In Tuscany today--help needed
 

Thank you for taking the time to read. We are driving from Pienza to Milan on Monday and would like to stop in Florence. Not intending to see anything major, as we've been before and purposefully skipped it on this trip until now. Just to hang out for a while. Ideally we would like to take a commuter rail from somewhere very close by into and out of the city. We have a rental car and would need to park it at a station. Can someone please recommend a good location for this? Ideal would be something reasonably convenient to our route up the a1, and close enough to Firenze that the ride would be short, and we would not be backtracking significantly. If you would rather just provide a link I can use, I would appreciate that as well. Our internet is really limited here so it is helpful be to able to receive guidance from this board with one stop!

grazie,
ET

Hi ET,

Siena would be my first thought just because I've used that station. Since you have a car, you wouldn't have a problem with the fact that the Siena station is down the "hill" from the town. If I remember correctly, the train trip would be just under an hour. I'm sure there is a convenient parking lot near the Siena train station.

Perhaps someone else will have a better suggestion.

Have some vino for me per favore!

Wait - I'm sorry. I misunderstood what you were trying to do. Forget Siena. Something more like Empoli - between Florence and Pisa would be what you are looking for, bit I think Empoli is a rather large town and wouldn't really help you avoid the driving in traffic and parking issues.

I would go to the Pienza TI office and see what they suggest.

How about the Florence Airport?

There's bus service into Florence, or you could take a taxi. Bus departures from the airport every 30 minutes, arrive train station, journey of 22 minutes. Return buses also every 30 minutes until 11:00 pm. All-day parking at the airport is 10 euros in the long-stay lots.

http://www.aeroporto.firenze.it/EN/i...s&jk=19&curr=0

I forgot to add... The airport would only take you 11 kms. off the A1 from Pienza to Milan.

hi eton!

nice of you to drop in. How's the trip going?

sorry that I'm not able to help you with any better suggestions than the ones you've got here. I thought of Siena too, then realised it wasn't really close enough for what you wanted. the florence airport idea is a good one though, plenty of car parking and a good bus service.

hope you enjoy Florence!

Empoli can be a traffic nightmare. I suggest Signa. Small town, very close, easy to find, easy to find the train station, and free parking at the station, or at least there was a few years ago.

tuscanlifeedit,

There you go! I knew someone would know the name of an easy, tiny town. I'll remember this one for the future myself.