Hi, <BR> <BR>I am planning a trip to Italy (sadly, all too short due to work commitments) and looking for a day (or half-day) trip via public transportation from Florence. I am hoping for somewhere a bit quieter than Florence, and hopefully with not TOO many tourists. At this stage I am thinking of Arezzo, Lucca, Siena, or San Gimignano, and would love to hear peoples thoughts on these locations. <BR> <BR>Or, should I just stay in Florence, as my Italian visit is limited to two days in Venice and 3.5 days in Florence? <BR> <BR>Or, is there somewhere else I could visit on the way to Rome? Looking at train timetables it seems not much time would be saved this way, but maybe I am missing out on a brillaint suggestion!

I love San Gimignano, but it is crowded unless you spend the night - you have it to yourself between 6pm and 10am. That is a lot of fun. <BR>Siena will be crowded, Lucca is just not as interesting and it takes a while to get there. I don't know about Arezzo, but I do have another suggestion. <BR> How about Orvieto. It is on the train line to Rome- just an hour before you get to Rome- you get off the train- ride up the funicular and you are there-very quick and easy. It has an interesting medival area,and it has one of the most beautiful cathedrals in Italy , very attractive pottery ,Etruscan museum and grave sites, and world famous wine. It is also very nice to spend the night there, but it would be a good day trip, too. It is also a half hour bus ride from Civita de Bagregnio which was a highlight of our trip(see Rick Steves web site or book).When you are through, you just get back on the train and in less than an hour you are in Rome.

Siena is the obvious choice because it <BR>is Siena---enough said. It is also the <BR>easiest to get to---an hour by train. <BR>All of Tuscany is too crowded these days <BR>so you will not escape the crowds and San Gim. is only accessible by bus or car. Lucca is nice, but it is not Siena.

I would narrow the choice to Lucca and Siena. You will see almost all of what Lucca has in one day. It is a very little bit more difficult to get to, about an hour and a half. The problem with Siena is that you could stay for days and still want more, but as posted above, it's easier to get to. Lucca is the birthplace of Puccini, has magnificent preserved walls and great restaurants. It's much quieter than Siena, but I thoroughly disagree that there's not much to do. Arezzo is nice and the place to go if you want to find out about the Etruscans or to see the famous della Francesco frescoes. I would recommend the Buca di San Francesco restaurant directly across the street from the church where the frescoes are. San Gimignano is nice but quite overrun by tourists and shops catering to the. It too bad you have so little time, but enjoy what you do.

I'll vote for Lucca too. I was there a month ago, and the town was a nice escape from Firenze. In fact you can a train to Pisa in the morning, spend an hour there, then flee from the throng of tourists to Lucca. <BR> <BR>Siena is too similar in scale and character to Firenze, I think. But anyway.

<BR>I'll probably spark a storm of negative comments, but personally, I'd skip Florence and spend the time in Lucca and Siena, with maybe a lunch in San G. To me, Florence is the most over-rated town in Italy. It's over-run with tourist rip-off shops, graffiti, souvenir junk, and endless, endless noise, screaming Vespa traffic all night long. Yes the art is spectacular, but where in Italy is it not? Yes, there are fantastic places to eat, but again, where in Italy are there not? In Lucca, you can feel the pulse of Italian life, roam the lovely streets and piazzas, have your morning coffee where Puccini hung out with his cronies, cycle the beautiful walls around the entire town, eat regional specialties that will be memorable, see lovely churches, and encounter some of the best and most relaxed shopping anywhere. In Siena, climb the tower for one of the most memorable sights of your life, visit a cathedral it would take days to begin to see to the fullest, find charming shops, piazzas, trattorie and people, and enjoy being part of the scene in its unique campo. Whatever you decide, have a wonderful trip.

Regarding transportation, the situation is the following: <BR>San G - SITA bus, 1:40 hours one way (bus stops just about everywhere) <BR>Siena - SITA bus, 1:15 hours (be sure to take the fast bus ... there is another line that stops everywhere); although you could also reach Siena by train, IMO that's not the way to go ... Siena's train station is outside the city walls; on the other hand, the bus station is a 10 minute stroll to piazza del Campo. One should take an early bus from Florence (7:45, 8:05 or 8:30am). The last bus back to Florence leaves at 8:15pm. <BR>Lucca - 1:15 hours by train <BR>Arezzo - 30 to 40 minutes by train <BR> <BR>Arezzo has the fewest tourists and may be easily visited in 3 hours. Besides the outstanding Piero della Francesca frescoes there's little to be seeen (the facade of Santa Maria delle Pieve, the Piazza Grande and the Cimabue cross at San Domenico). <BR>Lucca, much nicer, is also not overrun with tourists. A six hour visit is quite enough for the Duomo, San Michele in Foro, San Frediano, the Città Vecchia and a walk round the ramparts. <BR>Between 10am and 4pm San G. is a zoo ... but the whole little town may be visited in 4 hours. <BR>Though Siena is also filled with tourists, it has a much better infrastructure to deal with it (I don't remember being bothered by tourist overflow in any of my 6 or 7 visits). With only half a day there you'd have to be very selective ... you would only be scratching the surface. <BR>Like Bob says: "Siena is Siena ... enough said" and it would certainly be my pick. If you decide for it, email me for a strolling route suggestion. <BR> <BR>Paulo <BR> <BR>

We loved San Gimignano and stayed for two nights at the very charming Antico Pozzo Hotel. The city is crowded with tourists, but all are now. Rent a scooter and travel the back roads, visit small towns, enjoy. The nights are very quiet, with few people and music near the Duomo. We'll definately return.

I arranged for my in-laws and son to stay in Lucca while my husband and I had a 2nd honeymoon at an apartment in Chianti country. They enjoyed Lucca, the food, the city, the people. They could get on the bus and be at Pisa in 1 hour, Florence in 1 hr 15 min. They went to Viareggio for a day as well. I can't comment on Siena or Arezzo, but Lucca was nice. They stayed at the Hotel Piccolo Puccini and had very nice accomodations as well as reasonable prices.