If there’s any lying around to be done over the holidays, why not spend it dreaming ofthe fairytale villages in Italy’s spectacular Tuscany?
Montepulciano
From San Biagio church at the bottom, to the narrow cobbled streets and vast piazza alive with shops and eateries at the top, this is your one-size-fits-all Tuscan experience.
A glass of prosecco at Caffe Poliziano is a must, as is a booking at the rustic osteria Acquacheta, where you order your meat by the chunk and wonder if the owner is really that grumpy or just pretending.
For the cashmere lovers among us, Del Santo is the place to go. I lusted after its wares even more than after Poliziano’s pastries. The language school here, Il Sasso, is a great place for a solo trip too if you want to learn the lingo.
Cortona
This is the town made famous by Frances Mayes, who wrote Under the Tuscan Sun, one of the first books that drew tourists to this part of Italy.
The locals wish she hadn’t, but this is nonetheless a gorgeous town with commanding views and another lovely, lively town square.
One such local, who was here way before Frances Mayes, took us for a glass of bubbles at his favourite café on one corner of the piazza, then lunch at La Loggetta on the other side and up a level, so we had a bird’s-eye view of the goings-on beneath.
As a rule, you can’t go wrong if you head to a main piazza. If it seems too busy, go one street back.
Montisi
Blink and you’ll miss Montisi, but that’s part of its charm.
I came here a few years ago when I was researching a book and stayed in a converted tower (try googling La Torre de la Cella), which I liked so much, I did it all over again this year.
The house has views of rolling fields and pencil pine trees, plus its own swimming pool and a rustic Italian vibe.
Montisi has nowt but a gorgeous little local grocery store, a bar, a restaurant or two and a post office. There’s plenty to do further afield if you don’t mind driving, but otherwise it’s the perfect place for staying put.
Pienza
Between Montepulciano and the wine-buff haven of Montalcino (also worth a visit), this delightful town is famed for being the birthplace of Pope Pius II.
You can tour his palace, as this was before the Vatican was invented, and it has a lovely view.
There are also plenty of shops (Officine 904 has good handbags) and eateries, but we went twice to La Bandita Townhouse.
Part of an extremely sensitive modern renovation, you wouldn’t know from the street what deliciousness lies in the garden, where chef David works his magic. The hotel rooms look pretty good too.
Panzano
This tiny settlement is famous for its meat or rather its butcher Dario Cecchini.
Famous foodies from all over the world flock here to check out his cured delights and sample the preferred cut of the region, the “bistecca fiorentina”.
We stayed in a villa in Panzano with friends a few years ago and loved its little village vibe.
Old Italian men met underneath the big tree on the main road every day, we got good gossip from the lady who ran the wine shop and the Prada outlet store was only an hour away in Montevarchi.
I never made it that far in favour of lying around. You’re on holiday – laze!