I had my first brunello ever 40 years ago that was their first vintage and fell in love with the…read morestyle. Visiting was a highlight for me made even better by my tasting with Lisa, who was very informative. She has been with Banfi for 24 years. I opted for the higher end tasting, which was the correct thing to do for me. Lisa also recommended a bird identification app produced at Cornell University that is quite comprehensive. That recommendation was prompted by a question about a flurry of activity of a species related to the swallows that used to dominate San Juan Capistrano.

Went here for a VIP tour. The tour start with a lunch in their taverna. The food was amazing. We…read morehad a full four course meal with a "cheese ball" starter, pasta as prima and veal as secondi with icrecream for desert. We have a great sampling of the vines from Banfi with the meal and great service. After the meal we went on a tour of the Banfi winery and ended up with a tasting. Our guide Paul did a fantastic job. This is a major brunello provider that goes back to 15th century with beautiful views. We loved the experience.

Beautiful town with stunning views, a beautiful church--actually at least two…read morechurches--restaurants, and cute shops. We enjoyed a tour of the churches and enjoyed the beauty and history of this village.

Pienza is a beautiful hilltop town in the heart of the Val D'Orcia in Tuscany and is a UNESCO World…read moreHeritage Site. The town is best known for being rebuilt by Pope Pius II as an "ideal city of the renaissance." The town is small and you can easily walk from one end to another. The center of the town is where you'll find the duomo and the Palazzo Piccolomini. It's stunning and surrounded by beautiful flowers. And if you're a fellow foodie, this is the place to stock up on Pecorino cheese (sheep's milk). The town is packed with cheese shops, which are all pretty much identical, so there are plenty of opportunities to make a purchase. The views from Pienza are also stunning, but this is luckily the case with most of the hilltop towns in the Val d'Orcia.

This was so fun and very affordable. It's set in and elegant…read moresurrounding and the pools are delightful. A fun way to spend a few hours in an otherwise sleepy town.

I love Bagno Vignoni. It's a tiny village just outside of San Quirico D'Orcia. At the center of the…read morevillage is known for Piazza delle Sorgenti, which has an ancient thermal bath right in the center of the square. It is not for swimming or bathing, but simply to enjoy the view. The thermal bath feeds all the others in the area. In the village you'll find a handful of restaurants and shops, as well as a couple of hotels. We stayed just outside the square, a two minute walk, at a hotel called Posta Marcucci, which most of the photos on this page are from. Looks like tourists confused the listings. The area is gorgeous. Plenty of views, hiking trails and thermal bathing spots located in various other hotels. We enjoyed staying in this village for several nights. It's so peaceful and charming.

We were lucky enough to see the cathedral in October when the floors were uncovered and it was…read moretruly a sight to see. Absolutely worth the visit and make sure to go to the top of the bell tower during your visit for a spectacular view and a great photo opportunity.

The interior of the cathedral is lovely, especially the marble floors and stained glass windows…read more There isn't any printed information or leaflets. They have an audio guide but you have to use your phone. I didn't have good reception on my mobile so I wasn't able to get any information about the church or art. I did really enjoy the crypt, so I am glad I got the ticket that included access to that.

I have been to Siena twice. On my second trip, I visited for Palio. The day of the festivities, I…read moremade my way to Torre del Mangia to do some sightseeing. Located in Piazza del Campo, the center and heart of Siena, Torre del Mangia is one of the most prominent symbols of Siena. It's one of TripAdvisor's most popular attractions in Siena and for good reason. Snap a few pictures of the tower from the outside and then walk inside. It's free to check out the courtyard area where you'll be able to take a really cool photo of the tower from the interior. You'll know what I mean when you're there. After you're done checking out the courtyard, for a fee, you can buy a ticket to go up the tower and get some panoramic views of the city. If they happen to be sold out, you can also get some scenic views by checking out the Duomo. Torre del Mangia is a must visit while in Siena!

10/28/2013 My…read morehusband and I woke up early and went to the City Wall Tower as our first stop of the day. Good thing we went early in the morning, as we were able to get some sparkling nice views from the top. Once you climb the 330 steps to the top (the staircase is rather narrow in some areas, so they will ask you to check in your bags about 1-2 flights up). This is definitely one of the best views of Siena and Tuscany. Well worth the 8€ per person. We were able to stay at the top for a good 20-30 minutes to take some photos of the beautiful Siena landscape + look out into the hills of Tuscany. GORGEOUS!! We think the best time to go is in the morning when the sun is not out in full force, and the fog is leaving the hills...so you can get some clear photos. :) We loved our experience and definitely recommend it. We know of others who went to the top of the Duomo, so that's another option as well; but we didn't do that one since we already went to the top of the City Tower. Either way, I'm sure the views are great. :)

We did a quick visit to this small church in Montalcino. There was a book store and some souvenirs…read moreon sale in the courtyard. The ticket counter lady was very nice and helped us with questions we had of the city. They have a cafe and wine shop attached to the church that looked very cozy. The frescoes on display are beautiful and require paid admission. The entrance to the church and courtyard are free.

Outstanding and breathtaking monastery. It's something definitely not to miss if you are in the arearead more

2009. We pedal up to…read moreCortona, another medieval Italian town that sits on top of a hill. The road up is a steep serpentine that never stops serpentining. We push on, each switchback like another cruel demonstration of the defensive advantage of building a town on top of a fricking hill. Cortona and its environs is where 'Under the Tuscan Sun,' Francis Mayes' insanely popular 1996 memoir about renovating a farmhouse in Tuscany, is set. The book was then adapted into an equally popular movie that was also shot around Cortona, though the plot was jazzed up, Hollywood-style. Instead of a memoir of a couple college professors doing a gut rehab, the movie is about a San Francisco writer who finds out her husband is cheating on her, so she moves to Italy and buys a run down villa and, you know, slowly repairs the house and her broken heart. The book + movie turned Cortona into a pretty serious tourist destination. More than that, it turned it into a fantasy destination. A place you can go after your life falls apart to find good food and laughter and a significant other with Hollywood looks. In other words, a place you can find in your guide book and reserve a hotel room in, but that doesn't actually exist.

How do you even begin to review this town....suffice to say it's just breathtaking, picturesque to…read morethe core, at the top of a hill enclosed in an old Etruscan wall. The highlight of our holiday in Tuscany..