Can anyone recommend a place to stay in between Milan and Florence. We'd like to take a train and stop somewhere just for the night. We're thinking Lucca or Siena.<BR>OR<BR>Same thing (1 night), but on our way from Florence to Amalfi and we'd rent a car from that place and drive the rest of the way.<BR><BR>Thank you.

From Milan to Florence, I'd opt for somewhere along the Cinque Terre, although Lucca and Siena are both good options. From Florence to Amalfi... are you covering Rome at all? It's not exactly a small town, but good for car rentals and a jumping off point to the south. If that doesn't appeal, look into Orvieto or other hill towns in the area.

Siena is really not in-between Milan and Florence. It is only about a two hour train ride from Milan to Florence. Why not just go straight to Florence and spend more time there. CT is quite a ways out of the way for one night.

There is no reason to stop. It is less than 3 hours and you can sleep on the train. Neither Lucca or Siena are on that route.

Siena is past Florence, and Lucca is off the Milan-Bologna-Florence line. If you were going to stop anywhere I'd say Modena or Bologna for a good dinner.

While the foregoing may be true, I highly encourage a trip to Lucca, which is much less touristed than Florence or Siena. A beautiful place, but very important to try to stay within the walls, altho not easy when high season.

What about Bologna or Parma?

Parma is a LOVELY little town, and a fantasy for your taste buds. It's more or less on the way to Florence, and makes for a great little stopover. I have a few photos from our stay on my Web site at www.strick.net/travel.

I had a similar question last year, and several people recommended Parma. We were in fact driving from Milan/Malpensa to Florence. We had a wonderful time in Parma -- enjoyed the food and found the city charming. It was a great stopover.

From FLorence to Amalfi, maybe Orvieto or Perugia.