Paring down our Tuscany list

Old Aug 17th, 2011, 10:18 AM
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Paring down our Tuscany list

My travel plans in Tuscany are too ambitious and expect to trim it back a bit. We'll be based in Siena and taking day trips by bus and trains. (We know renting a car is more efficient, but we love public transit in Italy and do not want to rent a car.)

I've done my research and my must list is Certaldo Alto (for the Boccaccesca), Monteriggioni and San Gimignano.

I'm also considering the following: Castellina in Chianti, Montalcino, Pienza, San Quirico and Montepulciano. Seems doubtful I could do more than 1/day due to bus/train schedules and am reluctant to shortchange a city. If you could visit only 4 of these towns, which would you pick and why?
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Old Aug 17th, 2011, 10:56 AM
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Been to all of them. Prefer Pienza for its beautiful setting and general, not too crowded, ambiance. Of course if you like wine the Castello at the top of the Montalcino has some great Brunello to taste. Recommend the 2006.
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Old Aug 17th, 2011, 11:07 AM
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I don't think it's as easy to get to and from Montepulciano or Pienza by bus from Siena as the buses are not frequent. Montalcino seems easier with more connections. If you are into wine, Montalcino. If you are into cheese, Pienza, but it is tiny and can be visited in a short time.

Are Certaldo and San Gimignano on the same day?
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Old Aug 17th, 2011, 11:14 AM
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That is really 2 questions to me.
Which are the best places to see?
And, which places are feasible to visit by public transport.

The best to visit are:
Montalcino
San Gim.
Montepulciano

You can train to Certaldo. The rest are by bus and most of them via Siena. It will not be easy.
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Old Aug 18th, 2011, 10:18 AM
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Thanks, everyone.

I've seen that Sienamobilita bus service is minimal to most towns and many drop you off outside of town, but less than 1 mile according to viamichelin and googlemaps. Please let me know from your experience if this is not correct.

All my day trips are planned as one town/day. I don't want to drive myself (and especially not my husband) crazy with trying to make bus transfers in towns I'm not familar with.

The only 2 towns in 1 day I thought might be Pienza and San Quirico. Leave Siena at 10:53 (line 112) arr Pienza at 12:05. Leave Pienza at 14:04 arr San Quirico Via Fossi at 14:16. Leave SQVF at 14:56 arr Siena 15:56. Would give me 2 hrs in Pienza, 40 min in SQ. However 40 min only gives me some time to wander through some streets. Does it sound doable, am I wasting my time, am I cutting Pienza too short?

Certaldo & San Gim are seperate days. We're taking a train to Certaldo for the sagra and the funiculare up to Certaldo Alto.
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Old Aug 18th, 2011, 10:31 AM
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Are you certain you don't want to rent a car? It just seems very limiting to take buses. You will arrive in Pienza just as the town shuts down for mid day, so no browsing shops, only enough time for lunch? And only 40 minutes is SQ, I'd be afraid to stray too far for fear I'd miss my bus back.

I think being without a car really only works best for Tuscany if you want to see only the largest towns. Like staying in Florence and taking a day trip to Siena or Pisa/Lucca.

Don't get me wrong, I love public transportation, but only in places it's well suited, like within Rome or Paris or between Rome and Florence.
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Old Aug 18th, 2011, 10:33 AM
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40 minutes in San Quirico hardly seems worth it, even tho I love SQ. Racing through a lovely village is no way to experience it. I'd spend a little more time in Pienza and include a leisurely lunch at Latte di Luna if you could catch a later return bus to Siena.
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Old Aug 18th, 2011, 10:36 AM
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You are dropped in town in Montalcino and Pienza. I don't see the point in S. Quirico for 40 minutes. Perhaps search alternatives as some towns have connections more often to Buoncovento where you can catch a train back to Siena (last train at 8 or 9 and just 2€ or so) or Torrenieri. Sometimes you can feel stuck in a hill town in the afternoon (12:30-3:30 or 4) if everything has closed. Check bus connections from Pienza to Buonconvento and perhaps go to S. Quirico first or combine it with Montalcino.

Montepulciano has different drops depending on which bus you take. Even if you are dropped at the bus station (below the hill town) there are little buses that run up from the station. It might be possible to take an early bus to Montepulciano and either bus to Pienza and back to Siena (through Buonconvento?) or bus to Chiusi and hop a train back to Siena (check how late the train runs). There are fairly frequent buses from Montepulciano to Chiusi.

You can walk from one end of Pienza to the other (historic center) or side to side in about 5 minutes. It's smaller than Montalcino or Montepulciano. That doesn't mean there aren't things to do there and nice places for wine/snacks/cheese. There is a gravel walkway on one edge that leads off to a little isolated church (it's open usually). It's a great walk to take pictures of the countryside.
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Old Aug 18th, 2011, 11:38 AM
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Excellent advice! Duh, I forgot how many shops/sites and even churches shut down for lunch. I'll make my adjustments with that in mind.

I'm stubborn about not driving. We explored Lazio region last year by bus. Yes, we got stuck a few times, but some of those times were the most fun and memorable - like the time we ended up hitchliking to and from a porcini mushroom festival that turned out to not be in a town, but the valley of the town.

As opposed to my comment previously, my husband is very relaxed on vacation. He lets me do all the planning and goes along with whatever I want to do. As long as I can find him gelato and Italian pastries, he's happy and appreciative.
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