Something slightly different, this stunning village has healing sulphuric hot springs running through it and you can bathe at the lido, or the river in the valley below. It is an experience not to be missed, kids love it! Further along the valley there are sulphur hot spring waterfalls, my boys bathed for hours - a great tonic for them after hours of sightseeing!

Bagno Vignoni, near Pienza, Tuscany, Italy
Google map: bit.ly/lKp0yc

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Bikes can be hired from a friendly cycle hire shop just inside the city walls of Siena and from here you spend the next five or six days travelling through the vineyards, olive groves, villages, towns and country lanes of Tuscany.

The route we were given takes you through Chianti, Florence, San Gimignano and Colle di Val d'Elsa before completing the circuit back in Siena. The route presents you all manner of undulating hills as well as busy town centres and the culture and beauty of Florence. All the hotels we stayed at accomodated bikes and all luggage was taken by car and so was in your room ready at the hotel for when you arrived.

This is a great way to experience Tuscany and the bikes were also excellent for tackling some of the more challenging hills surrounding the vineyards.

www.inntravel.co.uk/Holidays/Cycling/Italy/Tuscany/A-Flavour-of-Tuscany.aspx?tab=itinerary

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Since it's one of the most important wine making towns in Italy, obviously you expect good things from this place. But I guess I didn't set my expectations high enough. Not only was the wine amazing, the bread and olive oil were a perfect compliment. If you are looking for something to do for a day, you should definitely check out the scenery and enjoy some vino here!

www.montespertoli.org/

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Podere La Serra is a really special villa in Northern Tuscany, I stayed there last year and had the most fantastic break. The house sleeps 10-12 people and we had a family get together there - it is absolutely wonderful and I will certainly be going back. The house is beautifully decorated with handmade furniture, it's really well set up for big groups with two kitchens and two living rooms. The interior is stunning - traditional stone walls, huge chestnut beams, vaulted archways and a wonderful log fire in the living room. We loved the infinity pool, which is filled with natural spring water from the villa's well. The whole place is fantastically high spec and we couldn't fault it at all, the owners are English and live just 10 minutes drive away, they were on hand to sort out a jazz band for us on the terrace and pizza chefs - all sorts! We visited Pisa (1 hr), Lucca (45 mins) and the Cinque Terre (45 mins) and we're thinking of returning for the ski season as Cereto is only 45 minutes away. The real knock out thing about this gorgeous place is the view of the Apuane mountains, which is just spectacular. The villa has unbelievable panoramic views and we were happy just sitting out on the terrace with a glass of wine gazing at the tuscan hills. We also found a really excellent local restaurant called 'Malliano's', just 30 minutes stroll round the corner through the sweet little villages. Altogether a wonderful place.

www.poderelaserra.co.uk

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