CHOOSING SIENA HOTEL LOCATION
 

I am planning a trip to Italy this fall and plan to spend three night in Siena. We will arrive by train or bus and go to our hotel. The next afternoon we plan to get a car and park it for two days at or near our Siena hotel. I have seen some comments that staying in the town center is great. I had been looking at Hotel Santa Caterina which is located 100 yards ourside Porta Roma and which has had a lot of favorable comments. Or should we elect to stay at a small hotel in the center? We plan to take side trips with the car to San Gimignano and perhaps Volterra. Any suggestions appriciated.

The Palazzo Ravizza is within the walls and in an excellent location, and it has a private parking lot just outside the walls, allowing you to stay in the city center and be able to drive out of Siena easily, or relatively so. If you stay at the Palazzo Ravizza, ask for a room at the back, looking out over the rolling green hills of Tuscany.

I concur 100% with Eloise. Good restaurant, too.
((H))

we stayed at the Santa Caterina and had a car. It was fine. We enjoyed walking in/out of the city. It was so close...a few minutes to the city wall. We especially enjoyed the garden area on the back of the hotel. They had limited parking at the Santa Caterina...make reservations for parking in advance if you end up going there.

Another vote for Palazzo Ravizza. The location is perfect, and parking couldn't be more convenient. The parking lot is secured by a high fence and is right behind the hotel, with easy access to exit from the city for day trips.

During our three days in Sienna, we made day trips to San Gimignano, Volterra, Montalcino, and Monterregioni.

Here's a link to some photos of Siena, including several taken from the window of our room at Palazzo Ravizza:

http://share.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=EeAtWzJk4ZNHeA

and here's one to photos taken on our daytrips outside Siena:

http://share.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?...lg&notag=1

Hope the links work and are helpful to you.

I can also recommend Palazzo Ravizza. The parking in the back was very convenient. The view from rooms facing the back was of their lovely private garden and the hills of the Tuscan countryside in the distance. The breakfast buffet was served in a very charming room overlooking the garden. It was a short walk to the center of town and I think it was a quieter location than Santa Caterina.

Does anyone know about driving from Siena to Florence by rental car? How long? Does it make sense or should we take a bus? I heard it's a beautiful drive. Thanks.

I highly recommend the drive through Chianti from Sienna to Florence. While the distance isn't very far, it is one of my favorite drives. I stop and have a picnic along the way (Buy bread, cheese, sausage and a litre of local wine for the trip!).