ABENDIGO

I have 5 nights available in Tuscany. I just want to visit Florence, Siena and San Gimignano so I have two itineraries:

ITINERARY I: 5 nights in Florence

day1. Arrival.
day2. Visiting.
day3. Visiting.
day4. Daytrip to San Gimignano.
day5. Daytrip to Siena.
day6. Departure

ITINERARY II: 3 nights in Florence and 2 nights in San Gimignano.

day1. Arrival in Florence.
day2. Visiting
day3. Visiting
day4. Arrival in San Gimignano in the morning, check in at Hotel La Cisterna and visit the town in the afternoon (too little time?).
day5. Daytrip to Siena.
day6. Departure.

Would the switching places be too tiring? Is half a day enough to enjoy San Gimignano? Are 3 nights enough to visit Florence?

All of your comments/advice are appreciated.

surfmom

I would recommend splitting the time. This also depends on how you travel -

Last time I was in Florence it was May - the a/c wasn't yet on, so we had our windows open at night - the Vespa's zooming all night drove us crazy. We couldn't wait to leave for some peace and quiet.

We ended up in San Gimignano and *loved* it - particularly at night, when all the daytripping tourists leave and you are surrounded by this peaceful walled city in the middle of the amazing countryside.

nessundorma

It is really a subjective call, but the more conservative approach is to book all 5 nights in Firenze because you don't know how you are going to react to these other towns. Many people -- and I happen to be one of them -- really don't like Siena. Awful, I know, but I felt quite claustrophobic there. I've never gone to San Gimigiano, and I hope to sometime soon, but in a thread just the other day on Fodor's someone mentioned in passing that their wife never took a shine to the place, while he loved it.

I couldn't wait to get back to Firenze during my day trip to Siena, but even if you fall in love with the place, you are likely to be able to take a train back that runs quite late, although double check with Trenitalia.

If it turns out you can't stand Firenze (that happens too) you can easily go for day trips to other places, like Pisa, etc.

nessundorma

PS: Surfmom is quite right to warn you about the noise in Firenze. If you are bothered by noise, book a room in the pedestrianized zones if possible. And if you plan to be there in warm months, ask about AC.

artlover

If it were me, I would book 2 nights in Florence and 3 nights in Siena with a daytrip to San G. But as nessudorma pointed out, it's a subjective call. You can't go wrong no matter what you decide (though last May in Florence I became rather clautrophobic from all the TOURISTS!!!) though I LOVED the art!

nessundorma

Right! artlover is right to warn you about the tourists.

I guess the way I feel about it is that if you know right now that seeing the artwork in Firenze is terribly important to you, then booking 5 nights there gives you the option of remaining in case it turns out you never made it to the Bargello the second day you planned, or that you began to realize you loved going to all those churches, and you want to see the rest you originally thought you would skip.

Of course, you can always day trip back into Firenze, too.

Vacation planning in Italy is a real agony because there is something worth several days of your time every 35 miles.

surfmom

Some of the response depends on you:

- going to Italy to see art? Florence
- going to Italy for some r&r? spend some nights away from the frenzy of Florence
- like large cities and thrive from the 'buzz'? Florence
- need down time? split time
- remainder of trip is small towns? Florence
- remainder of trip is large touristy areas? split time


nessundorma, thanks for agreeing with me. doesn't happen often

Our favorite time in San Gimignano was evening and walking around at dusk after the tour buses had pulled out. We actually skipped Siena and just decided to get 'lost' in some small towns in Tuscany. We needed the mental break.

But, its all about your goals for this trip.

(btw, read "The Agony and the Ecstasy" by Irving Stone. Its a 'biographical novel' of Michelangelo - the artwork will mean MUCH more to you - and Florence. My dh read it as we were in Florence and it opened his eyes)

ABENDIGO

Thanks SurfMom! Your points were really helpful and helped me made a decision. I'll be staying in a convent near (well, not that near) San Miniato al Monte, so I hope I won't have the noise problem at night.

Thanks NessunDorma! I've been thinking about it and I think I'll stay the whole 5 nights in Florence and do daytrips. I've read that San Gimignano is small, so maybe I'll spend half a day there and the other half in Florence to so some more sightseeing. I can also leave for Naples in the afternoon and have the entire last morning in Florence doing some more sightseeing.

Thanks ArtLover! I guess that if I had 6 nights in Tuscany, it'd perfect to spend 3 nights in Florence and the other 3 either in Siena or in San Gimignano.

Any other comments/ideas are still welcome!

nessundorma

The convent up at San Minato al Monte is just GORGEOUS. I didn't stay there but I walked through the grounds. And it's really a convent! If you hear anything above a whisper, I'll be surprised.

The location of the convent is quite distant from the train station. Check into buses for your daytrips. Perhaps they, too, leave from the train station but you might like it if you found some that left closer to the convent.

Does the convent have a "curfew" about when they shut the door for the night? If it does, I'd ask the locals whether buses or trains are more reliable for returning to Firenze, because you want to make sure that whatever you take is reliably going to get you back in time.

I understand there is sometimes singing in the church of San Minato (vespers, etc.) and that it is quite beautiful.

Have a great time!

nessundorma

And PS: Try not to miss the Cappella Sansevero in Naples, and of course, the archeology museum.

Eloise

May I chime in here with a dissenting vote?

If you spend only one morning in San Gimignano, I promise that you will absolutely HATE one of the most picturesque towns in Tuscany. All the buses and all the day-trippers arrive in the morning, crowding the streets so that you can hardly move; the buses leave shortly before noon to go to Siena.

If you spend the afternoon and evening (and one night) there, you will find San Gimignano magical. There are Benozzo Gozzoli frescoes in the church of Sant'Agostino, a Ghirlandaio fresco outside and other frescoes by someome whose name escapes me inside the Cathedral, a tower to climb (if you're into climbing towers). And very few people in the streets. When we were there, a harpist gave a free, impromptu concert on the piazza next to the Cathedral. And we had dinner in a restaurant -- Vecchie Mura -- with a terrace overlooking the rolling green hills of Tuscany.

My suggestion would therefore be either spend a night in San Gimignano or don't go at all.

ABENDIGO

NessunDorma: The convent where I'm staying is "Villa Agape". It's supposed to be a 10 minute walk from San Miniato al Monte and the curfew is at 23:00. I'm really looking forward to visiting San Miniato and San Severo in Naples.


Eloise: Thanks for your opinion. I was thinking of going in the afternoon and staying there as late as I can. I wish I could spend the night, but I don't think I can. I was told that San Gimignano gets quieter after 16:00.

According to the San Gimignano website, the last bus leaves Poggibonsi at 21:00 arriving in Florence at 22:00.

Eloise

San Gimignano definitely does become more quiet by 16:00. If the last bus leaves Poggibonsi at 21:00, you probably have to leave San Gimignano at 20:30 or even a little earlier, which does not give you much time to have dinner there.

On the other hand, I haven't found anything about the time of year of your visit; it may not be propitious to eating outside in any case.

ABENDIGO

I'll be in Florence the last 5 nights of June. I guess I'll leave San Gimignano at 20:00.

nessundorma

Where are you coming from Abendigo? Is it possible to first go to San Gimigiano, spend the night, and go to Firenze the next morning - either for 4 or 5 nights?

If the good sisters won't let you rearrange your stay at this date, do you have it in your budget to spend a night in San Gimigiano all the same? June 1 would be a tough time to find a cheap room, but you might risk it (check out those albergo ristorantes!) or even try booking one ahead. I'd make it my last night. That way, if I got to Firenze and was loving every minute, I could cancel within the 48 hour/24 hour limit, and maybe pay no or a limited penalty. If I hated Firenze, I'd have a room in San Gimigiano.

WillTravel

Villa Agape sounds wonderful. What procedure did you go through to book it?

ABENDIGO

Thanks NessunDorma for your comments; I really appreciate them! I asked for availability at Hotel La Cisterna and they confirmed it, but I figured this:

If I stayed in San Gimignano the first 2 nights, I'd have to leave Venice (Where I'll be coming from) at 06:32 arriving in San Gimignano around 12:00 and, after checking in, visit the town. Daytrip to Siena the following day.

Leave for Florence on the 3rd day arriving in the morning, check in at the convent, and dedicate those two and a half remaining days (3 nights) in Florence.

This is the itinerary I came up with when I thought of spending the night in San Gimignano, but I see it as kind of tiring. That's why I now think that, even though spending the night in San Gimignano would be great, the less tiring way would be to do daytrips from Florence.

WillTravel, there are two convents in the San Miniato area according to my book:

1. ISTITUTO SUORE DI SANT'ELISABETTA in Viale Michelangelo (phone number: 055-6811884).

2. VILLA AGAPE in via Torre del Gallo (phone number: 055-220044 / fax: 055-2337012)

On this website there are pictures of Villa Agape

www.ds.unifi.it/robcla06/viewsAgape.htm

I don't know if they speak English. They charge 100 Euros per night for a double room with breakfast.

That area is certainly not near the historic center, but it's supposed to be quiet (they're both on a hill according to my lodging at convents book), and NessunDorma says it is indeed. I was told it's a half an hour walk to the historic center, but since I've read many posts complaining about how noisy Florence is, I think it is worth the walk.

nessundorma

Yes, Abendigo, I agree with your reasoning.

I have to admit that I only saw those nuns in the daytime, so I can't vouch for what transpires up there at night! ;-)

By the way, I think you will very much enjoy your morning walk to the city center. I'm sure there is a bus that will take you up the hill at night if you are footsore. There are many wonderful things on the other side of the Arno -- most especially the Cappella Brancacci -- and I think you will have the best of both worlds.

Buon viaggio!

surfmom

btw, for a really 'off the beaten' track thing to do in San Gimignano, go to the Medieval Torture Museum. Fascinating in a twisted sense. It has stayed with me many years.

There was a watercolor painter just off the main square - simple beautiful paintings of Tuscany. I still have her work hanging in my powder room - she had a small studio right there.

WillTravel

ABENDIGO, when I was in Florence, I had a very nice walk uphill from just south of the Arno to San Miniato al Monte, arriving in time to view the church and then hear the Gregorian chants. Thinking about staying in that area where you are going gives me a little pang in my heart.

You'll have beautiful views and surroundings, to say the least.

(I stayed in a convent next to the Brancacci Chapel, and it was very nice. Still, I'd love to try the area around Piazzale Michelangelo.)