I will have a rental car while in Tuscany this May, and am hoping to glimpse the famous Tuscan countryside. Has anyone travelled SR 222 between Florence to Siena; and, would this road be considered scenic?

Hello,
There are two essentially parallel routes Florence to Siena. The "Raccordo" is a divided multi-lane highway that goes south from Florence to Siena; it's about as scenic as a highway could be, not too bad, but the curves and high speeds detract from your sightseeing. The SR222 is a winding road that I would compare to a state route at home, and is very scenic but slower. It takes you through Greve, Castellina (I think), and a number of other towns enroute to Siena. If you have the time, this is a much more enjoyable drive- beautiful views of the countryside, and you get to see the towns.
Enjoy!

SR 222 is not a bad drive but if you get a good map there are lots of alternatives !! Do a loop !

Thanks for the info. Almost the entire length of SR 222 between Florence and Siena is indicated "scenic" (with green line) on my Michelin map. Does this translate into rolling hills, olive trees, small villages, etc., or does Michelin scenic just mean high elevation?

The former !

I've taken both roads and very much recommend you take the SR 222. If I were going to do it again, I'd leave early so that I had plenty of time to make unplanned stops and go off to the side because I saw an intriguing road sign or an ad for a vineyard or other place where I and my navigator wanted to investigate. There is limited opportunity for serendipity on the motorway.

Definitely one of the more scenic roads in Tuscany. Numerous side routes to view castles and so on. Main towns all worth a brief visit are http:///www.castellina.com , http://www panzano.com , http://www.greve-in-chianti.com - the side road to Lamole between Panzano and Greve is spectacular and leads to a very good if expensive restaurant in Lamole. Loops go via Radda, Gaiole and http://www.volpaia.info.

S222 is a beautiful and slow drive. If u have the time is worthwhile. Have never driven whole way on it. Just panzano to florence and am glad we did.

This restaurant in Panzano in great stop. has a wonderful view and good food. If u are there in Sept don't go to the wine tasting around the square or u will have to spend the night.
http://www.ristoranteoltreilgiardino...ino/index.html

The S2 is a very good road and is scenic drive. Is about an hour and half using it. Have driven it several times. Not much traffic and is divided road. Can see Monteriggio from the road and is fastest route from Florence to San G.

if u have the time would highly recommend doing 222 at least one way.

Thanks once again for all of the great information, especially the helpful websites. ViaMichelin believes that the big RA3 highway between Florence-Siena takes an hour to drive, while the scenic SR 222 takes two hours. I can spare the extra hour, but not too much more than that. Does anyone know if the two-hour travel time is just wishful thinking?

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