Tuscany Honeymoon?

Question

We are honeymooning in Italy and I am looking for a place to stay for several days in Tuscany-we want a nice place that is also economical and that is not too remotely located. Thanks!

Answer 1

Ahhhh... A honeymoon in Tuscany. How idyllic. My husband and I did the same, 4.5 years ago. I can definitely recommend Castello Vicchiomaggio, which is a few km north of the town of Greve in Chianti, and about half an hour's drive south of Florence. A beautiful location, and very convenient for a lot of picturesque parts of Tuscany, including Siena, San Gimignano, Lucca, Pisa, Arezzo, or day trips into Florence. However, we found it was fun just staying quite close to "home" and going for long lunches at beautiful rural osterias. There's also a really good value banquet night at the Castello, which I think they still do (my aunt stayed there last year). We were really lucky, because we met up with another couple from Australia who were also on honeymoon (sometimes it's nice to go out with more than just the two of you!). Anyway, hope this is helpful. The Castello is listed on a number of websites. You have to book it for 7 days at a time (at least from Australia), but it works out at pretty good value when compared to nightly rates at hotels. They also have a beautiful new pool terrace since we were there...

P.S. You will definitely need a hire car, so include this in your budget. This applies to all of Tuscany outside Florence itself.

Good Luck (or should I say "Buona Fortuna"!)