I arrive in Rome early morning from a flight and am planning to drive to Florence. I was going to stop and stay one or two nights in SIena. How many hours is it to drive straight to Siena from Rome? Would it be feasible to stop in MOntalcino and Montepulciano along the way to Siena? ALso how long can i expect to drive from Siena to Florence, stopping along the way through Chianti? WHat about San Gimi? Where should that be worked in on the way up to FLorence?

Use www.viamichelin.com or www.mappy.com for all of these questions. Rome to Siena is faster if you do NOT go via Florence.<BR><BR>Siena to Florence could take 75 minutes or 12 hours - - so much to see and do along the way, meandering through the Chianti countryside.<BR><BR>Best wishes,<BR><BR>Rex<BR>

Okay, for all those places you listed, a 2 night layover in Siena is NOT sufficent. I suggest you go to Borders<BR>and get about a dozen guide books of Tuscany order up some cappucinos ( which you will soon learn do not even tatse close to the ones in Italia).<BR>Read the books to define what it is you really wan to see or what your objectives is... art, architecture (spelling ) ambience, countryside, wine, food and ...on & on. You will then find out you need a year to see it or you'll start to define what you want.<BR>Rome to Siena is 2 & 1/2 hours. You would take the A1 autostrada from Rome till you get to Tuscany, somewhere around Arezzo you get of the autostrada and take the state roads. Tuscan roads are well marked,with destination pointer signs not as much as road names.<BR>From the autostrada you can plan a route from it , to Montalcino to Siena.<BR>Montalcino is small but great location overlooking the valley. A nicelaid back<BR>ambience compared to what you'll encounter in Siena. I didn't make it to Montepulciano. Near Monntalcino is the abbey of Sant Antimo. A must see for it ssimple beauty, a small church sitting , by itself in a small valley surronded by hills, with no development nearby.<BR>If you want to see more by reducing travel head right to Siena. Theres plenty to see, one of the best Duomos & piazzas in all Italia. Less then an hour away is San Gimgiano, even better then Montalcino. Great views from the town over the valley, enjoyable towers and a laid back pace.<BR>Your real problem begins a few months after your back & you get the extreme desire to be their.<BR>Ciao

Mary, get a good map--the Michelin #430 is hard to beat. From FCO, take the back road to Viterbo and catch S-2 north from there. Divert to Orvieto if time permits and then back to S-2.This is a more scenic route to south Tuscany and takes no longer. Stay in Bagno Vignoni or Montalcino. You can do the trip to Bagno in about 3 hours plus stops. There is no reason to take the route on A-1 unless you are going to Siena and even then it is about equal. Take your camera.

Thank you all for the valuable info!! I think I will try to stay one night in Orvieto or Montalcino on the way up to Siena, and then do 2 additional nights in Siena. I will purchase the Michelin #430, and hope to find my way. thanks!

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Dear Mary<BR> Hi!!This a local from siena that is writing so pay attention to what I am suggesting. Driving from Rome airport to Florence is very easy because you can take a very good road that makes you avoid the city and is very fast. When you leave the airport take the highway for Civitavecchia along the coast,then direction Grosseto, between these 2 towns you can stop and visit some beautiful coast villages such as Porto Ercole-Porto S.Stefano or Talamone. In Grosseto take the road for Siena and then Siena-Firenze. The road from Grosseto to Siena is straight and panoramic as well as Siena Florence. Practically from Rome airport to Florence doing the route that I suggested you always go straight,no diversions, no changing road. Roma Fiumicino-Civitavecchia-Grosseto-Siena-Florence, its fast,panoramic and easy.....

Dear Mary<BR> Hi!!This a local from siena that is writing so pay attention to what I am suggesting. Driving from Rome airport to Siena is very easy because you can take a very good road that makes you avoid the city and is very fast. When you leave the airport take the highway for Civitavecchia along the coast,then direction Grosseto, between these 2 towns you can stop and visit some beautiful coast villages such as Porto Ercole-Porto S.Stefano or Talamone. In Grosseto take the road for Siena . The road from Grosseto to Siena is straight and panoramic. Practically from Rome airport to Siena doing the route that I suggested you always go straight,no diversions, no changing road. Roma Fiumicino-Civitavecchia-Grosseto-Siena-, its fast,panoramic and easy.....It takes me 2 and a half hours

This thread has made me think of my plans. Currently I am staying my last four nights in Italy in Siena. Was going to take the first train to Rome in the morning as we had an early afternoon flight back to the US. However, Amarican changed the flight to depart at 11:20 AM, not enought time for train to Termini and transfer to FCO with two hour check-in. Was going to cancel last night in Siena, take late train to Rome the night before and find a hotel close to the airport.<BR><BR>I plan on a car while in Siena only, but now I'm wondering??? Do you think I could just get up early in Sienam and do this route in reverse, and drop the car at the airport.????<BR>

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I figure that 19 times out of 20, if you leave Siena, say, at 6am, you shouldn~t have any problems, Jim. You should arrive around 8:30am and have enough time to return the car and present yourself for check-in. In case you´re running somewhat late, your partner may do the check-in while you return the car. But there´s Murphy´s law <BR>

xxx. Do you mean the Murphy's law when you encounter the traffic stopped on the beltway around Rome and you discover that a flatbed truck has lost all of its canned goods on the road? The one that keeps you tied up in traffic for an extra 45 minutes?

Yes, Sherry, that's the one ... but only if it happens when you can least afford it!

Great input Dario ! I have never done that route but it does make good sense.<BR>Mille grazie !

To Dario: Sounds like a better route from Fiumicino to Siena, but will it work as well on the return? I need to make a 10:30 am flight from Rome on Saturday, 8 June, and plan to leave Castellina in Chianti at 5:30 am. <BR>Siena-Grosetto-Fiumicino seems a more direct route to the airport than the A1, but I'm concerned about getting held up in traffic...even on a Saturday morning. What would you advise for the return trip form Chianti to Fiumicino?

Dario-we will be driving from Rome to Lucca area--what route would you suggest? Would be leaving Rome around 1 or 2 in the afternoon and need to get to our villa around 5, so a scenic route would be okay, we would have time.

Dario:<BR>This is the original poster. I appreciate your feedback for me (from March 15), but I had a question. I was wanting to go through Montalcino and Montepulcianoon the way to Siena and it didn't sound like your route would go through these towns? Is that correct?

topping again, for mary<BR>