A friend and I are going to spend three days in Tuscany and are having problems planning our stay. We have rented a car in Florence and are dropping it off in La Spezia four days later. I have so many places picked out to visit, but I can't tell how long it will take to drive between some of the towns. The roads are so crooked that it's hard to tell the mileage. Does anyone know of a good reference to get the number of miles between towns or to get driving directions between towns?

Also, what is the opinion on staying at three different places opposed to finding a central location and taking day trips?

Thanks!

Lisa

Plot your route on mappy.com and get drive times.

As I was reading through many other posts, I see that Michelin has a good Web site for finding directions, so I may have answered a big portion of my questions.

We would like to see Arezzo, Cortona, Chianciano, Montepulciano, Pienza, Montalcino, Asciano, San Gimignano, Strove, Castel San Gimignano and Volterra. Way too many for three days and two nights! Please help me get the most out of my time!

Lisa,
I just topped the thread to use to request Stu Dudley's travel tips for Italy - including detailed suggestions for visiting Tuscan towns. If you list your email address, Stu will send it to you. His info is amazing!

I strongly recommend placing yourselves near (not in) Siena. It's most central and has a confluence of roads. Do not stay in different places.

From the outskirts of Siena to, say Montepulciano, figure one hour without stops. The same goes for Volterra and Cortona - you get the idea...

Stay in one place within :30 of Siena and plan day trips from there---see viamichelin.com

My e-mail address is [email protected]. Thanks for the info. We were planning on moving around, but after reading some of the responses, I think I'll try to find a central place to stay.