Cjar

We will be in Italy in the fall and had initially planned to train it from Florence to Rome, but we would really love to see some of Tuscamy as well. Problem is we are short on time so it would be more of a drive by. I thought we could take the express bus to Siena, stay the night, and then use a service to drive us from there to Rome stopping in Orvieto and Montepulciano along the way. Oh, of course we would like to have a winery tour and have no idea where to stay. Is this crazy? Have any thoughts other than " what are you thinking?". I know it's a short time period, but we have no day trips planned from Rome. We will see the Vatican and have a third tier tour of the Colosseum. The rest is free time to explore.

jamikins

How much time do you have for the rest of the trip?

Cjar

We will be 3 days additionally in Florence and another 2 1/2 in Rome. I know that is short but we do not have a huge list of must sees in Rome. Even the Colosseum tour could be missed and my husband really loves wine and relaxing. It is the least I could do after dragging him to museums and churches for 6 days prior. We are also in Venice 3 days

Cjar

Please, advise on how to best do something along those lines, where to stay in Siena, suggested wineries and whether there are better destination options that make more sense. I really appreciate the input.

hollywoodsc

You're better off doing a day trip from Florence to Siena or a winery tour.
The 'fast' train from Florence to Rome is 90 minutes whereas Siena to Rome is not a direct route and requires changes, will take longer. (I'm not the train guru here but it's not a route I'd take considering my choices)
Spend your time and money wisely - In places, rather than Getting to places

leuk2

Trying to do/see too much. Go from Florence to Rome. Once you are in Rome, it is easy to do day trips to Orvieto or Assisi by train from Rome

Cjar

Thanks for reining me in. Typical Italy novice behaviour,huh? I guess we feel like we must cram everything in. I thought if we were driving from Siena to Rome we would get to see some of Tuscany and stop in a couple of places along the way. I suppose that is too much. Thanks again.

Holly_uncasdewar

You could cut 1 day from Florence, and spend 2 nights in Siena. That'll give you 1/2 a day to explore Siena, and hire a driver for the full day to see some of Tuscany. Siena is wonderful to walk around in the evening when the daytrippers have gone. Then you could train (or bus) back to Florence and catch a fast train and be in Rome by 12 noon.

It's a bit packed, but at least you'll be able to do what you really want to do. As for hotels in Siena, I've stayed at the Chiusarelli a few times, and recommend it. But my favorite is:

http://www.residenzadepoca.it/en/index.php

Jean

IMO, four destinations (Florence, Siena, Rome, Venice) in what I think is 10 days is too much. The general rule is that you lose at least a 1/2 day changing hotels and getting from one place to the next. So, you're losing 1.5 days just moving around.

You seem to have more interest in seeing a bit of Tuscany than seeing Rome. So why force Rome into this trip? Just for the Vatican and random exploring?

Consider renting a car after Florence and seeing some towns in Tuscany over a few days before heading to Venice. (I assume you're flying home from Venice...)

Cjar

I suppose additional information would have been helpful. Here is our itinerary
Arrive Venice a.m. October 2 ( I have a hunch we will really love Venice,so wanted xtra time)
Depart by train to Florence October 5
Express bus to Siena October 8
And here is where we are stuck
Driver/ Car Siena to Rome with 1or 2 stops along the way October 9
Rome October 10,11
Dpeart to U.S. October 12
It took us 15 years to finally make this trip happen and yes we are probably trying to do/ see too much, but we may not make it back. Hence the crowded itinerary. I prefer to see it as taking our time getting from Florence to Rome. : )
Also this is our 20 th anniversary trip
I love, love the idea of driving through Tuscany.. We have contacted Driver in Rome, some companies dont offer service to Rome( tours by Roberto) and others seem to be defunct ( Hill and Road).
Any driver suggestions are much appreciated and thank you for all of the thoughts so far on hotels and logistics. You are all so helpful.

Jean

Try again.

http://www.hillsandroads.com/

leuk2

Sounds o.k. Take an early bus to siena. Don't Hire a driver. Can take train from Siena to Rome, But the first part of the trip will be slow, until you get to Orvieto and change trains. You will however see the countryside as you sit on the train. Would probably be faster to take bus back to Florence, and the fast train to Rome. Personally I'd take train from Siena to Rome. Will have to change trains in orvieto (easy). You will see the countryside, sit and talk with the locals, and experience rural Italy.

Cjar

Jean - Thank you. It appears that my ipad is the problem not the website for Hills and Roads. I have tried several times and the page wouldn't load ,but I did get it to come up on our other ( non Mac) computer. I will look into Lucca's availability/ pricing. Thanks again.