justretired

Hello all,

My adult daughter has decided to join my husband and me in Italy for a week of our vacation to Tuscany in October. She can fly from Boston into either Rome or Florence, though we know that Florence is easier to manage and closer to Montepulciano, which is our base. She only has a 9 days for her vacation, so the cheapest and quickest flights might work the best. We're flying in and out of Florence, so I suspect she will decide to do that as well.

Air One is the cheapest flight to Rome and Florence, via Milan. Has anyone used the new cross-Atlantic flights since they began in June?


My husband and I will have a car, but our daughter will be taking a train from either Rome or Florence. Does anyone have a suggestion about how she would do this? What town is the closest to Montepulciano from Florence or Rome?

Finally, does anyone know some budget hotels or hostels in Florence or Rome that woudl be appropriate for a single young woman? Althoguh she has traveled quite extensively in third world countries, her experience in Europe is more limited.

Thanks,

Margret

zeppole

I'm confused.

Is she staying with you in Montepulciano? Why does she need a place to stay in Firenze or Roma?

If she's flying into Milano, she doesn't need another flight, especially not to Roma. She can just get on the train in Milano and go to Florence. She needs to catch a bus at Malpensa airport to take her to the Milano train station.

On the other hand, if you two will have a car, what might make sense if for her to fly to Florence airport so you can pick her up there.

Since I've never been to Montepulciano, I'll leave it to others to tell you what kind of public transportation is available there.

Almost anyplace in Firenze is safe to stay. In Roma, you need to be a bit more careful. But if your adult daughter has traveled extensively in the third world, how come she isn't making her own plans?

Henry

justretired,
I would look at Chiusi as a train stop from either Florence or Rome.

Henry

justretired

I'm sorry for the confusion. I probvaly shoudlk have been more clear. Our daughter is planning on staying in either Florence or Rome for a few days before coming to stay with us in Tuscany. She is leaning towards Florence because it is closer to our destination, is an easier airport to navigate, and a city she has longed to visit. If she could find a really cheap flight to Rome, she might chose that city, but it doesn't seem like the cost is very different between the flight s to the 2 cities. I suspect she'll chose Florence.

Our plans are to be in Montepulciano for 2 weeks and then, to stay in Lucca for 2 nights before flying home. We all live in the Boston area and might try to travel home together. That way, she will have 2-3 days in Florence, 4 days with us in Tuscany, and a couple of days in Lucca at the end.

Thanks in advance again,

Margret

anna_roz

I would also think Chiusi, which is a 20-30 minute drive from Montepulciano. However, there is also a train station in Montepulciano and you may want to check it out.

Anna Roz

zeppole

If she wants to tour Firenze before joining you in Montepulciano, she should compare the cost and inconvenience of getting off the plane in Milano (and then taking the bus to the Milano central train station, then catching a train to central Firenze) vs. flying to Milano, making a flight connection there to Firenze, and then taking a bus into Firenze.

Even if she decides to get off the plane in Milano, she can still book a return flight that departs from Firenze.

The other thing she should check out is using the Pisa airport, which is quite close to both Firenze and Lucca.

caroltis

If it were me I would fly from Boston to Florence and then take the bus to Montepulciano via Siena.

I highly recommend www.hotelmedici.it and they have singles for 65euro. It includes breakfast, has a gorgeous rooftop terrace with dramatic view to the Duomo. The location is perfect and she should feel quite safe.

NeoPatrick

The best way to get to Montepulciano from Rome is to take the train to Chiusi and get a bus there (at the train station where you can also buy your ticket) to Montepulciano. Once in Montepulciano, you can even take a little bus up into the town if the bus station is not convenient for walking to where you are staying. There is a tiny remote train station callled Montepulciano, but it is miles outside of town and has absolutely no taxis or buses to get you to where you need to go. Do the train to Chiusi and then the bus to Montepulciano.

You can do the same from Florence, or you can do as suggested above and simply take a bus to Montepulciano, changing in Siena -- but that schedule is very limited. There are usually more and better options from Chiusi where the bus schedule matches up with the train schedule.

justretired

Hello again,

Thank you all for your input and suggestions and I wanted to give you a follow-up. Our daughter has been able to arrange her schedule so that she can join us in Tuscany in October. She will fly into Florence, spend 2 or 3 nights in Florence, and then, join us in Montepulciano. After 4-5 nights, we will travel to Lucca for a couple of days before our joint return to the US. The reason I've been writing is that she is working in Nicaragua working at a reasonably remote field site and does not have much computer access. She asked us to get her flights. In the end, we found a reasonable flight from Boston to Florence on Luftansia.

What sites does she need to look at to find train or bus schedules to Chiusi or Montelpulciano? We will have a car and can meet her somewhere.

Thanks again for your help,

Margret

zeppole

Great news about your successful arrangements, despite the obstacles!

Don't you think you want to wait until you are all in Italy to try to fine tune arranging to pick her up?

You'll be able to more easily scope out things on your end, especially the most current bus schedules.

Even if you are not taking cell phones, I would think you can both find internet points in Italy to exchange a few e-mails, or agree ahead of time you are going to call her hotel at certain times.

Make sense?

zeppole

PS: What I'm suggesting is that when you get to Montepulciano with your car, take a drive to the Chiusi train station. If you feel it's convenient to meet your daughter there, you can see what the train schedule is, e-mail her the options, and let her decide which train to take on the day of your agreed reunion. Firm it up with a phone call to her hotel the morning she's due to leave Firenze.

bobthenavigator

www.trenitalia.com for schedules---Chiusi is your better option---the Montepulciano stazione is way out in the country

zeppole

I would still double check the train schedule on site in October.

bobthenavigator

That is a popular routing with 5 departures between 0900 and noon---the best seems to be at 10:29 and takes 1:04 Good luck !

Henry

justretired,
Bus http://www.trainspa.it/EXTRAURBANO.htm

Train http://www.trenitalia.com/en/index.html

Henry

zeppole

Bob's post might create a misimpression that there aren't trains all day. There are, in case you daughter wishes to join you later in the day.

justretired

Thanks everyone for the advice. I'm sure our daughter will have enough inofrmation. Bob, I think you're guessing correctly- she'll probaly want to leave Florence reasonably early to enjoy an full day in the Tuscan countryside.

I'll let her take it from here- she'll be back from Nicaragua on the 13th. Thanks again,

-M