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Voykit pocket guide · Italy
Monte San Savino
Half a day (4–6 h) covers the Pottery Museum and the walled centre; add a night only for the September porchetta festival or a slow Tuscan evening.
Monte San Savino is a small hill town in the Val di Chiana, on the bus line between Arezzo and Siena, roughly midway between Florence, Siena and Perugia. The sights fit a half-day; the September Sagra della Porchetta can stretch it to a full day. Treat it as a quiet stop on a Tuscany route, not a base.
- Country
- Italy
- Best months
- Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (hot, and the nearby cities are at their busiest)
- Stay
- 0–1 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- EUR
- Money
- Currency is the euro (EUR, €). Cards and contactless are widely accepted in cities; small cafés, markets and rural places may prefer cash.
- Daily spend
- Budget €30–45 excl. bed · Mid €45–70 excl. bed · High €70+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- TIM, Vodafone, WindTre and Iliad sell prepaid SIMs in shops and at airports; a passport and an Italian tax code (codice fiscale, issued in-store) are needed.
- Emergency
- Police 112 · Fire 115 · Ambulance 118
- Plugs
- Types C, F, L · 230 V · 50 Hz · Italian type L plugs have three pins in a row; most sockets also take two-pin Europlugs (C), and bivalent sockets take Schuko (F).
- Tipping
- Bar: Leave €0.10–0.20 of change on the counter if you like.; Restaurant: Coperto or service may already be on the bill; leave €1–2 a person or round up for good service.; Taxi: Round up to the next euro.; Hotel porter or housekeeping: €1–2 per bag or per night.; Tour guide: €5–10 per person for a half day.
- Water
- Tap water is safe unless signed otherwise; Rome's nasoni fountains run all day. Restaurants serve bottled water (naturale or frizzante) unless you ask for tap (acqua del rubinetto).
- Toilets
- Few public toilets; use bars (buy a coffee), museums and stations, where some charge €1.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | €1–2 |
| Panino or focaccia | €3–5 |
| Bottle of local wine | €5–12 |
| Bus ticket (local) | €2–4 |
| Museum entry (Pottery Museum) | €4–6 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- FLR · Florence Airport
- about 60 km (37 mi); train or bus to Arezzo, then local busabout 37 mi (60 km); train or bus to Arezzo, then local bus
- PEG · Perugia San Francesco d'Assisi Airport
- about 70 km (43 mi); bus to Arezzo, then local busabout 43 mi (70 km); bus to Arezzo, then local bus
Typical fares
- Monte San Savino → Arezzo bus
- about €3–4, 30 min (check)
- Florence → Monte San Savino (train to Arezzo + bus)
- about €15–20, 1 h 30 min total (check)
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
The walled centre is walkable end to end in about 15 minutes. Regional buses link Monte San Savino with Arezzo (20 km (12 mi)) and other Val di Chiana towns; there is no local train station.The walled centre is walkable end to end in about 15 minutes. Regional buses link Monte San Savino with Arezzo (12 mi (20 km)) and other Val di Chiana towns; there is no local train station.
See and do
Known for
- Pottery Museum
- Sagra della Porchetta Savinese (September festival)
- Medieval historic centre
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Arezzo | Bus from Monte San Savino to Arezzo, about 30 min | About 45 min |
| Cortona | Bus to Arezzo, then regional bus to Cortona | About 1 h 30 min |
| Chiusi | Bus towards Arezzo or Siena, then train from Chiusi–Chianciano Terme | About 1 h 30 min |
| Lucignano | Bus or car via the Val di Chiana roads | About 40 min |
| Castiglion Fiorentino | Bus to Arezzo, then train or bus towards Castiglion Fiorentino | About 1 h 15 min |
Sleep
- Historic centre
- A handful of small hotels and B&Bs inside the walls; book ahead for the September festival.
- Castello di Gargonza
- Castle hamlet about 10 km (6.2 mi) away; quiet night, own transport needed.Castle hamlet about 6.2 mi (10 km) away; quiet night, own transport needed.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Excuse me / Sorry | Mi scusimee SKOO-zee |
| Thank you | GrazieGRAHTS-yeh |
| How much is it? | Quanto costa?KWAHN-toh KOH-sta |
| Where is the bathroom? | Dove è il bagno?DOH-veh eh eel BAH-nyo |
| Can I have the menu? | Posso vedere il menù?POS-so veh-DEH-reh eel meh-NOO |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Say buongiorno (until mid-afternoon) or buonasera on entering shops and bars; avoid: Walking in and pointing without a greeting
- Cheek kisses: Two kisses, right cheek first, among friends; follow their lead; avoid: Kissing strangers or in business settings
- Dress: Smart-casual in cities; covered shoulders and knees in churches; avoid: Beachwear, bare chests and flip-flops away from the beach
- Queues: At delis and pharmacies take a number (numerino); avoid: Assuming the crowd at a bar counter is chaos — pay at the till first where asked
- Restaurants: Wait to be seated and ask for the bill; avoid: Splitting a bill item by item with a large group
- Conversation: Food, football and family are safe openers; avoid: Mafia jokes and north–south stereotypes
- Dinner at a home: Bring pastries, wine or flowers (not chrysanthemums, which are for funerals); avoid: Refusing seconds too firmly
Scams and watch-outs
- Sunday buses are few; check the timetable before you rely on one.
- September festival evenings pack the streets; keep bags zipped and valuables out of pockets.
- Village lanes are steep and uneven in places; wear shoes with grip.
Generally safe; the usual small-town caution at night and in festival crowds.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Monte San Savino yet. Suggested stay: 0–1 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Pottery Museum
- Sagra della Porchetta Savinese (September festival)
- Medieval historic centre
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Wikivoyage: Monte San Savino, revision 4663508 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=4663508
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Printed from Voykit (/monte-san-savino). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.