Florence Day Trip to Sienna: should we stop along the way? Where?
 

We are considering taking a day trip from Florence to Sienna by car. We want to drive down to Sienna through Chianti. It looks like it's a fairly longish drive and we thought it might be nice to stop somewhere along the way, either for lunch of just a driving break. Google maps says the drive is only about an hour and 40 minutes or so, but we will almost certainly get a bit turned around, and we want to take it slow, so it'll probably take us considerably longer than that.

So we're thinking of taking the SS222 on the way down. Would it be worth it and/or doable to stop somewhere like Greve or Castellina along the way? Or do you think we wouldn't have enough time?

We are early risers and are ok with a very long day. While we are definitely interested in seeing Siena (one of us in particular is studying medieval history at university toward his PhD starting in September), we really want to enjoy the ride to and from Siena as well. My other friend and I are more interested in seeing the Tuscan countryside and small towns. Basically, we want the best of both worlds for this day trip.

So, do you think we need to drive straight to Sienna and give it as much of our day as possible, or do you think it's possible for us to enjoy it in an afternoon and maybe take a detour along the way?

Any suggestions?

Any suggestions or advice?

Haha sorry, I should have edited that last part more carefully :)

For search purposes, Siena has one n.

You will need to avoid the ZTL if you rent a car in Florence.

You could take the Chianti road to Siena and perhaps come back through somewhere like San Gimignano or Volterra. You will need to avoid ZTL in many towns, not just Florence.

For the price of a car and petrol you can likely hire a driver for a day and not have the hassle of driving. I hate to drive in Florence.

ky: This may be awfully ignorant of me, but what are the ZTL?

bob: any suggestions as to hiring a driver? I mean, which company should we use? Do we pay by the hour or by the day?

Also, any suggestions as to car rental places, if we do decide to rent a car?

Monteriggioni is an interesting spot on the way to Siena. Have had a wonderful lunch there...
some time ago, tho and I forget the name of the restaurant. -:)

ahiddenbird,
Have you decided to drive this segment because you always drive on your trip or you have heard about a simplistic statement Tuscany=driving?

I think more rational way to frame driving in this area is:
Some part of Tuscany=driving, PROVIDED that you have looked at other relevant factors such as ZTL, parking, automatic/manual, rental office business hours, Italy CC rental insurance exclusion, etc. The car rental in Italy is high to begin with and if you do get snagged by ZTLs (yes, plural, they tend to stack up quickly), you would wish you have listened to bobthenavigator's comment.

Try www.hillsandroads.com, I'm sure Luca can tailor make a lovely day trip for you to Siena with some stops along the way.
I used this company last September and was very happy.

ahiddenbird, ZTL = zona a traffico limitato = limited traffic zone. Every major city in Italy has a zone which may only be driven into by residents or vendors with permits. Increasingly, smaller towns have established their own zones, including Siena and many/most Tuscan towns. Usually, the boundaries of the ZTL are well-signed, but it can be easy to miss a sign in a foreign language while you're trying not to get lost. Fines for violating the zone, even unintentionally, are steep and arrive in the mail many weeks after you get home.

http://en.comune.fi.it/mobility/driving.html

If you haven't driven in Italy before, your plan is quite ambitious. You'd have to navigate out of Florence from wherever you've parked the car (assuming you rent the day prior to your early start). Whenever/wherever you stop along the way, you need to find legal parking and sometimes figure out parking payment machines. When you go to Siena, you'd have to find parking outside of the ZTL (although I think there is on public lot inside the zone) and walk into the city center or take a bus, reverse the process when you leave, and then (likely) drive back to Florence after dark. About the only advantage to driving back in the dark is that you'd probably arrive after the ZTL hours.

http://en.comune.fi.it/mobility/driving.html

You can search auto rental agency locations in Florence at www.autoeurope.com. Take particular note of the open/closed hours and days for each. You may not be able to get a quote for a one-day rental online. You'd have to call and speak to a human. See the 888 number at the top of the screen.

Many people here have used this company for one-day driving tours through Tuscany.

http://www.hillsandroads.com/

ZTL = Areas you aren't allowed to drive unless you are a resident with a permit. The entire center of Florence is a ZTL zone so you are not allowed to drive there. There are traffic cameras that snap a pic of your license plate if you cross into the ZTL. The police track you down through the rental company to issue and mail you a ticket. The rental company charges a fee for providing your info to the police (30-45€ - it's in all the contracts) and the ticket can be 100-200€ (it may be as much as a year before you receive the ticket in the mail). If you cross multiple cameras, you get multiple tickets. Towns like Siena, Pisa, San G., Volterra, etc. will also have ZTL. You would need to find parking outside the ZTL and walk in (or bus/taxi). You can read a bit about it on this link.

http://www.bella-toscana.com/traffic...m#.UZ0gD9gUo9g

There are also cameras on the highways for speeding. If you are from the US, Italian law requires an International Driving Permit which you need to get before you leave the US.

If you decide to hire a driver, you might try Luca from Hills and Roads. He has a lot of positive reviews on this board.

http://www.hillsandroads.com/

If you drive on S222, stop in Panzano, south of Greve.The old town portion and church are a short walk up the hill from the main piazza.
Near the piazza, you'll find the famous butcher Dario Cecchini's shop. For lunch, Enoteca Baldi is excellent.

Go directly to Siena via the highway. If you arrive early enough you should find place at the underground parking on the back of the Campo. Have a look to Siena, then you can either go back via S222 (endless curves) or again via the highway stopping in Monteriggioni. But if you drive the long way to Siena you will arrive already tired and finding a parking will be more difficult.

I think you should go direct to Siena - there's plenty to see. If you have the time and inclination, stop somewhere, Monteriggioni was good, on your return.

Goodness, I didn't realize that driving in Italy would be such a pain in the butt!

No, we have never driven in Italy and we also are not completely set on it. In fact now, given your advice, maybe it's best to avoid it. I think we were assuming driving would be easier and provide more flexibility, and that we would be able to go about things at a leisurely pace, but it seems the cons outweigh the pros? It sound very complicated.

If we DO drive, I definitely like the idea of taking the more direct route to Sienna and then taking our time on the way back. But it looks like it'll take more thought and planning than I realized...

Considering hillsandroads.com got 3 recommendations in a row, I'll definitely check it out! Thank you all so much for your very helpful advice!

I think we were all typing at the same time.

Driving makes sense if you want to visit the countryside, but a one day rental can cost as much as a 3 day rental.

If you are going to take a scenic route only on the way back, you need to decide what are might interest you more. I find the hill towns around San G./Volterra (a bit west of a direct route back) more interesting than places like Greve. You could drive to Monteriggioni and then San G before going back to Florence. The drive from San G would be around an hour or so.

Siena is worth an entire day (or more) and you can easily hop a bus to there if you decide you don't have time for other places. There are also tours you can book from Florence that would include Siena and a hill town or two.

Thanks ky. This thread has given me a lot to think about!

While I have no doubt that Sienna is worth a lot more time than an afternoon, we are a little limited for time. We are staying in Florence for 5.5 days and we plan on making this and one other day trip during that time. So we are trying to choose wisely and get as much out of our days as possible, without (hopefully) having to rush around. Our main goal is to relax and enjoy ourselves!

Just checking out http://www.hillsandroads.com/ and I was wondering how exactly it works. Does he drive you to a location and then your on your own? Or does he drive you there and back? And what does he do while you're looking around the city? Does he hang out with us? Do his own thing?

Also, what does 'joinable services" mean?

These are probably kind of stupid questions, but I can't find any details on the website.