Strategic location
Ours is a close-to away-from it all or strategic location: Central for Tuscany’s most wanted wines, landscapes and hilltowns, yet idyllic for staying home. From here, you can tour in earnest for several days and still not see all of our favourite local sights. But that’s the point: A strategic location means that you can be spontaneous.
Why Here?
Malvin spent 10 years scouring Tuscany and Umbria before buying here. The countryside is beautiful in this area, as are the hilltop towns, and hamlets, that circle us—we see seven from the house. Local towns include: Cortona, Lucignano, Montisi, Montepulciano, Montefollonico, and Pienza. Arezzo and Siena cities are each just over half an hour’s drive away.
Well Located for Wine
Our location is also strategic for wine: we are at a hub point for 5 wine producing zones Chianti Classico, Nobile di Montepulciano, Orcia, Syrah of Cortona – and Brunello di Montalcino. Indeed, we welcome many wine lovers to the house (and have installed a professional wine refrigerator for bottles you bring home).
Dining Close By
In this area, it’s still ‘real’ Tuscany: You can still enjoy authentic dishes at good prices in restaurants full of Italian diners—and very close by, too. We have 5 super places to dine out within 2 km of the house.
Scenery
Some of the most photographed and filmed parts of Tuscany are within the Province of Siena and easy to reach: Gladiator, Quantum of Solace, The English Patient, Master of None, Made in Chelsea, and The Medicis have all included footage of the Province of Siena towns and countryside which is indeed varied and beautiful. Much of the new [2019] ‘Pinocchio’ was filmed at our ‘home farm’ La Fratta. Siena City on Palio Day
About Siena
A province as well as a city—the capital city is named Siena—often spelled Sienna. We’re part of the Commune of TORRITA DI SIENA within the Province of Siena. Siena City is about 35 minutes away. Siena is an unmissable visit whilst in the area but there are many visits much closer: Read about our favourite visits in our Tuscany Guide
Proximity to Florence & Rome
Florence is one hour North (without traffic delays) and Rome is 2 hours South (ditto) It’s a 10 minute drive to the motorway. This location has been an important stop for North-South travelers for centuries, and has a very interesting history but international tourism has not really arrived in number yet. Here at this location we’re also not too far from the province of Arezzo, including some gorgeous Chianti towns well worth visiting.
Itineraries
For guests spending 3-4 nights with us there is much, indeed too much, to see in terms of hill top villages, wineries, and landmarks within a short 25-25 minute journey. Local destinations are cited at our Tuscany Guide Pages After day 4-5, travelling further afield, beyond the immediate environs, might attract. From this location you can also see Umbria with relative ease: Starting at 20+ minutes away you can get deep into UMBRIA with a 45 /+ minute drive. PERUGIA (useful airport location at 55 mins) Perugia is both a province and City. The City of Perugia is the capital of Umbria is about an hour away. Beyond Perugia, at about 80 minutes drive is ASSISI. Starting at 20+ minutes away, you can get deep into CHIANTI in an hour. A drive to SAN GIMIGNANO, beyond Siena City, will take about 80 minutes. You could get to VOLTERRA in an hour and a half. PISA & LUCCA are just over 2 hours. ORVIETO, roughly one hour is an oft missed but splendid visit, convenient for those going to or coming from Rome. A day trip to FLORENCE (just over an hour away) is certainly not out of the question, either. Those are the Big Name visits, but we suggest that spending time exploring in a half hour radius from the house is wonderful, and we would not encourage driving much further away unless on a 4-5 night’s stay at least. We are always happy to help you with your planning and to put the brakes on your ambition; in this area the journey is generally equal to the destination in terms of enjoyment and so don’t plan in too much.
How to get around
Without question, the best way to enjoy the Tuscan Countryside is by car—your ‘own’ car. Roads are mostly very quiet and driving can be very enjoyable. Nothing beats the spontaneity and independence offered by a rental car, and we will help with parking spots and journey plans or in any way we can. For the frequent wine question, ‘Do we need a driver when going wine tasting’, oft asked, possibly the best way to wine taste in this area is to go ‘pro’ and go slow: Mix one winery into each day of your stay, don’t drink but sip-and-spit, and bring something back to the house to enjoy. In this area wine tastings are often conducted by the maker, accompanied by plenty of insight and can be quite personal. You are not expected to actually drink the wine in the winery!