Have you toured Tuscany?

[zebra]

We have been to Florence and loved it. This year we'll be back in the area and wanted to do a day tour of some of the Tuscany region perhaps including a winery. Who has done this and can give us some ideas of which towns to visit - towns where we can do shopping as well as visit the sights.

[cberge]

I have not done a tour from a cruise ship for the day,but we did spend some time in Italy this fall and IMHO I would not miss Siena.Lots to see and some great shopping.If you have a guide I would ask to visit a winery as well if this is an interest to you as well as the town of Greve.This would be the Chianti region.Another neat town would be San Gimignano.If you want to just pick a place for the day I would pick Siena.Enjoy.

[bchbms]

We visited Siena last year and it was so beautiful. It is also a great place to purchase that beautiful handmade Italian pottery that you see on all the cooking shows. I bought a classic provencal style platter at a little shop just off the main piazza that I absolutely love. I would suggest getting a driver to take you around the countryside. They would know where to stop at a winery and give you a real feel for the area. I can't wait to go back!

[Bruin Steve]

Last time, we did the ship's shore excursion to San Gimignano and Volterra...

 

First, just a note about the shore excursion: There were only 19 of us--a very managable sized group and it was an excellent excursion as those things go...It included not only the visits to these two exceptional Tuscan towns but also an outstanding lunch in the wine cellar at a local winery-- FATTORIA SAN DONATO:

 

http://www.sandonato.it/

 

The lunch consisted of a large assortment of antipasti--Olives, Peppers, Cold cuts, Mushrooms, Cheeses, Crackers, breads and more...and pasta...and lots of wine, of course...All served "family style" to our group, seated on two tables right in the wine cellar amidst the barrels and such (quite cool and nice on an otherwise hot August day)...

 

San Gimignano is an extraordinarily picturesque town...marked by a number of large square towers...

 

http://www.sangimignano.com/sangihp.jpg

 

http://www.sangimignano.com/sghomei.htm

 

Volterra is an ancient Etruscan town on a mountaintop...

 

http://www.comune.volterra.pi.it/english/volterra1.html

 

...complete with ancient ruins...

 

Both are quite charming and worth a visit...

[Leejnd4]

I cast my vote for any tour that takes you to San Gimignano, Volterra, and Siena. Those are undoubtedly my favorite spots in Tuscany, and IMO not to be missed, especially if this is your first time. If you're doing a ship's tour, I haven't seen any that combine all three, but if you're doing it on your own or with a private driver, it's definitely doable. A private driver can also arrange for a visit and, perhaps, lunch at a winery.

 

Have a great time! I'm going to be in Tuscany myself in a little more than 3 months, on my own cruise. Can't wait!

 

LeeAnne

[cathi]

thanks for the links Bruin Steve. You've convinced me this is the way to see the most in the short time we have!! Looks absolutely fascinating!! For the price of the all day ship's tour versus a private tour, looks like it's great value too!

[Aussie Gal]

I would vote with the rest of the Board and see San Gimignano, Sienna and Volterra if you have time.

 

We spent 3 lovely days staying in San Gimignano in 2002 and from there we caught a local bus that took us to Sienna. Close by to these towns are some lovely vineyards and the surrounding countryside is beautiful.

 

Jennie

[Robin G]

Great question and thread. Thanks to all for the info!! I love CC!! :D

 

Robin

[zebra]

Thank you all for answering my question - so it sounds like San Gimignano and Siena are definite must sees - wonderful! We absolutely love Italy, the people, the food and the wine - can't wait to go back again. We used Claudio last September for Florence/Pisa and Rome - he was amazing - we are going to go with him again this year at his suggestion that we now do the Tuscan region outside of Florence. He is also so flexible and will take us anywhere in the region we want to go, he suggested 3 different wineries, I think we'll just choose one. Thanks again.

[MVPinBoynton]

San G and Sienna are awesome. I really wanted to go back to beautiful Florence for a second time on the Med cruise; but also wanted to see Tuscany. A great decision. You won't be sorry. I don't think you can go wrong with any of the cities you visit, but since we went to San G and Sienna, we are very biased toward them. The biggest problem of touring Tuscany is that for Christmas you will be buying Tuscany calendars for the rest of your life.

[Leejnd4]

The biggest problem of touring Tuscany is that for Christmas you will be buying Tuscany calendars for the rest of your life.

Ohmygod! ROFL! This is too funny...you hit the nail on the head, I've been buying Tuscany wall calendars for my kitchen ever since I first visited there 7 years ago. Wow...do I know you? ;)

 

LeeAnne

[joecor]

zebra

 

do you have claudio's email or number.

thanks

[Andym]

Steve,

We went on your recommendation last year and had the best day ever. We visited TENUTA TORCIANO for lunch, obviously they use several different places, and we had the most fantastic lunch including sampling 13 different wines. We did go to San Gimignano afterwards, I have pictures to prove it. The day was hot, the wine was excellent and we are doing the same tour this year, and its the same price as last year.

 

Andy

[MVPinBoynton]

LeeAnne,

I thought there would be a few other folks out there that were bitten by the Tuscany calendar bug. It is such a wonderful reminder of such a gorgeous area of the world. There are some wonderful shows on Tuscany on the HD channels, but nothing compares to being there. Can't wait to go back and stay for a while.

[zebra]

Joecor..... Claudio's website is: www.limoinrome.com and his email address is claudio@limoinrome.com You will love him - his knowledge of the history of his country is extensive, the appropriate music he plays in his comfortable Mercedes minivan is wonderful i.e. Arrivederci Roma when we left Rome, and many more - we had great sing alongs. He took us anywhere we wanted to go plus of course many places on his itinerary. He's very flexible, if you want to spend extra time at any one place he's more than happy to accommodate. The meal at his friends restaurants in both Florence and Rome were superb and his kindness in giving us each a bottle of Chianti when dropping us off at the end of our tour was very much appreciated. He was always ready and waiting for us at both piers when we docked - he travels between the two cities a couple of times a week, no problem.

 

I love the kitchen calendar idea. Yes I'm "hooked on Tuscany" and have brought quite a bit of the style into my home. We're really looking forward to this visit of the region.

[Leejnd4]

LeeAnne,

I thought there would be a few other folks out there that were bitten by the Tuscany calendar bug. It is such a wonderful reminder of such a gorgeous area of the world. There are some wonderful shows on Tuscany on the HD channels, but nothing compares to being there. Can't wait to go back and stay for a while.

I'm going to be in Tuscany for a full day on my cruise in May, and I'm really struggling with what to do. I've been to Tuscany several times, including spending two weeks in a beautiful rented villa 3 years ago. I'm not interested in going to Florence, having stayed there and toured it completely so many times already. I've also been to Pisa, San G, Volterra, Siena, Montalcino, Montepulciano, etc, a few times. The only place I haven't been to is Lucca.

 

I'm traveling with my mother, who hasn't been to Pisa so she will be taking a ship's tour there. So...what am I going to do with my day? There are two options I'm considering. One is to just train it to Lucca and spend some time there. The other is to rent a bicycle and do some riding around the countryside. I just can't decide!

 

Mike, I was checking out your review of your Med cruise on your website, which was wonderful as I will be visiting several of the same ports, that I haven't been to before. But I gotta tell ya, I just about had a heart attack when I was looking at your pictures of your tour in Rome, and saw your picture of Daniele, your guide. Oh my WORD, that is one beeee-YOO-tiful specimen of the male of this species! My little heart is going pitter patter! Is he REALLY as gorgeous as he appears in these pics? I'm just about ready to book him for a tour when we get to Rome, even though we didn't plan on doing any touring there, just so I can spend the day riding around in a car with that gorgeous man!

 

LeeAnne <----:::smack::: BAD LeeAnne, BAD! BAD! ;)

[MVPinBoynton]

LeeAnne,

My wife can probably give you a better opinion of Danielle; but he was very charming, an excellent driver/guide and just a pleasure to be with. I will say that all the women that we have communicated that have used Danielle, start off their comments on their tour about his looks and how they drooled over him.

 

You won't get any sympathy from me about having to decide about where to go in Tuscany. I am jealous that I can't go. However, since we will be on a Tahiti cruise in two weeks I won't dwell on it.

[Leejnd4]

I'm tempted to start a "female fans of Daniele" thread, so we can all have a place to post our swoons and share our crushes with like-minded gals! ;)

 

LeeAnne

[CAPinBoynton]

LeeAnne, this is just for you! :) Okay, quit drooling! In this pic of Danielle and his father Remo, you can see where he gets his charm and wonderful personality. And yes, Danielle is the very definition of eye candy! But, as Mike says, he is also an excellent driver. By the way, he does all of Italy; so he could take Zebra to Tuscany. Ummmm, I'd love to get him out in the countryside! :D

[Leejnd4]

My goodness, Carol, you're as bad as I am! ;) Thanks for posting that...now all can see what I was talking about. Mmmmm...... Clearly we're looking at a high-quality set of genes there! :D

 

Someone should tell him that he's got a bunch of women over here in an uproar. LOL!

 

LeeAnne

[CAPinBoynton]

I am sure that he already knows. I am also sure that he has many, many Italian women drooling over him also. I would post my other pic of him with his arm around me, but I don't want to make Mike jealous. ;)

[MVPinBoynton]

Behave Carol !