Digbydog

TuckH: Would you leave the car in Siena and bus into Florence?

TuckH

I (we) would not go from car to bus to hotel, losing time in doing so. I say don't worry about any difficulty you may encounter getting to the train station.

BTW, driving for three weeks/3700kms around Italy recently, I made a number of mistakes - their road signage leaves alot to be desired - but overall, we managed fine!

sherhatfield

You may want to find out when the market days are in each of the towns you are considering. My husband and I just got back from Italy on Monday and we spent a few days in Tuscany. We visited San Gimignano one day and it happened to be their market day - had we known ahead of time, we would have planned differently. Some people like that kind of thing, but since we only had a limited amount of time there, we would have preferred to see it without the market.

walkinaround

>>>>>
I am wondering whether it would be better to stay in Siena, but we are doing the big 3 cities in Italy, and I thought it would be nice to be in the countryside.
>>>>>

i like your "but". many people talk about siena like it is the countryside but it is not. for me, tuscany is about the real countryside, not about a bustling town like siena. if you are visiting 3 other italian cities, i would skip siena and go somewhere more peaceful. i went there after florence and i just wanted to get back to the peace of real tuscany.

i totally disagree with the post that states that siena represents all the best of tuscany.

Digbydog

Thanks for your replies. That is a good suggestion about checking the market days. Are there websites for each town that give the market days?

TuckH

http://www.initaly.com/regions/tuscany/markets.htm

Digbydog

Thanks TuckH!!!

damon_t

The train station in Florence is right in the center of town, so you won't avoid traffic by dropping your car off there -- and the traffic in Florence is terrible! I might consider dropping it off at the airport and taking a cab into town. Leave the driving to someone else!

LoveItaly

Hello Digbydog, when you and your husband want to linger over a glass of wine let your three boys explore a bit on their own. The oldest ones can do some research and figure out what they would like to see (including buying some gelato)and keep an eye on the younger brother, while you two relax a bit.
Italy is very child/teen friendly and Italian children are seen all over on their own. Just a thought..for what it is worth.

Digbydog

Damon: That Florence traffic is what I was worried about. Do you think it would make more sense to return the car in Siena and take the bus into Florence? Also, do you know if it is hard to drive from Termini out of Rome. I had wanted to rent a car in Orvieto, but it sounds like that is not possible.

LoveItaly: Sounds like a great idea if I can trust the two older boys to watch their younger brother.

dina4

We drove in to Florence and stayed at the Hotel Casci, near the Accademia. It was VERY difficult driving in. We got lost, couldn't find our hotel for a while, etc. however, it was a fun adventure with our kids (11, 14), and having our car while driving thru Tuscany was easy and much more enjoyable than being on a bus. We could take our time, stop where we wanted, etc.

I agree with walkinaround that Siena isn't representative of Tuscany. We loved Siena, and only had time for a quick morning and a cappuccino in the main piaza, but staying in the countryside was relaxing for our family. We would sit by the pool and relax most of the day, visiting little towns in the late afternoon. It was very needed R&R between visiting big cities of Rome and Florence.

ssachida

Hi digby,
Have you considered staying in one place, maybe in an agritourismo, for all 4/5 nights and taking day-trips everywhere else including Florence? That way you could drive to the bus stop and then take the bus into Florence.

I have driven in Florence. The driving is not bad, but the navigating is very difficult because no map seems to have the correct one-way system printed. You do seem to be very anxious about the drive and a vacation is about relaxing, right? Thats one of the reasons I'd suggest you don't drive into Florence. If the crowds, the chaotic traffic and a zillion missed turns is fun for you, then go for it. If its going to create tension and unpleasantness, go for an alternative.

I haven't done it myself, but this board is full of people's agritourismo stay experiences. They do sound wonderful.

Also, both Hertz and Avis rent out of Orvieto, so you might want to look into that as well.

It's been a year since I was in Italy, I soo jealous. Have fun

Digbydog

Thanks Dina and Ssachida! I think we will spend a short in Siena, but will spend more time relaxing in the countryside. I thought about an agriturismo, but had trouble finding one I liked that booked for less than a week in June. Plus, I thought my teenagers might like being in Florence. We have booked our hotels-Palazzo del Capitano in Tuscany and Residenza Proconsolo in Florence.

Because our time is limited I don't want to spend a lot of time in traffic or getting lost. I will check out the car rentals in Orvieto. We may have a problem, because we are picking up the car on a Sunday, and I think the car rentals there may be closed that day. I am still trying to decide between dropping the car in Siena and taking a bus into Florence and dropping the car at the Florence airport. Anyone think one option is better than another? Thanks for all the suggestions! I love this website--I am addicted!