Now here's a phrase I've heard more than once, and again just the other day from Paula and Rina (look up my facebook page). Not that there's anything wrong with Florence, if you exclude the noise, traffic, even noisier scooters, crowds and heat. So after a day in the relaxed open spaces of the Chianti countryside (with me of course), the thought of returning to it all is often daunting. With few exceptions it's back to your room with insufficient AC, (now everybody complains about this), and when you open the window for some air, you get blasted by a scooter, a bus, another scooter, yet another bus, and your olfactory senses delight in the fragrance of traffic fumes. Then out to dinner in a crowded restaurant, and later looking for somewhere to sit in a crowded cafe. Back to your room for a well earned night's sleep. Of course the scooters never sleep, and the loutish drunks yelling at the top of their obnoxious heads just have to let everyone know they're around.
So…if your coming to Italy to relax from the stress of your job and city life, you may not enjoy Florence that much. Sure a visit is an absolute must, I wouldn't dream of saying otherwise, but if your idea of a holiday is a quite room, where an open window means the breeze in the trees, and a cocktail by the pool with a view over Tuscan hills, you'd do well to forget Florence. So where do you want to go? Easy; just choose alternative accommodation in an agriturismo or villa in the spectacular countryside or in the small picturesque towns of Chianti. There's an ample choice of varied accommodation, from basic and economic, to all out luxury.
However, lets' consider Florence again. I said Florence is a stressful city, but I didn't say it's to be avoided, how could I 12 million visitors can't be wrong? But if you're looking for peace and quite, the trick is to stay somewhere not too distant so you may get a bus or train into the city. If the accommodation is very remote, you may need a hire car, and if you really want to relax, then hire a driver guide like myself (why do you think I'm writing this article)? Another very important factor to consider, is the strategic position of Chianti to the rest of Tuscany. You'll no doubt want to do some touring, and Chianti is ideally located. You can easily tour Chianti itself, and you're within reasonable travel time to all the other must sees. Don't make the common mistake of judging travel times by your standards; roads in Tuscany are different. They're very busy, very windy and very slow. So a strategic position is important, for anyone wanting to do day tours, that don't involve endless hours sitting in a vehicle.
At this point why not look up a site or two that'll give you all the info you require to start considering your ideal accommodation. Here are some suggestions.
http://www.chianti.info/ Everything about Chianti, Italy
A travel guide for Chianti and Tuscany and accommodation.
http://www.bella-toscana.com/ Vacation accommodations in Tuscany
A huge selection of vacation accommodation in Tuscany, and lots of unusual but interesting info.
Wide selection of accommodation in Chianti, and info about Greve in Chianti too.
