Category Archives: Tuscany

Tuscany Road Trip – Day 1

April 2016

Straight out of the parking lot of the rent a car at Florence airport, we drove with the assistance of HERE Maps mobile app to our final destination for the day, hotel ‘Il Garibaldi’ at San Quirico d’Orcia. It is a 130km drive, through the E35 highway, SR222 & SR2. The E35 highway runs from Amsterdam to Rome and SR refers to Strada Regionale or regional road. The usage of E35 will incur toll while the SR222 & SR2 has no toll. Both the E & SR are left hand drive, the E being a dual carriageway whilst the SR is single carriageway (at some point a little narrow). Sad to say, the SR has few spots you can park to enjoy the beautiful and breathtaking views of the Tuscan countryside as it basically has no road shoulder. That being said, you just have to register the views to your memory instead of your SD card.

Malaysian drivers would require an International Driving Permit to drive in Italy. The IDP cost RM150 valid for 1 year that covers many other countries as well. You can apply for an IDP at your JPJ office by filling a simple form. You need to produce your driving licence (valid for another 1 year), ID & 2 copies of passport size photo. The IDP is issued on the spot and is a 5 minutes process but waiting for your queue number to be called, is entirely a different matter.

We have no specific itineraries for our road trip, but just to drive and take in the Tuscan views as what we have seen in TV, magazines and internet. Naturally visiting the Tuscan region at different time of the year, you will see different vegetation but by mid April the Tuscan is already green.

So, is Tuscany a town? Italy is composed of 20 regions, Tuscany is one of them. Tuscany is made up of ten provinces i.e. Florence, Arezzo, Grosseto, Livorno, Lucca, Massa Carrara, Pisa, Pistoia, Prato and Siena. It is in central Italy with a land area of about 23,000 square kilometres and a population of about 3.8 million. In Italian, Tuscany is Toscana and its capital is Florence. Though Tuscany is referred as a region in Italy, it is equivalent to a state elsewhere.

Tuscany is famous for its picturesque landscapes, medieval villages, historical towns, castles, churches and abbeys. It is famous for its wine and the wine growing region of Chianti is in Tuscany. Whilst we took numerous pictures, some of it we are not sure of its location. So, excuse us if the pictures has no caption.

Definitely on SR222 as stated on the board.

Another section of SR222. Narrow road with little opportunity to park by the road shoulder.

Day 1 of our Tuscany Road trip from Florence to San Quirico d’Orcia. Click to enlarge.

Hillside view. Location : La Presura.

Farmhouse in vineyard. Location : Chiocchio

Entrane to Castello Vicchiomaggio at Le Bolle. An upscale hotel with infinity pool.

Location : La Bolle.

Fattoria Montagliari is a small family owned and run farm producing wine. Location : Greve in Chianti.

On the hilltop by SR222 overlooking Montagliari.

Same spot above, different area.

Vineyard by the roadside. Location : Panzano.

Unknown location.

This most photographed cypress trees is just off the SR2 after a bridge on your right. About 9km heading into San Quirico d’Orcia town.

San Quirico d’Orcia seen from behind our hotel.

We started our drive from Florence airport at 10:30 and reached our hotel ‘II Garibaldi’ in San Quirico d’Orcia at 16:40. Once checked-in, we did an evening drive as indicated in the map below. We back tracked onto SR2 and then onto SP137 (Strada Provinciale abbreviated as SP meaning provincial road) until we reached the village of Torrenieri 7.5kms away. Along the route, you will be rewarded with beautiful country side views. If you are not intending to venture further than San Quirico, this route itself is worth the drive. This route do not incur tolls.

From the village, we then drove onto SP14 which leads us back onto SR2 which earlier we were on it coming from Florence. On this SR2, 4km before reaching San Quirico, on your right after crossing a bridge, you will see the famed spot of Cypress trees (photo above & below) is located. There is space after the bridge on the road shoulder for 4-5 cars to park.

Our route map around San Quirico d’Orcia. That famed spot for cypress trees is marked. Click to enlarge map.

That cypress trees again.

The bridge as seen from the spot of the cypress trees.

Farmhouse on a hill slope.

Lone tree by the SP137

It’s green in Tuscany in mid April.

Another farmhouse on a hill slope.

Hill slope bathe in the evening sunlight.

Village by the SP137.

A small vineyard along the route.

Hotel Il Garibaldi, San Quirico d’Orcia

April 2016

Our hotel for the 1st night of our day trip is ‘Il Garibaldi‘ at San Quirico d’Orcia. It is located just off the SR2 and adjoining a Tamoil petrol station. Although just by SR2, the little traffic and properly sealed window kept outside noise away. We did get a good night’s sleep even though our room is facing the SR2. It’s a small hotel with 6 rooms facing the SR2 and another 6 facing the country side. The hotel also has its own restaurant albeit during our stay it’s almost empty.

Il Garibaldi does not have a lift and you do need to climb more than 20 flights of stairs. Something tough for the elderly with laggage.The rooms are adequate in size but fixtures are a little dated. Although highly rated in Tripadvisor, I find this hotel basic and satisfactory. However, their wi-fi is superbly strong and stable. No lagging on downloads or on facetime half way across the world. Free parking available within the hotel compound.

Hotel Il Garibaldi, San Quirico d’Orcia.

Hallway to the rooms.

One Queen and a non requested single bed.

Closet in the room.

A non working CTV in the room.

Bathroom.

The hotel adjoining to the petrol station.

How close are the pumps? Picture taken from the window of our room. The SR2 regional road in-front.

Tuscany Road Trip – Day 2

April 2016

The 2nd day of our Tuscan road trip, we are taking the country road to visit several Tuscan towns. This route will cover Pienza, Montefollonico, Montepulciano, La Foce, Radiocofini with Hotel Borgo Antico at Monteroni d’Arabia being the last stop for the day.

We left Hotel Garibaldi heading east to the town of Pienza. It’s a short 10km drive taking 15 minutes. Once we are on SP146, the Tuscan beauty begins to unfold. You will start to see the beautiful Tuscan countryside with cypress trees leading to farm houses. The SP146 offers several road shoulders for you to park to admire and take photos of the landscape.

Route map of our day 2 Tuscany Road Trip. Click to enlarge.

Heading east on SP146 there are several spots with ample road shoulder for you to park.

Cypress trees leading to farm-house or in some instances to high end B&B.

Mid April and green all around.

A typical Tuscan country side view on SP146.

Pienza is a small town in the beautiful valley of Val d’Orcia amidst gentle undulating hills and wonderful natural landscapes. Pienza stands atop a hill with extraordinary views of the Orcia Valley. The town was made a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1996 and later in 2004, the entire Val d’Orcia was included on the list of UNESCO’s World Cultural Landscapes. With two UNESCO’s list, you will naturally be rewarded with magnificent views upon views of the Tuscan countryside.

sampaisudah.com reached Pienza.

Edge of Pienza town.

Arriving Pienza from San Quirico d’OCrcia, drive straight to the parking lot as shown below. The parking lot is limited but do be patient for one. Thereafter, proceed to the viewing point as indicated. There are concrete benches for you to sit and take in the views. Here, you will be rewarded with the magnificent views of the Val d’Orcia valley right up to the mountains. This captivating views will be etched in your memory for some time. You will regret if you miss this.

If looking down the valley isn’t enough, drive down via SP18 for a reverse view of Pienza. We did just that. From down there, looking up you will see Pienza majestically atop of the hill. After more than an hour, we left Pienza for Montefollonico.

View point of Val d’Orcia from Pienza town. Click for enlarged map.

Val d’Orcia region of Tuscany. A Unesco world cultural landscape.

Pienza town looking downhill.

Magnificent views from atop of Pienza town.

Another section of the country side from Pienza town towards the mountains..

A typical sight around Tuscany. Cypress trees leading to farm-house.

Agriculture activities not yet commenced in mid April. Views on SP18.

Pienza town from below the hills on SP18.

From Pienze, we stayed on the SP146 towards Mantefollonico, another town on the hills 11km away. Halfway on the SP146, take a left into SP15 that will take you to Mantefollonico. There are also nice views here but the route from Mantefollonico to Montepulciano is what awed us. Take the country road Str. dei Colli until it meets the SP135. From the town, it’s all the way downhill and towards your left and right its pure Tuscan country sight with farms and vineyards. Awesome. Green as far as you can see.

Town of Montefollonico.

Country side view of Montefollonico.

Rolling greens of Montefollonico.

Country road Str. dei Colli that will meet SP135 to take us to the next town of Monteoulciano.

Once the country road meets SP135, turn right to head to Montepulciano, a medieval and renaissance hill town 9km away. Later when the SP135 meets SP17, take another right till you reach the town. Again nice views as the rest of the other towns but difficult to find a spot to enjoy it. Montepulciano by comparison is mush bigger and busier and you’ll find traffic lights here. It is a major producer of food and drink.

Montepulciano.

Town of Montepulciano on the hills.

From the hills looking down to the farms below.

From Montepulciano, take the SP88 heading to La Foce. This route is a bit tricky. After 7.5km, the road branches to the right, still called SP88. Drive straight and you will hit a dirt road which is still SP88 where at some spot, it is too narrow for two vehicles to pass. The ground is hard so you don’t need a 4-wheel. Keep on this road for about 4km until you reach the intersection with SP40. Cross over to the other side straight ahead and you’ll see this famed photographed cypress trees. At this view-point, you’ll need to crop your photo to avoid power lines.

Take the SP40 downhill for about 600m and to your left is a parking lot where again you will be able to photograph the cypress tress and the winding road. Opposite the parking lot is the Dopolavoro restaurant & bar. Drive down for another 900m and to your right is the entrance to road leading up to the cypress tress and that winding road.

La Foce. Another popularly photographed Tuscan spot, Strada di Valoresi. Cypress trees, winding road and farm-house.

Strada di Valoresi photographed from below the hills.

Clay Hills and Olive trees of La Foce.

Staying on the SP40 we then took a left onto SR2 onwards to Radiocofani, another town up on the hills. This section of the SR2 is a sigle carriage motorway. About 5km ahead, after a petrol station turn left onto SS478 that will lead up to Radicofani. This will be an uphill drive with fantastic mountain views as you get further up. We actually stopped by the roadside that has a picnic bench and had our lunch under the ble sky with endless view to the mountains.

The rolling hills of Radiocofani.

Farm house by the hill-side.

Views on the way to Radiocofani.

Radiocofani was the last town we visited and we are then off to our hotel in Monteroni d’Arabia. For our 2nd day, we had travelled a distance of 122km and were truly amazed at the beautiful sights Tuscany has to offer. To enjoy this, you have to drive. We are pretty sure there is no similar tour package itinerary similar to what we’ve enjoyed and have experienced.