all the more enjoyable. The views from the top of Montalcino were the most impressive on the trip so far. Bagno Vignoni was a real surprise- it's a lovely resort town centered around natural hot springs that has been around since Roman times. The setting is absolutely stunning in the L'Orica River valley. Staying here will be a must next time we're in Tuscany. This place seemed to be a favorite launching ground for cycling tours.
Driving in the Tuscan countryside is great fun, especially for Americans who do not get to drive standards often. The switchbacks in the hills are a hoot, and the scenery is spectacular. Just have to keep the right balance of looking at the road and the countryside going by. GPS is a must- how did people navigate in Europe before the GPS era? The American and English computerized voices on the GPS mangling the Italian road names kept us laughing (and guessing) the whole time.
Not to short shrift Sienna. It's a gorgeous small city, with a very distinctive square- Il Campo which is quite distinctive. The narrow streets are typical of many of the old walled cities - lovely and romantic, especially at night when they are empty. We've enjoyed several outstanding meals here, including our favorite of the trip so far. But overall, Sienna left us a little cold. No one goes out of their way for you here. Perhaps because they know that Sienna will always draw people in. Siena is a bit too small to have the diversity of arts and attractions found in the larger cities, and a bit too large to be as quaint as the lovely small towns.
There is very little outdoor music in the places we visited which was surprising.
Food:
-Don't expect much from Tuscan bread. It seems to be baked with flour and water with no other flavors
-The cheeses have been fantastic- most semi-soft and often served with local honey. The best cheese dish we had was served with ripe pears and honey.
-Pasta is always considered a first plate- meat is always the second plate. Funny because you come to Italy really focused on eating pasta. There were times when we were in pasta moods but not interested in meat courses. We learned to order multiple first plates and/or to share one second plate.
-There's lots of beef, veal, wild boar, and of course prosciutto. Not an area known for seafood.
-Wine- we have discovered the most delicious wine and it is Brunello.It is exclusively grown in Montelcino and Montalpuciano. It is also very expensive. otherwise it's chianti, which is quite drinkable but not very distinctive. Except one house chianti we had with a distinctive flowery bouquet that was hauntingly good.
-The trouble with truffles- they are delicious. We discovered delicious mushroom dishes in Tuscany, many made with truffle oil.
-Simple appetizer in Cortona- shaved zucchini with shaved peccorini cheese on a bed of lettuce dressed lightly with olive oil and served with a lemon. yum
-Cantucci, a Tuscan desert, basically biscoti but freshly made is delicious. More of a vanilla or caramel flavor than almond extract though there are almond pieces in the cookies. They are typically dipped in sweet after dinner wine/liqueur.
-Tipping. Best we can gather, tips are not expected as they are somehow usually included in the bill even though it does not always show up on the bill. If you ask if servicio e compresso, they will either say yes or that service is free. Oddly enough there is usually a fixed per person coverage charge "coperto".
Favorite restaurants
-Cortona: La Boccacia and Fuf Lun
-Florence: bucca dell Orafo
-Sienna: Antica Osteria da Divo (best meal of the trip)
-San Gimignano- La Botella del Grillo
-Montalcino- Taverna del Groppo Blu
Good and bad hotels
-A bad hotal experience can really spoil a city for you. Such was the case with the hotel Athena in Sienna. The Hotel d'Italia in Cortona was the complete opposite experience.
Smoking- modern times! Smoking amazingly enough is not allowed in indoor places in Italy. We're talking Italy here!! Beware though that when you eat at the charming outdoor tables you will be encountering cigarette smoke nine times out of ten.
Cortona- free parking in the city, free internet in our awesome hotel- Hotel Italia. Multobenne. We were more comfortable staying in Cortona than Sienna. Sienna would be best for a day trip, Cortona is a quaint small Tuscan town that you can "live" in for a few days
Umbria- Perugia is an okay destination for seeing a non touristy italian city but not worth going too far out of your way for. But it is the home of Perugina chocolates! Assisi unless you're making a pilgrimmage, is a bit one dimensional and artificial packed with St Francis related souvenirs.
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