After the hot-air balloon festival in Florence, you can still see the Chianti valley from above! Tuscany ballooning has a fleet of balloons able to accommodate from 2 up to 18 people. They use only certified pilots who take off from Calzaiolo, a village 8 miles South of Florence towards Siena. This is a truly memorable experience!
Stay at the charming hotel L’Antico Pozzo run by Emanuele and his sisters. It is in the heart of San Gimignano which is only 30 minutes away.
Antiquities market lovers? Come to Arezzo every first Sunday of the month and the precedent Saturday. You will find the biggest open-air antiquity fair in Italy. It is worth it! Should you require further information, the Fiera Antiquaria will help you.
Choose to stay at La Corte Dei Papi which offers exceptional romantic suites (ask for the one with its private double jacuzzi !) and a gourmet degustation menu!
After a dirt road surrounded by the beautiful Tuscan countryside, only 10 minutes away from Montepulciano, you reach Podere il Casale, Ulisse’s farm. He moved here 20 years ago from Switzerland and decided to set up his own cheese farm. Have a tour with him and get the nicest ‘pecorino’ you have ever tried! You can also eat, do pizza or cooking classes.
In the area, the best place where to stay for couples is Il Tosco, a lovely guesthouse with only 4 rooms in the hilltop village of Montepulciano run by lovely Elena.
Traveling with children, better to go to Agriturismo Sanguineto, a villa divided into holiday apartments with a pool and a garden. Andrea, the owner, is also the mayor of the village and produces his own Nobile di Montepulciano wine and olive oil.
Discover the sweetness of village life, pausing a few days in Pienza, which sits in the midst of some of the most photographed landscapes in Italy. John Voigtmann, a former rock star hunter, left New York attracted by the beauty of these Tuscan hills and open La Bandita Townhouse. He transformed the former convent into one of the chicest boutique hotels of Tuscany and his American dream became true!
A memory that will last forever! Pay a visit to the ‘Tarot Garden‘ where the artist Niki de Saint Phalle spent most of her life making such beautiful esoteric gigantic sculptures, hidden among the Tuscan hills. Here are her words ‘This garden was made with difficulties, love, wild enthusiasm, obsession, and most of all faith. Nothing could have stopped me. As in all fairy tales, before finding the treasure, I met on my path dragons, sorcerers, magicians, and the Angel of Temperance’.
Looking for the most romantic sunset in Tuscany? The tiny sandy beach of Cala Violina in Maremma is spectacular. Be ready to walk for half an hour through the wood before the beach opens up. You will not regret it! Stay at Relais Vedetta, a chic resort nestled on the hill nearby. Anna has only six large suites and everyone tells a story! Also, the restaurant is excellent. If you love Puccini this is where you need to be, in the magic atmosphere of San Giovanni church in Lucca! To listen to Puccini’s beautiful melodies in his native city is great but to hear it pared down to a piano and a singer is very unique. It is not a surprise that the 70 singers and performers get standing ovations every evening! Puccini festival is in July-August and concerts are held daily from April until October.
Wish to stay in the hotel where the movie ‘A room with a view’ was shot?
Well, the former Pensione Bertolini is now called Hotel Degli Orafi and has a roof-top terrace overlooking the river Arno on one side and the Dome of the Cathedral on the other side! Her frescoed breakfast room (which also has a view!) is spectacular.
Write to me if you need tips and help Barbara@boutiquehotelitaly.com
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