We are actually outside SanG at Barberino Val d'Elsa. Anyone have an approximate idea of the drive time?

Thanks - AG

You can do point-to-point using a website like mappy.com or viamichelin.com -- but do bear in mind that if you get stuck behind the tractor, the tour bus or it's raining, it can take a lot longer than the computer says.

Autostrada = 2 hrs.
Via Cassia (scenic route) = 3+ hrs.

Leaving from Via della Ghiacciaia, in San Gimignano, it takes 2 hours and 11 mins by car:

1. Head west on Via della Ghiacciaia toward SP1
0.2 km
2. Turn left at SP1
87 m
3. Slight left at SP1/Viale Garibaldi
Continue to follow SP1

0.9 km
4. Turn right at SP1/Viale Roma
Continue to follow SP1
Go through 3 roundabouts

8.8 km
5. At the roundabout, take the 1st exit onto Via San Gimignano/SP1
1.0 km
6. Turn left to stay on Via San Gimignano/SP1
Continue to follow Via San Gimignano

0.3 km
7. Continue on Via Sandro Pertini/SP44
Continue to follow SP44

0.3 km
8. Turn right at Via 20 Settembre
35 m
9. Slight right at SR2/Via Trento
Continue to follow SR2

0.7 km
10. Slight left to stay on SR2
16 m
11. Turn left at Via Montenero/SR2
54 m
12. Turn right at Via Vallepiatta
0.3 km
13. At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit
0.1 km
14. At the roundabout, take the 1st exit toward A1/Roma/Siena
0.3 km
15. Slight right to merge onto Raccordo Autostradale Siena-Firenze
21.6 km
16. Continue on Superstrada Firenze-Siena (signs for Arezzo/Grosseto/Siena/Acqua calda)
1.5 km
17. Continue on Tangenziale Siena Ovest
6.7 km
18. Take the exit toward SS223
0.6 km
19. Keep right at the fork, follow signs for Arezzo/Perugia/A1/Roma and merge onto SS223
4.3 km
20. Take the ramp onto SS73
15.3 km
21. Continue on Raccordo Siena-Bettolle (signs for E35/A1/Arezzo/Perugia)
27.7 km
22. Take exit Bettolle toward A1/Firenze/Roma/Bettolle
0.4 km
23. At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto the A1 ramp to Roma/Firenze
Partial toll road

0.5 km
24. Merge onto A1
Toll road

65.6 km
25. Take exit Orvieto toward Orvieto
Partial toll road

0.4 km
26. Merge onto SS205
1.2 km
27. Turn right to stay on SS205
31 m
28. At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto Via Angelo Costanzi
0.4 km
29. Continue on Via 7 Martiri
0.3 km
30. Continue on Strada della Stazione
2.3 km
31. Continue on SS71
0.3 km
32. Slight left at Strada delle Conce
0.3 km
33. At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto Strada di Porta Romana
0.4 km
34. Continue on Piazza Cacciatori del Tevere
0.1 km
35. Turn right at Via degli Alberici
0.2 km
36. Slight left at Piazza Santa Chiara
0.2 km
37. Turn right at Via Lorenzo Maitani
92 m

Terrific !
You just took her to the Duomo and all she wanted was to drop her car in Orvieto Scalo.

But driving up those steps is so much fun!

Hi Valeria,

It's not necessary to post the directions.

Just providing the link to the website is all that is needed.

Not the quickest or necessarily the most scenic route. But unquestionably the most romantic.

First documented by Archbishop Sigeric around the year 990 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Via_Francigena.), and now waymarked all the way to Acquapendente, this is the classic pilgrim and trade route from London and Paris to Rome and Jerusalem. And, once the Moors had been expelled from Northern Spain, the route from Rome to Compostella.

San Gimigniano-Badia a Isola
Badia-Siena
Siena-Lucignano
Lucignano-San Quirico d'Orcia
San Quirico-Abbadia San Salvatore
San Salvatore-Acquapendente
Acquapendente-San Lorenzo Nuovo. Here turn off the pilgrim route, take the SS 74 to Casa Perazza, then the SR 71 to Orvieto.

The view of Orvieto from this approach is fantastic. Allowing for a few gawping stops, about 4 hours. It took the poor Archbishop 10 days - but he was walking.

A rank sentimentalist! I knew it.

Sentimentalist? Bleeding nutter, more like.

Last time the Boss tried walking this (in six inches of snow) he got half a mile outside San Gimingnano, fell over, broke his elbow and spent the next month in and out of every A&E from Poggibonsi to the Radcliffe Infirmary.

This time I made sure I was there to keep him under control, and STRICTLY rationed his time out of the car. Still didn't work.

You'd think he'd have the sense to spend his out of car allowance in those nice Italian restaurants, where I can sit at the table and score lots of nice extra-matured Parmesan from the waiters (36 months staggionato in Parma. Beats Waitrose's watery stuff hollow).

Not him. Goes poking round those bloody churches again, where the horrid Italians won't let me in. When I say "Bet your precious St Francis wouldn't want me dying of heatstroke in some Piazza Duomo when I could be spatchcocked across a nice cool church floor?" they pretend they don't understand Barking. Even if I say it again, slower and louder, like we're supposed to.

Then he and Mrs B get to San Quirico, where the Quirichani are doing one of those silly reconstructions. Whole town dressed in damnfool costumes. Bunch of wallies from Sansepulcro (or was it Gubbio?) prancing around waving flags. Half the blokes in tights banging drums, just to upset us dogs. And - as always -girls on horses pretending to be Empresses or something. Worse than collies, horses: think they're so important just because they can poo where they like and don't get shouted at like we do.

And the Boss and Mrs B go out of their way to gawp at all this prancing, banging and pooing.

See what I mean? Total nutters, the lot of them.

Clearly I need to drop the car a day early. I'll need to re-read the directions, but if a romantic drive is required then so be it. I will digest the route info, but simply knowing 2+ hours helps decide that perhaps we take a slow drive to Orvieto and drop the car a day early and enjoy the scenery.

I do love this site! Thanks!

I do know that it is not necessary to post the full directions... I just wanted to do something nice for her, even though, looking at it now...well, it looks really terrific!

Sorry.

Hope you appreciated it anyway, AquaGirl! ;-)

I still think you should drive to Sorrento--it really is easy. Why juggle bags and catch 2 trains---too much hassle. And, the local commuter line to Sorrento is like a dirty NY subway.