The city of Chiusi is not on anyone's vacation radar. It's a town on the border of Tuscany and…read moreUmbria. There's not much to see, a train station, a couple of caffes but not much else except for the Etruscan Museum. The museum is exceptional, it has Etruscan art from at least 700 b.c. It is absolutely amazing. There is so much to see. When you see what a civilization did in Tuscany 3000 years ago it's breathtaking. There are 2 different levels and you need to make sure you visit both. The only problem was there were three "Nonas" that were security and the followed us as if we were going to put a vase in our bag. If you get near there you should see it.

An amazing small museum that also provides a documentary movie on the history of Perugia and the…read morering. You can get up close and personal to so many artifacts. Gold, silver, manuscripts, etc. Just a lovely museum that is worth the 45 minutes. Will give a deeper and richer understanding of Perugia.

The palace is located in the center of Pienza, next to the Duomo. It dates back to the mid 1400's…read moreand is considered an early example of Renaissance architecture. It actually served as the home of the Piccolomini family until early 1960's, which is interesting to me! It still houses a large collection of furnishings, books, and family items dating back to when it was first built.The Palazzo has a gorgeous and enormous courtyard where concerts and special events are now held, in addition to stunning gardens and views. If Renaissance architecture interests you, it's worth a visit.

We took a day trip here while staying in San Casciano and enjoyed the restored palace of Popes Pius…read moreI & II. The is a very impressive collection of artwork and family items that date back nearly 1,000 years. It is quite interesting to see the rise of the family and its influence in Tuscany. The view of the Val d'Orcia from the gardens is unmatched. Worth visiting if you are in the area and the admission is reasonable.

We visited this winery a couple of years ago and had a very nice time touring and tasting. The day…read morewe visited there was some rain so we couldn't tour the vineyard, unfortunately. But still me had a memorable time and hope to return one day. We opened the last of the bottles we ordered last night in celebration of our daughter's visit. We try to have a bottle whenever she visits because she was there with us. Memories that will be with us forever. The wines were very good, by the way. I would certainly do it all over again and hope to do so soon. Grazie mille, Tilli. A presto.

I brought my pilgrimage group here after visiting Assisi for two days and it was such a welcomed…read moredining highlight for all of us. The olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and wine were superb, and so was the warm and local hospitality that was shown our group. I'll need to return the next time. I visit the Umbrian Valley.

Lovely square with a great mix of locals and tourists. There is some sort of art festival happening…read morethis month. We sat outside under a beautiful blue sky and bright moon and listened to an orchestra practice. Definitely stop and check this out if you make it to Montepulciano. Magical.

Well documented and impressive displays of Etruscan artifacts from the Cortona area. Italian and…read moreEnglish placards. Everything pre-dates the Romans, with most of the artifacts dating back to 900 BC to 600 BC. This museum serves as a beautiful example of how civilization has grown and developed over the centuries. To see the works of art in the jewelry, or their skills at making metal helmets or the pottery which held wine, water and assorted other elements. The artifacts from their funeral discovery's are impressive as well. This is well worth a 2 hour visit.

Great discovery! We were absolutely blown away by this museum. Presented here is an outstanding…read morearray of artifacts with historical notations in Italian, most of them translated into English. We spent nearly three hours roaming this old historical building that was once a palace. You'll see amazing artifacts here from the 5th century BC, onward. Be prepared to soak up culture, history, and vast information as well as be inspired in the artistic visual curiosity that the place invokes.

We just happened to be passing through when this was taking place. I don't know what the headline…read moreacts were but the free concerts were great! This is one of two big events in Perugia, the other being EuroChocolat. Definitely check it out if you happen to be in or near the area!

Arnaldo-Caprai, the home (birthplace?) of Sagrantino wine, was our second stop on our day of wine…read moretasting. We ran over at the first winery, and Arnaldo-Caprai was very understanding and gave us a warm welcome even though we were over an hour late. The winery is on a large and sprawling estate with a spacious wine tasting room. Our tour was approximately 30 minutes long - we visited the various areas of the winery where they ferment the grapes, bottle the wine and also wandered a little bit into the vineyards. Our wine tour ended with wine tasting in a private tasting room and lunch. The lunch was the perfect lunch to accompany the wines - it was a light lunch of salumni, cheese, bruschetta, panzanella and grilled vegetables. We tasted four wines, including an extra taste of a sparkling wine that Arnaldo-Caprai makes. The Rosso Riserva that we tasted was the universal favorite amongst the group, and we bought a fair amount of wine to enjoy both while in Italy and to have shipped back to the U.S. The wine was all very reasonably priced.