We hired a car and found the drive really easy, Pisa/Lucca and down into Chianti.
Stayed in a few villages , Panzano, Castellini, Greve, Radda, San Gimignano.
We preferred the smaller villages as the tour buses didnt congregate to the same extent.
San Gimignano was brutal for crowds until the tour buses left for the day.
We also used the local buses for trips into florence and Siena- so we could sample the local wine!