Now, in the midst of spring, we find ourselves in Tuscany - as they say, at the right time in the right place. April is the best month to visit this region - the grass on the famous hills is already turning green, the trees are beginning to bloom, and the sun is still gentle, gentle, without the scorching heat that comes at the end of May and lasts until autumn.

When planning the route before the trip, we stopped on the SR222 road, because it goes from Florence to Siena right through all the most picturesque vineyards of Chianti and passes through the most interesting Tuscan cities and on its way there are many Castellos - castles with wineries that you can see how wine is produced, and conduct a tasting (it is better to go to any of these Castellos by prior arrangement by phone or mail).

So, your route could be: -Montefiorale-Greve in Chianti-Siena, or after Greve in Chianti you can turn to San Gimignano, as we did.

First stop – Montefioralle

Route 222 begins to indulge in classic Tuscan views early on, right after Florence. The noise of the city is left behind, and all around are hills, vineyards and the endless Italian sky. Our first stop is Montefioralle, a tiny town on one of the hills surrounded by an ancient fortress wall.

They say that best views look at Tuscany from this fortress, and we agree with this in principle - Montefioralle is surrounded on all sides by hills with vineyards and olive trees.

Montefioralle

Street in Montefioralle

We didn’t linger here, firstly, because it was 11 in the morning and not a single establishment was open here, the town seemed to have died out, the only passers-by on the streets were cats, and secondly, because we really wanted to go further.

Montefioralle

Second stop: Panzano

Panzano is a slightly larger city than Montefioralle, it is located as if on the coast, only instead of the sea, fields begin. In our opinion, this is where the views are the most beautiful, and the place is already livelier and more civilized.

View of the hills from the road leading to Panzano

Among the restaurants here, Cantinetta Sassolini is very cozy, and, with beautiful view and delicious wine - Oltre Il Giardino.

By the way, in almost any restaurant along the entire route you can order a wine tasting. If your trip is spontaneous and you didn’t have time to come to an agreement with Castello, then tasting in a restaurant is also not an option. bad option, which may turn out to be even cheaper.

Third stop: San Gimignano

Our final and longest stop was the city of San Gimignano. It is located on a hill behind a high fortress wall.

San Gimignano

Its first main attraction is the ancient stone towers, for which locals nicknamed the town the Italian Manhattan. There are 14 towers in total and they were erected by noble families of the city, who thus proved their prestige - apparently, the higher the tower, the more influential the family was.

Towers of San Gimignano

The second attraction of the town is ice cream. Oh my God, it is the most delicious in Italy - tender, stretchy, with endless flavor options. There are a lot of gelaterias all over the country, but, alas, such perfect ice cream as here is not found in them.

Ice cream from Dondoli Gelateria

The most famous gelateria is Dondoli Gelateria di Piazza, located in Piazza Della Cisterna, but believe me, if you don’t want to stand in line (and here there is always one), you can get ice cream in any other gelateria nearby - it will be just as delicious.

The third attraction of the city is the atmosphere. San Gimignano is the most Italian of all Italian cities: the area flows live music, local old people bask in the sun and have leisurely conversations, and noisy Italian children drag their mothers for another portion of ice cream. A beautiful city and a perfect end to our day in Tuscany.

Overnight in Tuscany

After San Gimignano we headed back to Florence, but if you want to spend the night in Tuscany to wake up among this beauty and continue to explore the area, then there are many small villas and apartments in Tuscany.

There is also an Italian website where you can find accommodation on a working farm. In addition to a fairly comfortable stay, here you will have the opportunity to see animals living on farms (children will especially like this), try traditional farm cuisine, and of course chat with local residents, who are hyper-communicative and friendly, but do not always speak English well.

Wine tasting in Tuscany

Although we haven’t visited any of the Castellos, we have collected plenty of information about them and TravelRabbit hopes that you will find it useful.

Next article

Take a car and drive around Tuscany - you will remember it forever! We decided to go to the province of Siena, because, to be honest, the most beautiful piece of Tuscany belongs to Siena, and not Florence.

So, we left, and... the weather began to deteriorate. This is normal, sometimes in the weather forecast for the same day you can see: snow, rain, clouds, sun, thunderstorm. But we were even glad about this, because we didn’t want to explore the cities under the scorching sun. We didn’t have a special plan, we were guided by a navigator, a map and the Internet and chose cities on the way.

Our first choice was the Monteriggioni fortress. The first impression... deceived us. From the road, the fortress seemed so authentic, retaining its medieval atmosphere, but inside it turned out to be completely touristy. We stayed there for about an hour and ate an incredibly delicious sandwich (I got myself a sandwich with prosciutto crudo and truffle sauce, mmm...).

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Then we saw on the map that Montalcino was very much on our way. My husband and I are big wine lovers, and we wanted to drink a glass of Rosso di Montalcino in the city where it is produced.

*I must say that the word “city” for most of the places we visited is not very applicable, they are rather fortresses, small towns surrounded by city walls. But for convenience, we will leave for them the proud name of the cities.

We liked Montalcino more. It is also touristic, but still larger in size than Monteriggioni, which means there is more choice there; you can find places a little deeper, away from the main attractions, but more “real”. Instead of one glass of wine, we were given a whole tasting of different wines, each better than the other. And to go with the wine, we ordered different bruschettas (toasted bread), the most delicious of which were bruschetta with truffle and bruschetta with traditional Tuscan liver pate. Hm. Ours is more of an enogastronomic tour...

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But the further you go, the more interesting it gets! We had planned our next “city” in advance, because as soon as I accidentally found it on the Internet, I realized that I definitely had to visit there. And everyone should visit there and try to understand how one can live in such a town. I already liked one name - Murlo, something so cozy that it is associated with cats (Murlo - the emphasis is on the first syllable, not the last, otherwise the associations would be completely different).

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This photo is not mine, I took it from the Internet.

Below the sign there was a sign that said we had arrived in Murlo, the most beautiful burgo in Italy. "Borgo" or "burg" in ancient German means "fortified city", "castle", "fortress". To say that this fortress is small is not enough. There will be 20 residents at most. The city is located on the top of a hill and consists of fortress walls (aka houses), located in a circle, forming a ring. In the center of this circle are 3 more houses. There is one bar, one trattoria and even Archaeological Museum. That's it, here's Murlo for you! 10 minutes will be enough for you to walk around the whole of Murlo, but if you were not born there, then a lifetime will not be enough to understand how you can live there. But this is an amazing place! For some reason I was always attracted by the Dark Ages, and I wanted to be in the Middle Ages at least for a day. And so I visited there, this Middle Ages is called Murlo. I want to repeat and repeat this name, it is so warm and pleasant.

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Then we headed to Bagno Vignoni, a town that was also originally on our list of places we wanted to visit. We were about to look for some suitable agriturismo where we could spend the night, but on the way we saw a sign for San Quirico. We didn’t know or read anything about this city, but for some reason we decided to leave. At least for half an hour, why not. Moreover, there were only 5-7 kilometers left to Bagno Vignoni.

The first thing we saw there was an absolutely amazing Romanesque church. It seems that this is how it was built in the 11th-12th centuries, and this is how it remained. It's so cool! IN big cities everything is wrong: first they will build a Romanesque church, then over time they will redo it all, make it Gothic, then after a couple of centuries they will add a Renaissance façade to it, then subsequent generations will not like the decoration of the church, with the advent of new fashion everything will be torn down, remodeled... and nothing in the end there will be nothing left of that very Romanesque church, and only the guide tells you: “Here we can see the columns that remained from the Romanesque church, look at the drawing, this is what it was like.” But in San Quirico everything remained as it was. Inside it is so dark, dark, with small windows through which daylight penetrates. You enter and at first you go blind, but then your eyes get used to the darkness. Time stopped there.

We walked around this city, through its gardens and finally went to Bagno Vignoni, the city where Tarkovsky filmed “Nostalgia” and Yankovsky spoke Italian. Bagno Vignoni is thermal resort. But don’t imagine Karlovy Vary, Bagno Vignoni is 20 times smaller. But it has one outstanding attraction: all cities have central square, it is here too, but its place is completely occupied by a thermal pool, and you can see the spring gushing from below.

The hostess advised us where it was best to have dinner and which route was the fastest to get down to the city on foot, because we no longer wanted to take a car. At the same time, she warned us that when it gets dark, it is better not to return this way, it is better to return along the road along which we came.

When we finally began to descend into the city, it turned out that the road led through the forest. As soon as we entered it, in the depths we saw a fox, which first looked at us intently and then ran away. I felt a little uneasy; somehow I didn’t think about wild animals. But Tuscany is famous big amount boars in their forests... In general, all the way I behaved like the last coward, and was afraid of every rustle. Then we finally left the forest, the road led us straight to a square with a swimming pool. There was also a restaurant here, which the hostess recommended to us. I won’t describe here what we ordered there, I’ll just say that all the dishes were very original and tasty, plus dessert and a bottle of white wine.

After dinner, we walked a little more, sat on a bench above the cliff, looking at the hills, which during the day under the sun seemed so welcoming, but now, at night, so uncomfortable and full of dangers. When it was already completely dark, we went home. After a hearty dinner, it was very difficult to get up (if the car could barely cope, then what can we say about us) and we had to use our phone to light our way, because there was not a single flashlight and it was pitch-dark. In general, on this day we were overflowing with emotions!

These seven days on sunny Italian soil were the best this year. Tuscany – unique place in Italy and the impressions from it occupied a separate shelf in my memory, without mixing with other places and countries. This is one of my two favorite places where there is neither sea nor mountains and yet it lingers in my soul for a long time. First place - Cappadocia, second - Tuscany, two absolutely different place which have approximately the same energy and which I never tire of recommending to everyone, from my friends to those who first came to the pages of this site. Of course, I had heard about Tuscany before, and as a photographer I was attracted to this region in the central part of Italy, located almost in the middle of the boot. Tuscany was an integral part of the trip along the route: Kyiv-Lviv-Krakow-Austrian lakes-Tuscany. We had two weeks for the entire route, of which we allocated a whole week to Tuscany. This was not the kind of vacation that people usually talk about, no lazy pastime mixed with food and alcoholic drinks. I don’t even know how much time to consider the road from the entire trip. We had practically no days without travel and travel; the greed for impressions definitely won over the desire to lazily lie by the pool, drinking wine.

Time travel– May 3-10, 2013, destination – Tuscany. Route from Austria turned out to be quite simple: The place of our previous stop was the Austrian town of Bad Goisern - then along mountain roads through Dolomites We are heading towards Udine on the A10 autobahn, then we move towards Venezia (Venice) without stopping or stopping, we go to Padova on the A13 autobahn, then to Bologna and further along A1 to Firenz (Florence). We covered the distance from Austria to Florence, approximately 700 kilometers, in 7 hours with short stops in the Dolomites and for refueling, the same time as from Kyiv to Lviv, only much more fun. The route map looks like this.

link to the route in Google - A short stop for half a day in Florence and by the end of the day we arrive at our overnight accommodation in the countryside Tuscany– camping Valiccella near the town Scarlino. In three days we are moving to a Tuscan farm near the town St.Quirico d'Orcia where we live for another 3 days. During our time in Tuscany we visited the following cities: Montalcino, Montepulciano, Pienza, Siena and of course we drive around the surrounding area, farms, vineyards, taste wine and eat.

Practical information:

To pay for Austrian roads, we bought a vignette back in the Czech Republic. Italians do not have a vignette; payment is taken for the kilometers traveled at payment points on the autobahns themselves; special boards warn about this about a kilometer away. You can pay in cash at the window to a person or by card automatically (only chip cards are accepted). This is roughly the same thing that happens in Croatia or Spain. The price is approximately 10 cents per 1 kilometer toll road. In Tuscany itself, the only autobahn is the one that goes along the sea to Rome, which we did not use. In the rest of the area the roads are free, narrow but of excellent quality. There are few cars, so there were no problems with movement.

Now let's talk about everything in order.

Relatively early departure from the beloved Austrian lakes, everyone is still asleep and the weather has completely deteriorated. Actually, if the weather had been good, we would have extended the Austrian part of the voyage for another day and would have driven to Großglockner to admire the Alpine peaks. But it’s not fate this time, while in Kyiv it’s anomalous +20, in the Alps the temperature indicator barely creeps up to +12 degrees Celsius. We didn’t expect this, but we had a very good time, at least we didn’t see any crowds of people on the lakes. Off-season rules! By lunchtime on May 3 we were in Florence, again missing Venice and a couple more places we could have visited. I realized a long time ago that trying to see all of Italy in a week is like trying to eat enough for a year in advance. Italy needs to be tried systematically every year, each time increasing the portion of the pleasures received.

Florence

Italy presented a surprise on the first day. In Florence I met my younger brother, who had his birthday that day.

We called the day before:

Hello, where are you now?

In Italy, in Florence

Oops, me too

That's how we met, it turned out that before Florence It’s easier for me to get to Moscow or for him to get to Kyiv.

Our routes were different - he and his family and friends came to relax at the seaside in some fashionable hotel, and we were determined to travel around Tuscany. A short meeting of just a couple of hours in our dynamic times is also a luxury, I’ll tell you.

Florence didn’t sink into my soul, although I perfectly understand the significance of this city in history Italy and for tourism. Surely one day I will come here purposefully for a couple of days, but for now all I have left are memories of crowds of people, not very tidy streets and station-quality toilets. May the fans of this city forgive me, I will definitely correct myself and come here for longer, soak up the atmosphere of the city at dawn, climb the local Duomo and try the famous Florentine steak. In the meantime, after an easy walk, we head to the parking lot and move on.

Practical information:

There are a lot of parking lots in Florence, you don’t have to be afraid to go straight to the central part, the streets are narrow but passable, if you’re lucky you can find a parking space along the street, no - underground parking, signs everywhere, I just stopped and asked (in English) - I received a comprehensive answer and a hand gesture from an oncoming Italian woman, after 5 minutes the car was already in the parking lot. The price is 5 euros per hour, however. Although in Monaco it is three times more expensive.

HOW TO FIND BUDGET ACCOMMODATION IN FLORENCE

Cheap accommodation or hotels in Florence Hotels Combined,

Arrival in Scarlino. Camping and first night in a tent.

From Florence to Scarlino a couple of hours of comfortable driving. At the foot of a small fortified city we found a campsite and decided to spend the first couple of nights that way. What are your goals for spending the night in a tent? There are several of them, firstly it is several times cheaper than hotels, and secondly, it is romantic. Evening gatherings around the grill, wine and nightingales singing closer to midnight. A few words about camping. Camping Valichella is a 15-minute walk from Scarlino and 20 minutes from the sea. It was decided to start exploring Tuscany from the coast, and then go deeper.

The campsite is large, 4* according to the camping classification, all amenities: toilets, showers, swimming pool (swimmed once), restaurant, well-groomed, clean area, Wi-Fi and a 220-volt socket for recharging. You can live in your own tent, Europeans come in campers - motorhomes and live here for weeks, there are also wooden houses like those we used to have at recreation centers for working people. We always have a tent in the car, the price of staying with your own tent is 12 euros per day - everything on site is included in the price, except for food in the restaurant, of course. I recommend it for variety and savings, although this type of housing is more suitable for companies and, in my opinion, for no more than 2-4 days. Still, sitting in one place is not my format.

The fortress of the city of Scarlino rose directly above us, and on the very first morning we went there for reconnaissance and at the same time for breakfast. It's a 5-minute drive to the town center by car, we leave the tent and all our things except the camera and laptop. Scarlino is generally a little-known town among tourists. You won’t surprise anyone with fortresses in Italy, but the local coffee and cake with an unknown name surprised me. It was fantastically delicious. Hot, scalding coffee on a cool morning with a beautiful view of the Tuscan hills. It's unlikely that I'll find a place like this anywhere.

Scarlino took us with its atmosphere, we accepted this city and it accepted us. By the way, it wasn’t even on the paper map. We then came here twice more for morning coffee and the lady hostess, who was also the bartender, remembered us. There was no longer any need for words, a slight glance towards the coffee and a smile meant: one ristretto, one cappuccino. Another subtle nod towards cakes and our favorite buns take their place on a metal tray next to the steaming coffee. All the fun didn’t even cost 3 euros; the prices here are not at all Florentine.

And then it’s like in the theater - you drink coffee and watch local life. Here two elderly regulars came to while away the morning reading a newspaper with news, and that brutal Italian builder over there somehow subtly reminded us of Celentano. I don’t know if it’s always like this here, but in May the atmosphere completely matched my mood. You can't buy such an atmosphere in any package tour.

Practical weather information:

The weather in May in Tuscany is a lottery, just like in Kyiv. It can be above +20, in our case it was on average +18, on the 3rd day it started to rain a little and it got colder, not for long. For the past three days the sun has been shining and the temperature has risen to +20. We even managed to swim in the pool and sunbathe. There are frequent fogs in the mornings, but to catch them you need to leave the house at dawn. Usually an hour after sunrise the fog clears (this is for photographers). The Italian holiday season begins in August, so there are no crowds until about mid-July, according to locals.

After yesterday's sunny day, fog like the one in this photo is possible in May.
The tent part of the trip lasted three nights and ended just before the rain, otherwise it would have been completely sad. We did not make a reservation or pay in advance upon check-in, so we were free to manage our time. Before moving deep into Tuscan nature, I still drove to Mediterranean Sea, for an hour - I wanted to evaluate the prospects of combining the sea and rural life.... Nothing special, the sea is like the sea, preparation for the season, expansion of beaches, tractors and workers...

Before I move on to the second part of our life in the middle of the Tuscan hills, I’ll dwell on what agritourism is.

No, no one will force you to work on the farm, milk cows, feed pigs or process grapes. Unless of course you want it yourself. In general, we rarely met working people in Tuscany, maybe it’s just the low season for work, I don’t know. But I have never seen women standing in the Z pose from morning to evening in vegetable gardens and vineyards, the very same women who are so numerous in the vastness of my native Ukraine. However, everything is very well maintained, hilled and processed. The cows are well-fed, and the pigs resemble carefree children happily running around in my yard in Kyiv. There are also no such number of vineyards anywhere in the world, not even in France. Absolutely all the vineyards are cultivated and well-groomed, and their even rows on the hills only add charm to the Tuscan landscapes.

Agritourism involves living on a farm with the owners with the opportunity to observe their life and work. The main direction of Tuscan agricultural farms is vineyards, raising pigs and cows. The pigs then turn into delicious ham, and the cows into the famous Florentine steaks. I didn’t see any wheat or corn, much less potatoes, here, as well as beets, cabbage and other joys of domestic agriculture.

A modern agricultural farm, as a rule, is a villa of varying degrees of beauty, which may have a swimming pool, a restaurant, a couple of gazebos and, if you’re lucky, a gorgeous view of the surrounding area. To be lucky, read my reports carefully. I always pay special attention to neighborhoods and housing. You may not even see the farm itself where cows or pigs are raised, and the main emphasis in Tuscany is on wine. It is unlikely that you will be able to avoid contact with winemaking, and if you are a flamboyant and irreconcilable opponent of Bacchus and everything connected with this divine drink, you most likely have nothing to do in Tuscany.

In Tuscany you can also live in hotels; there are many small medieval towns or large ones such as Florence or Siena. But why? It’s stupid to check into city hotels and wake up to the noise of a garbage truck or the screams of Englishmen returning from a party, when all around is nature and luxury apartments with all the benefits of civilization at a lower cost. And in order to see Botticelli’s masterpieces in Florence or sit in the square in Siena, just get in the car and spend half an hour on the road, the most beautiful road, admiring the Tuscan landscapes. No car: buses run from Florence and Siena to all directions. And in the evening you can drink Brunello de Montalcino by the pool in the company of your loved one and not a soul within a kilometer radius. The agritourism villas are located approximately at this distance from each other.

HOW TO CHOOSE AN AGRITOURISM FOR A VACATION IN TUSCANY?

There are several ways. The first is to trust the recommendations of a person who has already been there. The second way is to choose a villa that suits you on the spot, methodically visiting the places you like. The third way is to choose a villa on hotel booking sites or specialized Italian agritourism sites. In the latter case, there is a high probability of overpaying and, what is much worse, you can end up on an agrotourism that in the end will not suit you in some way.

We only liked the fourth one we saw agrotourism, everything was almost perfect here: the views around, the location nearby interesting places, a swimming pool, a gazebo where we could have dinner and the house itself in which we lived. Our part of the house consisted of a kitchen, fireplace room, bedroom and bathroom. It was called Palazzo Conti B- I highly recommend this agriturismo. Nearby is Palazzo Conti A, we liked it too, but we didn’t agree on the price. The owners were Italians of respectable age, but in good shape. Only the senora spoke English with grief; they communicated using sign language and a dozen English words. That was enough. The price of our apartments is 70 euros per day, in Palazzo Conti A little more expensive - 80-90 euros per day, perhaps it is a little more comfortable there. Both Palazzos are located nearby; once they were the possessions of one person, then as a result of the division of inheritance they were divided. There were even more expensive offers, 100-150 euros per day, but there we had to pay for a bunch of options we didn’t need. Cheaper offers usually have a worse location, lack of a pool or anything else. on the picture - Palazzo Conti A andPalazzo Conti B

HOW TO FIND ACCOMMODATION IN TUSCANY

Cheap accommodation or hotels in Tuscany can be found through one of the best booking systems Hotels Combined, a service that I use myself. The advantage of the service is that it compares prices from dozens of booking systems - you just have to choose Best offer. In each article or report, I provide links to hotels where I stayed and which I liked.

Where is it beautiful in Tuscany?

Already from the title you can see that not everywhere in Tuscany is beautiful. The most Beautiful places are located on a conventional line connecting the cities Montalcino, St.Quirico D'Orcia, Pienza, Montepulciano. This is where all the postcard views are Tuscany - in the famous Val d'Orcia valley, listed world heritage UNESCO. I advise you not to waste time looking for housing in other places, it won’t be more beautiful. You can get to any place in Tuscany from this square in less than an hour. The above mentioned cities are the best there is in Tuscany, if you add to them Siena, and on the way home stop at S.Gimignano(San Gimignano) it will work out ideal route in Tuscany.

HOW TO SAVE SIGNIFICANTLY ON HOUSING AND SEE TUSCANY Significant savings on expensive hotels or agriturismo is possible if you rent apartments or private apartments, for this I recommend using the apartment and apartment booking service -.

• Those who do not yet have an account can do so follow this link and receive a travel bonus of $20 .

Apartments or apartments in SAN QUERICO D'ORCHIA
Practical information:

Of course, agriturismos in Tuscany have addresses, but they sound rather strange and something like this: Pienza, road No...., after 300 meters turn onto road No.... and drive another 500 meters. Therefore, finding pre-booked agriturismos is another quest.

While we were living in a tent, we traveled around the area and the day before our planned change of residence, we drove around the area in search of beautiful scenery and suitable places to live. In military terms, they carried out reconnaissance, that’s what the process is called. Palazzo Conti B was found near Pienza in exactly this way. At first, we took photographs of the surrounding area and selected angles, simultaneously looking closely at the agrotourism sites we came across. What we liked was written down in a notebook and the coordinates were noted in the navigator. I won’t post it here, but I’ll be happy to share it in person.

To be honest, at the end of the third day we were already fed up with the tent and the next day we went to the planned coordinates to negotiate with the owners. The weather had improved, it even became hot, and the wineries that came across here and there beckoned with their appearance. Driving around Tuscany and not trying local wine right on the farm is like stepping on the throat of your own song. The first agrotourism, specializing in winemaking, pleased us with high-quality white wine - an excellent thirst-quenching and mood-lifting drink. The price of just good white wines starts from 3 euros with a ceiling of 8 euros. Practical information:

There are no such things as police among the Tuscan hills, everyone drinks wine and everyone drives cars, such a feeling as measure helps, if it doesn’t exist, it’s better not to start. There are police in cities, but they are few and they won’t stop you just out of curiosity; they don’t sit in ambushes either. However, if you are not sure, it is better to leave the booze for the evening or leave the wheel and walk a couple of kilometers to the nearest winery. Our agriturismoPalazzo Conti Bspecialized in pigs and chickens, so we tried the wine from our neighbors or in city enotecas.

Tuscany- a mecca for photographers all over the world, the best time is early in the morning, when there is fog or before sunset, at Hollywood hour. It is not necessary to know the places; the vicinity of the above-mentioned cities is very beautiful - there is no need to overpay for a photo tour.

May is the perfect time for photography. Not yet mass tourist from Western Europe and the border of weather change, which always pleases with interesting states of nature - from fog to partly cloudy.

IN Italy I loved picking grapes. In May there are no grapes yet, only a light ovary, and the leaves are a very soft green color. In some places it seems that they are artificial or painted, everything is so clean and well-groomed around.

Many pheasants run in short flights among the thick grass. Sometimes they take off from under your feet, fly thirty meters and plop down on the grass again, you never managed to take them off, and sitting in ambush is not my thing.

SIENNA Seven days seems like a lot, but in the Tuscan hills the day passes quickly. Another day was dedicated to Siena. A rival of Tuscany in antiquity, I liked it much more than Florence. A very beautiful Duomo and a very old square in front of it. The main feature is to sit on this square, which is what a quarter of the tourists here did. Another quarter had lunch in a cafe on the same square. The remaining half wandered around and looked around architectural masterpieces Renaissance.

IN Siena It was my first time trying Italian pizza. I didn’t like it, maybe I was unlucky with the pizzeria, or maybe because I’m not a big fan of flour. In Kyiv they make it tastier. In general, where to dine for seasoned Italian lovers is not a question. There are establishments everywhere here, I came across trattorias even in the courtyards of private houses with a barely visible sign. For our own. Trattoria – Italian restaurants family type, that’s where I recommend going. Some have Michelin stars, some have Tripadvisor badges - it doesn't matter. I haven’t come across any places where the food is not tasty. But for lunch, I still recommend small towns like Montalcino or Pienza, or restaurants at agriturismos.

Cheap accommodation or hotels in Siena can be found through one of the best booking systems Hotels Combined, a service that I use myself. The advantage of the service is that it compares prices from dozens of booking systems - you just have to choose the best offer. In each article or report, I provide links to hotels where I stayed and which I liked.MONTALCINO

A typical Tuscan wine town. It seemed to me that 95% of the people here are somehow involved in winemaking. The city, like all cities in Tuscany located on a hill, at the very top there is a fortress wall. It's worth climbing to the very top to buy a couple of souvenirs. And under no circumstances stay there for lunch - mega tourist place, accordingly, the quality of service and prices are also tourist. The city is famous for the fact that local wineries produce the famous Brunello Montalcino. Roman Abramovich's favorite wine, by the way. Here it is sold in sets with less popular wines. The cost of a bottle of excellent Brunello starts from 15 euros, and for 30-50 euros you can buy a great gift (and more than one) for yourself or friends. This is the great power of car travel - there are no restrictions on how much your wallet and trunk can handle - it’s all yours. By the way, in Kyiv this wine costs about 70 euros, i.e. almost twice as expensive, I can’t vouch for the quality.

my Hyundai ended up in Italian photo history...

typical Italian picture...
It's time to dine in the gazebo next to the pool overlooking the picturesque surroundings, watching the setting sun and the slowly changing May colors of the Tuscan hills...

The next day's morning program included a photo outing to photograph Tuscan foggy vineyards. I got a little excited and almost got stuck in the Tuscan mud, but I was happy with the result of the photo shoot.

The day's program began at 10.00, immediately after an organic Tuscan breakfast with local products. An outing to neighboring Orcia and Montepulciano is planned, I find myself thinking that I damn well like the Tuscan names of cities.

St.Quirico D'Orcia

St. Quirico D’Orcia is one of those small towns where you need to greet the morning, wander through the deserted streets and drink coffee on one of them. Orcia is one of those places that is better to see once than to hear 100 times. I liked it much more than the popular tourist destinations Montalcino and Montepulciano, without detracting from the merits of these magnificent cities.

Suddenly we came to the monument to the Ferrari team driver, Tazio Nuvolari. I never found out what he had to do with the city. St.Quirico D'Orcia.

Also in St.Quirico D'Orcia I remember an absolutely amazing trattoria Rocca d'Orcia. Situated in an old vineyard overgrown with grapes (pictured), absolutely amazing meat and homemade wine. Below in the photo there is their business card with phone number and address. I recommend.

After St. Quirico D’Orcia you can get to Pienza in 10 minutes. The town itself is no different from its counterparts, although cozy enough to spend a couple of hours here. Here are the best views of the surrounding area from the city walls, and the best time is in the morning, when the sun is just beginning to paint the surrounding hills with colors. It must be incredibly beautiful here in the fall.

Cheap accommodation or hotels in San Quirici D'Orcia can be found through one of the best booking systems Hotels Combined , a service that I use myself. The advantage of the service is that it compares prices from dozens of booking systems - you just have to choose the best offer. In each article or report, I provide links to hotels where I stayed and which I liked.

MONTEPULCIAN

Another iconic city that all guidebooks trumpet about. The most touristy of the above, here they wanted to scam us out of money. Primitively, in the old known way. We approach the gates of the Montepulci fortress, which, I must say, is very picturesque, and a guy stands in front of the gates and offers to sign for help to some unfortunate fictional patients. To those who sign, he immediately offers to help the unfortunate AIDS patients financially, the strangest thing is that there were those who gave money. So be on your guard in such places! This is old honest way taking money from tourists, don’t be suckers.

IN Montepulciano we admired the ancient church designed by Antonio da Sangallo the Elder. It is visible from the entrance, but the best views of the church are from the city walls. Best time To visit - early morning, after lunch the sun interferes.

Practical information:

Not far from Montepulciano you can have a good lunch. Write down - agriturismo La Fonte, at the entrance to Montepulciano from Montalcino. Local restaurant marked with a tripadvisor icon, for me this is rather a minus - the restaurant is usually crowded and the atmosphere is not very friendly. This rule probably doesn’t apply to Italy - everything is very soulful and delicious, I forgot about the camera, so you’ll have to take my word for it. Open from 13.00 to 16.00 and opens in the evening at 19.00.

We had one more day left - May 9, Victory Day, and we celebrated it with a picnic on someone’s property, and here all the land, except for the roads, is someone’s land. It was felt that the owners were watching from afar, but no one bothered anyone. There was no vodka, but there was local Brunello di Montalcino, local cheeses, ham and olives.

The afternoon was spent relaxing by the pool, eating and drinking wine. Not very rich, but soulful, tasty and relaxed.
Early departure, plans to stop by on the way back to San Marino and spend several hours there, so as not to confuse me, I’ll post a separate practical mini report. The road to San Marino turned out to be more beautiful than the mini-state itself. San Marino this is such a museum open air and a shopping center at the same time, in short. You can visit once. Slovenia.

Slovenia this time was just a pleasant transit. On the same day we spent the night in Slovenian Portoroz, where we arrived in the evening. This is the only city on the shores of the Slovenian Adriatic that we have not been to, we did not book a hotel, but we were lucky here too - next to the embankment we saw a sign Hostel "Europe". It turned out that on this day the hostel had its first day of work, and we were the first visitors. For Slovenia, finding such housing for only 40 euros is a great success; hotel prices there will be higher than in Italy. We were not given any discounts as the first visitors, but were presented with a bottle of champagne in honor of the opening. Each number hostel dedicated to some country, we got red and yellow Spanish motifs. For transit, this is an ideal option; there are rooms for two, like in a regular hotel, with shower and toilet. Cheap accommodation or hotels in Portorož can be found through one of the best booking systemsHotels Combined, a service that I use myself. The advantage of the service is that it compares prices from dozens of booking systems - you just have to choose the best offer. In each article or report, I provide links to hotels where I stayed and which I liked.

How nice it is to sit on the shore of the Adriatic Sea, look at the screaming seagulls, remembering Italian Tuscany. Just one day passed - and Tuscany became history, and the whole trip became another successful investment, win-win and reliable, because impressions cannot depreciate. And this report, I hope, will help someone get their impressions and make their win-win investment.

That evening we walked for a long time and looked at the sea - in the morning the road home awaited us and this is always the most pleasant part of any trip. In addition to olives, cheese and Tuscan wine, we brought with us a lot of impressions and positive emotions to our friends.

HOW TO GET TO TUSCANY Getting to Tuscany conveniently via Rome, You can buy air travel directly on the airline’s website, but the most convenient and profitable way is to take advantage of flight offers in the direction Kyiv-Rome orMoscow-Rome from aviasales.ru- an aggregator that I use myself. The service offers the most advantageous offers, including low cost air travel- you just have to choose the best by price, departure time or airline.

HOW TO BOOK A CAR FOR YOUR TRAVEL

I usually book a car online and pick it up right at the airport; this can be done quickly through a search engine. Austrian transit to Italy The best travel destinations during a crisis. Part 1.

Last modified Tuesday, March 29, 2016

You know, I visit Tuscany every year, for eight years in a row. And I never, never cease to be amazed. Why? If you say that it is good there, then you are lying. It's simply incomprehensible there.

Everything seems to be specially created for joy. Every cell of the exhausted body rests. And slowly a peaceful state of bliss sets in. I've been to many wonderful places, but I choose Tuscany.

Around Tuscany by car

Florence and nine other provinces around - this is Tuscany. This area has everything, but we rarely go there. Or maybe someone wasn’t there at all? It's never too late to travel to Tuscany. Good at any time of the year. You will spend your money with pleasure. It is difficult to remain dissatisfied in Tuscany.

I’ll say right away that I travel around Tuscany on my own and only by car. I can’t give you any advice on other ways to explore this amazing place. And I can’t imagine how you can see Tuscany by train or bus? If by plane, then to Florence or Pisa. Next, rent a car. Just book as early as possible. Italian cars are mostly manual. They sell out quickly during the season.

Where to stay

Try not to reduce your choice to finding a hotel in Tuscany. Tuscany is a rural region. So, taking into account the agricultural specifics of the region, locals are actively promoting agritourism. Go to Google Maps and explore the spaces of Tuscany. Here I only recommend the “poke method”. You'll be surprised how much there is.

Hundreds of small points on the map will be transformed into sites of wonderful Tuscan farms. There they welcome guests with a unique flavor. There are hundreds of options. I can't insist on my own.

Agritourism is essentially the same hotel, only better. Firstly, more space. There is a kitchen, living room, bedroom, patio, even a pool. They often offer half board and tasting of their products and wine. Italians love to flaunt their beauty. They decorate their rural estates with love and excellent taste.

But the most important thing is that this is the only way you will be imbued with the true spirit of Tuscany, you will get to know the residents and their customs. Besides, you will choose what you like. The geography is vast. The choice depends on the route. By the way, there are also plenty of hotels in Tuscany. But the hotel penalty loses to the farmer's expanse.

Tuscan Housing Options

So, you can spend a couple of unforgettable weeks in Tuscany:
in agritourism
in the villa
in the apartments
in a caza vacanza (vacation house)
In a hotel

For a two-week stay you can ask for a discount. They often agree. You need to arrive on Saturday after 16.00. Such a tradition. The week is counted from Saturday to Saturday!

About beauty

Almost any Tuscan town will outshine its fame in its own way. There is no doubt that the cities, promoted to the fullest extent of tourism, are beautiful. If you haven't been, watch it. But include in your itinerary:

With an amazing concave area;
Lucca, where an interesting historical Center;
Prato, which will surprise you with its version of the Middle Ages;
Arezzo is one of the oldest settlements in Tuscany.

This is just a quartet of more or less large ones. Small architectural masterpieces in Tuscany are on almost every hill. Stop by any one, you won't go wrong. The places are remote and touchingly beautiful. I'm delighted with Voltaire. I love walking around tiny Suveretto. Everywhere I enjoy the atmosphere and cuisine.

What to see in Tuscany, besides architecture

Tuscany is not only a rural idyll and captivating architecture. More than 320 kilometers of sea coast are also Tuscany. In the Viareggio area you will see the Turkish coast. Sea, umbrellas, sun loungers, promenade with palm trees. Look for the highlight, starting from Livorno and down towards Rome.

I like the area of ​​San Vincenzo, Cecina and Castellone della Pescaya. The coast here is densely covered with Mediterranean pine, the beaches are sandy. I also swam under the pine trees. The air, you know, is sea, and even with pine aroma. The territory of Tuscany also includes 120 nature reserves!

The area is famous for its thermal baths, which have long been successfully used for medicinal purposes. Medvedev's wife, for example, often visits Montecatini. There are nine more worthy places. Between Pisa and Lucca - San Giuliano. In the Grosseto area there are the Baths of Saturnia. Why are you interested? There is a free relaxation area in the natural baths of the mill waterfalls.

Not far from San Vincenzo, in the town of Venturina, find the Baths of Calidario. A day of pleasure costs 16 euros. But he's worth it.

Don't leave Tuscany until you've seen this

And now about how Tuscany captivates you immediately and on the spot. Val d'Orcia - remember the name. This is the same classic Tuscan landscape with hills, castles, vineyards and cypress trees.

It is in this paradisiacal landscape that Pienza, Montalcino, Montepulciano and small towns whose names I don’t remember crawl down from the Tuscan hills. You need to write it down.

So, going along the S222 road, you get to a place where you will only have time to say “Wow!” This is the Chianti road. You need to watch it. Leave for the whole day and immediately decide: who is driving? The Chianti road, you understand.

The main thing for traveling to Tuscany: a car and your desire to do everything yourself. Tuscany is for romantics and adventure seekers. There are discoveries at every step.

Wine, splendid flowers and incredibly white beaches - Tuscany is the jewel of Italy, which is mined from the depths of the Alps and washed Tyrrhenian Sea. This region is absolutely unique; it will reveal many secrets to you and give you an unforgettable experience. holiday in Tuscany.

If you dream of new adventures, do it journey in Tuscany , and you will simply fall in love with the magnificent nature and see ancient capital legendary Etruscans. Unforgettable holiday in Tuscany will help you relax both soul and body, and will give you a lot of positive emotions.

Travel and holidays in Tuscany

Tuscany can be called a small country within a country. It is original and includes ancient settlements, each of which has its own special history and legend. Traveling around provinces Tuscany, Be sure to visit the unique Florence - it is considered the capital of the region. Art lovers will be amazed by the masterpieces of the famous Michelangelo, which are presented in the galleries of the city or in the square of the same name in honor of the great master.

This city breathes the history of the Renaissance - the Uffizi Museum contains rare specimens from that period. Magnificent cathedrals and monuments of this fertile land will give you a sea of ​​impressions and positive emotions. If you love bright holidays, come here on Easter and you will see a costume performance and a procession, the climax of the action will be the burning of a fairy-tale carriage.

Cities of Tuscany

Immerse yourself in the atmosphere of magnificent Italy , or holidaying in Tuscany , better from the main rival of magnificent Florence - the city of Siena. This piece of paradise is located far from noisy roads and highways.

It is surrounded by olive groves and huge vineyards. It managed to preserve its pristine and unique virginity; here you will forget about the bustle and civilization and enjoy the cleanest air and beautiful landscapes hills.

Moving west from the provincial capital, you will come to ancient Pisa with its “leaning” tower and many architectural monuments. The ancient port is famous for its many cathedrals and museums, and a pleasant surprise will be the many inexpensive restaurants where you can have a delicious lunch.

The city of Volterra is an amazing settlement that lies on a steep hillside. Traveling ByTuscany, Be sure to visit the homeland of the ancient Etruscans. He seems to “hover” over the whole world, leaving all the fuss somewhere below. Here you will see the ruins of an ancient theater, unique baths with mosaics on the floor, and you can get acquainted with the heritage of the ancient tribe in the local museum.

If you are going to holiday in Tuscany and want to admire the architectural sights - come to Arezzo. This elegant white stone town will surely captivate you. The beautiful castle and ancient square will make you feel like noble Romans. An antique fair is held here, where you can see real works of art collected from.

If you would like to see an ancient fortress hidden among the vineyards, Montalcino will welcome everyone with magnificent wine. IN ancient castle You will not only be treated to a Divine drink, but will also be offered a snack in the form of cheese and homemade sausages. This city is home to the famous Abbey of Sant'Antonimo - it is recognized as the most ancient and beautiful creation in all of Tuscany.

Little Luke will open before you great amount stunning churches, they are decorated with unique frescoes. The Roman amphitheater is fascinating and reminiscent of the former greatness of this country.

Traveling through Tuscany, you can do it on your own, because the distances between cities are small. Be prepared for winding descents and ascents through hilly terrain. Your eyes will see the unique landscapes of vineyards and mountains that come water surface warm sea.

Nature and climate

Truly this area is a gift from the Gods to people. The climate is wonderful at any time of the year, which will make your travel to Tuscany, this province of Italy, comfortable and pleasant. In May-June, nature presents a stunning spectacle - poppies bloom, enveloping the earth in a bright red carpet. And when the huge sunflowers ripen in September, the hills are immersed in a sunny splendor of flowers.

Thanks to the sea and mountains, the temperature is very comfortable both in summer and winter. Holidays in Tuscany provides an excellent opportunity to pamper yourself, which are famous for their snow-white sands and warm sea. Majestic palm trees and lush greenery will surround you and allow you to forget about all your troubles. The water temperature in summer is about 25C.

Entertainment and relaxation

Holidays in Tuscany, will give you a lot of entertainment - these are colorful holidays and interesting excursions. Wine connoisseurs will find themselves in a real cradle of the creation of the best wines. This area is home to rare grape varieties and you simply won't be able to resist this drink.

If you love privacy and peace, many hotels and remote villas will give you this opportunity. Things to do on the beaches various types sea ​​sports or just ride on a snow-white yacht on the open sea.

Shopping in Italy is great! Everyone will find something special for themselves and for any wallet! In the evening, go to a quiet restaurant with live music and excellent Tuscan cuisine. It is famous for its simplicity and at the same time for its sophistication: seafood, bovine meat and perfectly cooked vegetables with local sauces.

Traveling through Tuscany, This is an event that you will remember for the rest of your life. It is original and incredibly interesting for every person, you will meet wonderful people and plunge into ancient history The Roman Empire with its history and monuments. A holiday in Tuscany will give you a great opportunity to enjoy the beautiful nature, sandy beaches and the clearest Tyrrhenian Sea.

This wonderful film will help you feel the Tuscan flavor: