Hi. Fantastic guide. Is there an area where you can buy a typical tuscan house with a little garden, where the prices are a little lower than the rest of Maremma, and still close to a village?
from Mikal
26. June 2019
Yes, there are plenty of really cheap houses in the smaller villages of the Maremma – around me, that’s Poggio Murella, Poggio Capanne, places like that. San Martino sul Fiora, Sovana, Sorano. Anywhere that’s not a huge tourist spot. Your best bet is to check out Immobiliare.it and search the towns you’re keen on.
how is parking in Pitigliano?
3. May 2019
Parking is good in Pitigliano! You can find a carpark pretty close to the centre, but it’ll be paid. Keep an eye out for the blue parking spaces and pay at the meter. Don’t go under the arch into the centre of Pitigliano though. Parking is only for residents there.
Hi there! My fiance and I are planning our honeymoon and will be staying three days in Manciano. We would love to do a wine tasting, maybe a cooking class, and take a boat ride. We were told that for all of these activities we would need a driver to take us out of Manciano and the cost of the driver was very high. Are there ways around this or other car services that we can look into? Thank you so much!
26. February 2019
Hi, you don’t technically need a driver to do any of those things. You could get around fine with public transport as long as you plan everything well in advance. It’ll be difficult to find the cooking class because they are very rare. The wine tasting is easy. Vini Montauto is an excellent winery just outside of Manciano and there are plenty of boat tours you can organise that depart from Porto Santo Stefano, which is about an hour’s bus ride away. As for the cooking class, you’ll need to ask your agriturismo or find one that offers them when you book. There are no cooking schools in Manciano. An alternative to a driver would be renting a car. I know it sounds scary, but the Maremma is really just one big country road and as long as you can drive a manual car, you’ll have no trouble getting around. There are a few car rental places in Grosseto, which is an hour from Manciano.
Hi elisa! Is late October a good time to visit the area? What’s the best place to stay considering we like authentic, rural but also things happening? Thanks a lot in advance! Vero
14. January 2019
October is ok, you can get a lot of autumn festivals centered around truffles, chestnuts and polenta. You’ll also get the last of the wine festivals. Monte Amiata is usually quite popular around this time of year – although it can get a little cold. You might also want to consider Pitigliano. Steer clear of the seaside areas though as they hibernate after the summer!
We (wife and another couple) will leave Florence and drive to Manciano where we will stay for 7 days and drive our rented car in the Maremma; having never driven in Italy and hearing stories can you comment on any driving pearls of wisdom and what are the roads like; I bought your guide book which is awesome; Ken
27. August 2018
Hi, the roads are okay. Expect some potholes and winding roads. If you have car sickness, you’re in for a treat as there isn’t a straight stretch of road anywhere for miles. Watch out for animals, especially at night and try to have some sort of GPS because road signs are non existent. But there’s no traffic or aggressive drivers, so as long as you go slow, you’ll be fine!
