NE

We will be traveling from Rome to our B&B just outside Sienna in the second week of October . Any ideas on what will be the best pickup and drop off point for a car rental? From Tuscany we plan to train it to Venice .

PalenQ

Orvieto is a perfect place to start - classic hill town though larger than many - take train there in about an hour - stay in Orvieto one day then pick up car and head for other hill towns.

NE

Thanks PalenQ - we are already booked at our B&b outside Sienna for the duration of our stay , however if we rent in Orvieto - is it an easy walking distance from the train station to the rental agencies . This is our first trip to Italy. Also can anyone suggest a good agency that will allow us to drop the car in Sienna so we can catch our train to Venice from there ?

nochblad

No agency will allow you to drop the car in Sienna as this city does not exist! I am surprised that PalenQ did not point this out.

Jean

There is a Hertz office in Orvieto 120 meters from the train station. In Siena, the Hertz office near the train station is a longer walk of about 750 meters.

The only 'problem' in picking up at Orvieto is that this particular Hertz agency is no longer affiliated with Autoeurope.com so you can't book the rental through AE. Book directly through Hertz. If you're a AAA member, look for club member rates.

You could also train all the way to Siena and pick up the car there. It's easy to drive away from that part of the town, especially if your B&B is north and/or east of Siena.

I suppose you already know that your journey to Venice involves first taking a train from Siena to Florence and then catching a fast train to Venice....

bvlenci

Yes, Sienna (burnt) is a color and Siena is a city. However, Nochblad gets two demerits for not being helpful, which is 1 1/2 more than NE gets for not checking the spelling of the city.

nochblad

bvlenci - I was purposefully caustic as this error has been repeated time and time again.

Sophisticated types may refer to the colour which is actully colore di Siena (with one n) whereas there may be others who think of Sienna Miller.

NE

Sorry about the spelling - but Jean thanks for your constructive response . Will look into Hertz through AAA.

nochblad

NE - my comment was not specifically directed at you.

Whilst Orvieto may be convenient as the crow flies it is not necessarily convenient for train conections and your ultimate destinatio.

I would suggest travelling to Firenze SMN and hiring a car there (and returning it there). You will probably get better rates as well as much better train connections both arriving and departing.

bvlenci

In English the color is called "burnt sienna". I believe it's usually called "terra bruciata" in Italian.

http://www.winsornewton.com/na/searc...x=0&Search.y=0

Last week, when visiting a sick friend in hospital, we accidentally entered the intensive care unit, because the door had been propped open and the "Vietato l'ingresso" sign was not visible. We got properly yelled at, and when we pointed out the reason for our mistake, the doctor apologized, but said, "Sorry for yelling, but it happens all the time." Do you get my point, Nochblad?

nochblad

bvlenci - in English siena is a colour not a color. Sienna is an Americanism.

Is Fodors an American site or an intenational one?

PalenQ

Sienna is an Americanism.>

Not to this Yank - I call it Siena - the color yes Sienna. Common mistake.

massimop

Spelling the name of the Tuscan town as "Sienna" has its origins in British writing and references, and commonly seen in letters by Shelley, Yeats and other British travelers in Italy.

massimop

(Apologies to the Irish for lumping Yeats among the British)

Jean

Picking up the car in Orvieto can be very convenient if the goal is to see some things/places along the way to the B&B outside of Siena. NE, if you drove the SR2 from Orvieto, you could see a town or two of the Val d'Orcia region (i.e., Montalcino, San Quirico, Pienza, perhaps Montepulciano), the abbey of Sant'Antimo (s. of Montalcino) or the abbey of Monte Oliveto Maggiore (n/e of Buonconvento). All of these places are inaccessible by train.

NE, you may already know this, but you need an International Driver's Permit (available through AAA) and you should learn all about ZTLs (zona traffico limitato) that have been established in nearly every Italian town.

https://www.italybeyondtheobvious.co...with-ztl-zones

Have a great trip!

Jean

Sienna is also the name of a Toyota mini-van sold in the U.S. which is, IMO, why a lot of Americans confuse the spelling. Why name an automobile after a color rather than a place?

PalenQ

Why? Toyota has test marketed the idea no doubt and found it alluring to folks -Sienna also being a famous race car driver.

Jean

Do you mean Ayrton Senna?

bvlenci

And supercilious is an adjective that well describes you, Nochblad.

I'm a citizen of three different countries, two of which are European. I myself have always written the city name as Siena.

I just don't like to see people lambasted for innocent mistakes, no matter how many other people have made that mistake in the past. That's my only point in this discussion.

nochblad

behaving or looking as though one thinks one is superior to others - nope.

know not think!