Tuscany in June

Hello

My husband and I and our little boy who will be 8 months are going to Tuscany for a week in June. We are flying to Pisa and hiring a car and we are staying close to Montepulciano for the whole week as we wanted a base for our first holiday with the little one.

I am wondering which are the must see places to visit in the are? We would not want to be driving more than an hour to an hour and a half to get somewhere. We have visited Italy a number of times before but this is the first time we will have the flexibility of a car. On previous visits we have centred more around the cities - Pisa, Rome, Venice, Florence, Verona with visits to the Cinque Terre, Lake Garda and Cividale de Fruili.

We enjoy museums and architecture but mostly we like to experience Italy so it is about food and wine and culture and taking it easy.

Also could anyone advise what baby food, nappies etc will be available in Italy. I am assuming I don't need to take these with us. We are self catering anyway and are following Baby Led Weaning so our little one eats a lot of what we do although when in Italy I tend to eat pasta and pizza all week and I am not sure that is so good for him. What do Italians wean their babies on? M did try pasta with tomato sauce last night and loved it so we should be fine!

Any tips?

Jane

Hi Jane - I enjoyed a brief visit to Radda in Chianti, a little town in Toscana that has gorgeous stone houses, that I think would be easy on the kid-carrier. I do not see Siena on your list of places you have visited, and would suggest it as a kid friendly destination if you happen to get bored with the countryside. Siena has the usual cultural treasures and architectural wonders, but not as demanding as you would find in Florence. I have seen lots of Italian and German families vacationing here with babies and toddlers , so assume that all the infant necessities are available.

I think that there will be more than enough in the Montepulciano area to keep you all happy! Pienza is very close by and so is Montalcino. Siena, as already mentioned, is a must. Your family might enjoy Lake Trasimeno also - there are sandy beaches, and Castiglione del Lago and Tuoro are charming resorts on the Lake.

Definitely Siena. Beautiful. There may also be some buildup to the Palio going on which makes for great atmosphere. San Gimignano is also lovely, people always say it's a tourist trap but it is stunning. Lucca is also great and is less obviously touristy (can't remember how much of a drive that would be from Montepulciano though). Don't know much about Baby Led Weaning! I hope you can try lots of the wine.

SIENA AND AROUND
Southeast of Siena:
day-trip) Pienza, Montepulciano
½ day-trip) drive through the Crete Senesi from Siena to Asciano

North of Siena:
day-trip, but could be more) Chianti area (and it’s wine!)
day-trip) Monteriggioni, Colle Val d’Elsa (high area of the town), San Gimignano

South of Siena:
day-trip) Montalcino, Sant'Antimo, Monteuliveto, Murlo
day-trip) Orcia Valley and its villages: San Quirico, Rocca d’Orcia, etc. (need a map)
day-trip) Arbia Valley and its villages (need a map)

South of Siena, toward Rome:
day-trip) Monticiano, Chiusdino and Abbazia di San Galgano;
1-2 days) Grosseto centre, Orvieto, Civita di Bagnoregio, Viterbo

East of Siena, toward Umbria: Arezzo, Cortona

From Siena to Lucca make a stop in Volterra

We spent a week in Tuscany last year with our 2 children, with a base in Castellina in Chianti, and travelled to most of the places mentioned above, but Montepulciano, Montalcino and especially Volterra were the highlights. Volterra has a nice mixture of- apart from the typical Medieval styled architecture- restaurants and a lovely park [amidst the old quarter], where you can simply relax.
Sienna was lovely too, but crowded and busy [as most cities are], although once you surpass the crowds, may enjoy its beauty.

Do remember that, as usual, to visit the best wineries you should phone ahead. The ones that are out for the tourist traffic are, of course, not the best!

Lucca and Volterra were my favourites..