Wine, food and sweeping landscapes: it’s no wonder Tuscany is loved by many.

During our trip in July 2022, we spent two nights in Florence to immerse ourselves in this beautiful city whilst getting over our jet lag. We also spent two nights in the Brunello wine region of Montalcino, having already visited the more popular destinations of San Gimignano and Montepulciano on previous trips.

Where to stay in Florence

Like many cities in Italy, it is best to see the city on foot. As such, I highly recommend finding a hotel or Airbnb within walking distance of the city centre. On our most recent trip, we stayed in this lovely Airbnb apartment hosted by Lorenzo. It was central, reasonably priced, had everything we needed for our stay - and had a car park directly opposite (for an additional fee).

The best pistachio croissant in Italy

Let’s be honest - everyone comes to Italy for the food. I still remember my first trip to Italy in 2012 and trying proper Italian gelato for the first time - it was mind-blowing!

Suppose you want to live like a local and enjoy coffee and a pastry for breakfast. In that case, do yourself a favour and try the pistachio croissant at Finisterrae - they are flaky, flavoursome and excellent!

Best aperitivo with a view: Fiesole

At the recommendation of our host, we went for a drive one afternoon to Fiesole,, a small town up the hill that overlooks Florence. The drive was a little bit hairy (narrow, steep road!) - so we were very happy to arrive in time for aperitivo. The spot we found made the hairy drive worthwhile. We enjoyed Aperol spritzes, fried dough with prosciutto and mozzarella, and a burrata with truffle whilst enjoying sweeping hilltop views over the city.

Tuscan speciality: Cantucci with vin santo

This is a must-try for those with a sweet tooth. Cantucci are a simple type of biscotti, essentially a dried almond cookie, whilst vin santo is a smooth, sweet dessert wine. Dipping the cantucci in your glass of vin santo softens them slightly and is a lovely, simple dessert to finish a meal.

Favourite vineyards in Montalcino

As we had already visited the popular destinations of San Gimignano and Montepulciano on a previous trip, we decided to visit an area where one of our favourite grape varietals is grown. Montalcino is a small hilltop town with a population of approximately 5,000 people, about 100km from Florence. This region produces Brunello, a popular red DOCG wine.

We stayed two nights at a small family-run hotel, Albergo Il Giglio. The hotel is simple, clean and conveniently located, with an incredible on-site restaurant! Do yourself a favour and have dinner at the restaurant. The food is a modern-take on traditional Italian - and we ended up eating there both nights. The first night we arrived quite late, and we phoned ahead to see if the restaurant would still be open. The staff were incredibly accommodating, and didn’t have a problem with us ordering dinner at 10pm. The owner of the hotel is incredibly knowledgable about the local wines. He sat down with us and talked through a few different options - and introduced us to one of our new favourite brunello’s, Patrizia Cencioni (more on that below!)

Brunello is typically released five years after harvest, so the youngest wine we could purchase in 2022 was from 2017.

Whilst we visited a few vineyards during our two-night stay in Montalcino, our two favourites included:

1. Patrizia Cencioni: Great wine and a pleasant tasting experience only a short drive from the town centre

2. Castiglion del Bosco: This was our second visit to Castiglion del Bosco. The vineyard is owned by Massimo and Chiara Ferragamo and hosts a luxury hotel, golf course, wine cellar and restaurant. If you were looking for a luxury hotel stay during your time in Tuscany, Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco would be my pick! Whilst it’s a bit more of a drive, it is worth a visit just to see the grounds (and to enjoy some pizza on the terrace!) 

We brought back and cellared some wine from both vineyards. I will be opening them on special occasions, and reliving some of our memories from Tuscany!