Tuscany

aleciajaye

My Fi and I have finally decided to go to Tuscany during the wine harvest next October for our honeymoon. Any suggestions of what town to stay in?

loro929

Great choice, I spent quite a lot of time in Tuscany and here would be some of my suggestions of not-to-miss towns (that are not so touristy).

1. Bolgheri - beautiful small town that you enter by the Viale dei Cipressi -> CLICKY a really beautiful street - and great wine tastings.

2. Giaole in Chianti - another beautiful small village in the heart of Chiantishire (Siena province) - they also have a really lovely B&B there that I would totally recommend.

3. Montecatini Terme - small town in the Pistoia area - famous for its thermal baths - beautiful and relaxing.

(some more obvious places)

4. Florence is a must see - I think you would need at least 3 days there - it tok me almost one full day to get through the Uffici museum.

5. Fiesole - small town right outside of florence - known for its beautiful hills overlooking the city of FLorence - if you have a car I would personally stay there and drive in / take the bus to Florence - it is more of a really "Under the Tuscan SUn type experience"

6. Cortona - gorgeous - actually where they filmed Under the Tuscan Sun

7. Siena - known for the Palio (which occurs every summer), basically a horse race that divides the whole city into different "squadre". Although in October you won't be there for that, you can still visit the central arena where it is held.

8. Pisa - leaning tower - 'nuff said Although it is one of the most recognizable sites in the world, seeing it in person was really impressive.

9. San Gimignano - beautiful medieval type town, great wine.

10. If you have a car, depending on where you are staying in Tuscany, you will be about an hour drive to La Spezia - which is where you can get to Cinque Terre, which I think is a must see for any tourist. Beautiful, beautiful, scenery and great sea food.

I have many more recommendations, but those are some of my favorites from the region. 

Some other recommendations, I would definitely rent a car. Most of these places are quite small and public transportation is scarce at best. Also, I would look to stay in an "agriturismo", which are old country houses that have been re*fashioned into B&/B-type places. What is great about them, besides staying in historical, rustic-typical type places, is the owners. They are always ready with delicious fresh-baked breads for breakfast - some have restaurants, where you would also get some great home-cooked meals for dinner, and most importantly, advice of little off-the-beaten-track type places that you would not have found otherwise.

If you have any more questions, feel free to PM me.

climbingsingle

I recommend Florence. We were just there last month for our HM. We rented an apartment about 10 minutes from the city center (through Airbnb). We also rented a car (our apartment came with a parking spot) and we did day trips to Lucca and Pisa. It actually was really easy to get around. 

I can't recommend this winery enough: http://www.casaemma.com/

If you have time, plan to spend a day or two in Cinque Terre. It's absolutely gorgeous. 

It's also super easy to get around by train if you don't want to rent a car. 

LondonLisa

Just an FYI: wine harvest in Tuscany is end of August/ September. 

aleciajaye

Thanks for your help! We definitely have some ideas now.