My daughter and I want to visit Italy this spring/early summer for approximately 2-3 weeks. We are interested in Tuscany and maybe down as far as Siena. We are not interested in large towns, want to rent a car and stay in maybe 1-3 places and not move every 2 days. Which town would be best to fly into/out of? Have you visited any of these-Lucca,San Gimignana,Siena,Florence,Cinque Terre-any of the f ive small towns,Greve,Civita di Bagnoregio? Are these doable for this time span? Cell phone use, credit cards, purchase Euros-where/when. I know these are many questions and you can tell I am overwhelmed with the info that I have been reading. Any suggestions or help would be really appreciated. Thanks.

The best town, geographically to fly into and out of would be Pisa and it's International Airport - but if price is a lot different Milan's airport and Rome's are about 3 hours by train or road away.

All those towns you mention are in a very compact area so yes anything is possible. Add Montecatini-Terme to your list of possibilities IMO - really unique for Italy and perhaps its poshest thermal resort and spa town - right next door to Lucca

ATMs and Credit Cards are best for getting euros and spending euros - cc widely accepted and ATMs everywhere.

I thought Lucca, Siena, and Florence are large "towns."

I liked San Gimignano a lot.

Florence is expensive but has some great must sees.

Siena is nice. I liked the Duomo and Campo and walking the town.

We stayed in Vernazza in CT and saw all the towns. Vernazza was the most charming of the group but Monterosso has the only real beach to speak of.

I didn't like Lucca much. Pisa was good for a brief visit to the leaning tower.

Another nice place toward Rome is Orvieto (in Umbria).

Use your debit card to get cash. Pay cash for most of your smaller stuff or with small businesses. Remember to notify your bank that you will be traveling so they don't put a fraud hold on your account.

Cell phones are everywhere. Some places must not have coverage but I don't know where they are. Either take yours (ask your company if it will work in Italy) or buy a cheap one that will work and get a sim card there for very cheap calls in Italy.

Credit cards for flight, rental car, big hotel, big department store.

A nice trip would be the hill towns in Southern Tuscany (around Pienza), Northern Tuscany (Lucca or San Gimignana) and then the coast. We love Santa Margherita and you can day trip to Cinque Terre. If you have 3 weeks I would spend a few days in Umbria as well.

You can also to Florence and out of Pisa.

With 2 weeks, I have enjoyed spending time in southern Tuscany (based near Pienza) and Umbria (near Bavagna). With a third week, consider staying near Sarzana (a great small town rarely visited by tourists) or Lerici (on the water) and visiting NW Tuscany and the Lugurian coast, including the Cinque Terre.

I like flying in and out of Florence. I have many times found better airfares for Florence than Rome, Milan or Pisa. It is so central for the trip I have suggested. Also, if you do not want to stay in Florence the night prior to your departure, consider a night in Fiesole. I stayed at a delightful B&B in Fiesole- http://www.lecannelle.com/home.htm.

Use ATM's for euros.


Here is where I have stayed and highly recommend:

Southern Tuscany- http://www.fontebertusi.it/eng/

Umbria- http://www.lecasegialle.it/

Sarzana- http://www.anticocasalesarzana.com/eng/casale.htm

Rental car- check car rental brokers kemwel.com and autoeurope.com. Be sure to check the deductables. Lately, Kemwel has had the best price with zero deductables. Both companies have excellent customer service, you pay in US dollars (via cc) when you reserve and they will beat any other price. You can't go wrong.

During our recent three-week trip to northern Italy, my husband & I spent 12 days in Tuscany. We spent 4 nights in each of the following places: San Gimignano, Pienza & Florence. We could have easily spent more days in each town!

San Gimignano & Pienza are popular towns visited by tourists during the day. But in the late afternoon & into the evening after the day trippers leave, they transform into magical places, especially San Gimignano! We were rewarded for staying there! Also, they both have wonderful restaurants!

We visited Siena from San Gimignano. From Pienza, we drove to Orvieto & visited Civita Bagnoreggio on the same day. By choosing 2 hill towns to base ourselves, we were able to spend less time driving, leaving more leisurely days to explore lovely Tuscan towns, villages & the countryside. You should consider dividing your time, north & south.

Have fun planning your trip! Good luck!

2010

Florence is not a town but a reasonably sized city and one of the couple major tourist attractions in Italy - although the historic center is fairly small. But it will be filled with tourists except in midwinter. Siena and Lucca are larger hill towns, while San Gim and some of the others are smaller.

Do realize that hill towns means just that - they are on top of a hill - and often you can;t take your car into the town or to the hotel - but must park it near the walls and walk up.