nancythenice

After weeks/months of reading and asking questions of all you generous folks, I still need to be pushed off the diving board on some of the basic itinerary decisions. It all sounds wonderful and thus so hard to decide. The major issue I need to decide right now, is how many days to devote to Tuscany, and where to stay. I found an apt. just outside San Quirico (Bob the Nav's favorite area) and need to either confirm it or let it go-and of course need to know how many nights we would stay.

We ( my twenty-something son and I) arrive Rome (from Texas) Oct. 26, a Monday. Our return is from Venice on Wednesday, Nov. 11, after 16 nights.

Nights 1-4 - Rome - have rented an apartment in Piazza Navona area - very excited.

Nights 5-8 - Pompeii /Naples area - decisions on where to stay still pending
[note: I plan on picking up a car at some point during this part of the trip and keeping it through Tuscany.

Nights 9-13 - Tuscany
Day 9: (Tuesday) drive to Tuscany via Orvieto, sleep in San Quirico
Day 10: see hill towns, sleep in San Quirico
Day 11: day trip to Siena, sleep in San Quirico
Day 12 day trip to Assisi, sleep in San Quirico
Day 13: more Tuscany, sleep in San Quirico

Nights 14-16 - Venice- I have a reservation at a well recommended B&B
Day 17: fly home

The Questions:
(1) area south of Rome - - I am willing to let the question of where we stay remain unsettled for now (had big discussion about this on another thread yesterday and today) if I have the basic allocation of time right between this and other areas.

(2) is staying in only one place in Tuscany for 5 nights the right choice, or should we split it into two locations? I need to make this decision NOW - so I can confirm the apt. I found outside San Quirico. Can we really do day trips to Siena, Assisi, Cortona etc. easily from San Q.? We are big explorers, so more interested in seeing a lot than relaxing, but having a home base sounds good. Bob the Navigator - I know we have discussed this before - but what do you think?
Another option is to stay in San Q 4 nights, then drive to Florence on day 13, drop the car, spend night and take train to Venice late the next afternoon. This effectively gives us two half days and a night in Florence. Honestly, - I can leave Florence for another trip - but this looks pretty easy to do.

(3) getting to Venice - if we don't go to Florence, what should we see on the drive from Tuscany to Venice on Sunday?

bobthenavigator

Decisions decisions--never easy!

I feel that it is easy to fill 4 good days from your location. However, Cortona and surely Assisi, may not be your best options---just too far. However, here are places I would see from that location:
1. Pienza, Montepulciano, lunch in Montichiello at La Porta
2. Bagno Vignoni, St.Antimo, Montalcino--a great day
3. A day in Siena with a stop at Abbey Oliveto Maggiore on return
4. Volterra and San Gimigmnano--a good drive, but so is Cortona

For your southern base, why not stay in Sorrento--look at Casa Astarita or Il Nido--get your car as you leave.

You have a wonderful trip here---just pull the trigger and have fun.

Jean

I don't think Cortona is too far from San Quirico if it's a place you really want to see. It's about an hour's drive each way. IMO, Assisi is too far from San Quirico for a day trip.

If the list of want-to-sees is Siena, Cortona and Assisi, then I probably would stay in Cortona rather than San Quirico. But you need to decide what that 4th day's destination will be. As bobthenavigator says, decisions are never easy, and you can't see everything.

I would probably not pick up the car until Orvieto and return it before heading to Venice. But that's me.

I'd leave Florence for that future trip.

nancy

I agree with Bob. We stayed in Pienza for a week (just up the hill from San Quirico) and saw most of the sites that Bob mentions. Picked the location because it was more central and we could visit more of Tuscany and Umbria. You just have to choose what you most want to see.

If you stay in San Quirico, you must eat at Osteria Il Tinaio . We ate there twice and I swear they make the best spaghetti sauce I have ever had along with other good food and very reasonable.

We also stayed in Sorrento for four nights seeing Pompeii, Naples and Herculaneum. Sorrento is a very nice town to stay in with several good restaurants. Even in hindsight, I think it's a good "central" location because of the easy trips out of the town.

nancythenice

Thanks for the push and the input. Florence will be a great reason to insist on returning!
Maybe its because I am exhausted from trying to plan all of this, but the place in San Q. seems like a peaceful place to stop and drop for awhile, which I may need by that time in the trip - so I think I will go on and book it for 5 nights. Honestly, San G. and Volterra hold as much appeal as Cortona. The beauty part is, we can decide when we get there where we want to go, and if we want to go at all! I guess there would be good train service from Naples to Orvieto, and from Orvieto on to Venice - which is why you suggest getting the car there Jean? My son would be doing the driving, and he enjoys it, but it still might make sense. It could be a way to spend a few hours in Orvieto before picking up or dropping off the car. I will explore that further.

Jean

nancythenice, some people like driving longer distances in Italy. Unless there are specific (and multiple) places I want to see on the way, I prefer to ride the trains and then rent a car for regional exploring. But that's me, and this is your trip.

Coming from the south, Orvieto is an easy place to pick up a car, but I wouldn't return it there before heading to Venice. I'd drop the car in Florence.

Mimar

Jean is right about not driving back to Orvieto. But neither is it a good idea to drive into Florence to drop a car at the main train station. Vehicular traffic in the historic center of Florence is strictly controlled, and, in fact, forbidden in some areas except for locals. Then there are the one-way streets....

You could drive all the way to Venice and drop the car there at Piazzale Roma. Or you could drop the car at Chiusi and take the train from there to Florence and on to Venice.

I think you made a good decision about staying all 5 nights at the place in San Quirico. Part of traveling in Italy is slowing down and adopting a bit of the local lifestyle, la dolce far niente. And after Rome, a bit of less intense travel will be refreshing.

Dayle

Nancy,

I drove from Montalcino to Cortona on my way to Gubbio. As I remember it was about 1.5 hours on the back roads. I spent about half a day there on a Sunday and it was a lovely town, BUT not any more unique or lovely than the towns right where you will be staying......

Based in Montalcino for 3 nts, I visited Montepulciano, Pienza, Sant' Antimo, Monte Oliveto and did a lot of leisurely driving and photo ops. Also lots of wine tasting in Montalcino. I think you will be very happy staying in that area of Tuscany.

Agree that Assisi is just too far. Save it for the next trip with Florence, and stay in the Assisi area. Spello is heaven!

Buon viaggio!

Jean

I don't think dropping the car at the Florence SMN train station is difficult if you have a good map that shows road orientations and don't try to cross through the historical center. Circle around the center or approach the station from the west/southwest. You can get turn-by-turn directions from several websites (Google, Viamichelin, Mapquest, etc.), and/or you can get GPS in the rental. These directions don't always agree on the final approach to a destination, so you should double-check on a printed map.

The train from Chiusi to Venice will take between 4.5 and 5.5 hours depending on train. Florence to Venice is under 3 hours. You can take food or buy lunch on the train. The drive from San Quirico to Venice will take about 4.5 hours (without a lunch stop), and you'll pass within 5 miles of Florence. If you decide to drive, you'll want to leave San Quirico by mid-morning so that you're not arriving in Venice in the dark.