I know many are hesitant to rent a car but in my one (!) experience (thanks to the CR gang I might add) I had an absolute blast driving. Yes it is fast and narrow, yes it is tough to find parking, but it also is invigorating and a way to see so much. I picked up the car (Eurocar) in Florence after two nights stay in the city, then dropped it at the Florence airport upon departing.
BTW, my pictures from that trip are here http://cyclesdeoro.com/
Wish I could go again! Enjoy
Dale
Dale Brown Greensboro, North Carolina USA http://www.classicrendezvous.com
-----Original Message----- From: pbridge130@aol.com To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org Sent: Wed, Feb 2, 2011 2:04 pm Subject: Re: [CR] L'Eroica: I want to go; advice on hotel, etc.
Depends on what else you would like to do while in Italy. (There are other things to do, and other places to go.) In my experience, most of the favorably-priced flights serving the immediate region will go into Pisa. Without much ado, you could also go in or out of either Rome or Milan -- I would choose Rome, because I prefer Rome, and because - as I recall - it's an hour or so closer.
To find accommodations, I would google search "B&B" or "agriturismo" along with the names of nearby towns. Gaiole is in the heart of the impact zone of Chianti tourism, and prices and availability will reflect that. I suggest looking further out. Do some research work, and you will be rewarded. This is a favorite of mine, a bit south of Siena:
You will want to have a car while you are in the countryside. (Gaiole is in the countryside.) This item borders on non-negotiable, unless you are willing to completely sacrifice your flexibility. Europcar has typically had the best deals that I have found. Be sure you understand from your credit card company exactly how they want you to handle insurance on the rental car.
One other comment - depending on your stomach for uncertainty, you could start shopping for an air fare around August 20 or so. In my experience, fares drop sharply around then. Shop around, and check lots of websites. They do not all have the same data. sidestep, 1800flyeurope, etc. Or maybe that's not worth it. The savings will only be about 200 or 250 per ticket, based on today's price of about 1100 san - psa - san.
Peter Bridge san diego ca usa
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