sarahtierney

We will be going on our first trip to Italy Fall of 2013- Can you help us in suggesting the best LOCATION OF A VILLA so we can see the most and possibly do it all by train? We have heard there are several towns in TUSCANY that have good train service to Florence, Venice and other special-interesting small towns/cities-- and that car rental might not be paramount. There will be 4 to 6 couples. Thanks!!!

Jean

Most of Tuscany does not have direct train service. If you want to see "special-interesting small towns/cities," you'll need cars. 2-3 cars. After you've explored Tuscany, you can turn in the cars and train to Venice for your time there.

You need to identify which towns you want to see in Tuscany before you can begin to know where to look for a villa. Tuscany is 9000 square miles in size.

meece

Hi! I just returned from an amazing trip to Italy. In my opinion the town of Cortona, or another town nearby offers you the flexibility and location that you are looking for. Our villa and its owners were amazing! It has 5 separate bedrooms w/private baths. 3 of the rooms are in the "big house" and the other two are in the house next door. Not only were the owners wonderful hosts, but their cooking was out of this world too! We booked it through rentvillas.com and worked with Barbara. She was quite helpful throughout our preplanning stage.

After a few days in Rome we took the train into Terontola. They have a good train terminal here and it offers great connections to other towns. Our villa was about 20 minutes from here. There was also a car rental a block up from the train station, so we were able to get the two rentals with no hassle at all.

Our villa was walkable to the town of Cortona. We also did day trips to Montepulciano, Siena, Pienze and Orvieto. (Assisi, San Gimignano, Volterra and Montalcino were also on our "drive to" list, but we ran out of time. 1 week in Tuscany just wasn't enought time.) We used the train to do day trips to Florence and Pisa/Lucca. (However, we did find that you could probably drive to Pisa/Lucca without any of the parking/driving issues that you find in other towns.)

At the end of the week we returned to Terontola, dropped off the rentals and headed by train to Venice. It was an amazing time!

I think any of the towns that I mentioned above might work as a central location. Just research each and see if it has the things that you're looking for. I found that each town had its own personality and charm.

I hope this helps with your planning. You're going to fall in love with Italy!

mamcalice

Experiencing the Tuscan countryside with a car is a whole different experience that what you can see and do by bus and train. If you want to rent a villa, seriously consider cars. Otherwise, I would stay in Florence or Siena and take day trips to those hill towns accessible by public transport..

bobthenavigator

I totally agree. If you want to expereince Tuscany you really need a car. You can see the major centers by train---Lucca, Siena, Arezzo---but if you want to see rural Tuscany get a car.

annw

Just an option, but we have stayed at the Relais Villa L'Olmo in Impruneta, about 9 miles from center of Florence and half a block from a bus stop that drops you at the Florence train station. Check it out on Trip Advisor. It is also possible to rent cars for touring the areas not easily accessible by train.
Last visit we rented a car that was brought to the villa, toured for a day, then dropped it at the airport.

I've stayed there on previous visits with a group and without a car. The car or a van is ideal for Tuscany, but sometimes people just prefer not to drive.

flpab

You would need a van. I am looking for the same but for 5 or 6 of us. I have it narrowed down to Siena. That seems to be central for day trips. Some of us want to do different day trips so tried finding a central location for all of us. I have been looking for 3 bedrooms and two baths would be best. I do think we will rent a car for a couple of day trips but don't want to depend on one as I love doing public transportation or finding a day tour. Keep us updated. I can't book yet since some of my friends have to bid on weeks off and we have two doing grad work that are trying to figure out spring breaks or the last day of the term....It will all come together. The planning is half the fun!

socaltraveler

For 4-6 couples, you do NOT want a van, too large and cumbersome to drive in small villages and on small roads. 2-3 cars will give you more flexibility, and everyone may not want to do the same things 24/7. And I agree that driving is the best way to see rural Tuscany.

macattack

Been said above...gotta have cars. It also is very personal as regards what you like to experience. Florence nd San G are always full of tourist tours, Arezzo less so. If you want train links, staying in florence will allow for travel to siena, pisa (if u wish to go there at all), catch intercity to venice and arrive from rome. But then you wouldnt get to see san g, cortona, Volterra, pienza to name a few, let alone explore tiny little places on the way (which IMO is the best part). Your call, but I wouldnt want to rely on trains to get around. You could get a villa within reach of a train line that gets u into florence for example (good way to go to avoid traffic and parking issues)...