...and it was absolutely wonderful. The Italians that I met were so warm and friendly and amazing. I left Italy with memories I will cherish forever. <BR> <BR>Here's the details. I'm a female in my late twenties and travelled alone for two weeks to Rome, Siena, and Florence. <BR> <BR>I stayed in Rome for 5 nights at Pensione Panda (www.hotelpandaparadise.com)near the Spanish Steps. I loved this hotel and would gladly stay there again. It was convenient, quiet, inexpensive, and immaculate with a very gracious staff. There was also internet access (L10.000/hour) in the late evening. <BR> <BR>I wholly enjoyed my stay in Rome, but my favorite thing to do by far was just walk around, getting lost in all those crazy side streets. My favorite sites/places included: St. Peter's Basilica (if you can, go early in the morning when it first opens and there's noone there), the view from Castello Sant'Angelo (stay for the sunset over St. Peter's), Gianicolo in Trastevere, Piazza Navona at night, the outside of the Colosseum, the Arch of Septimius Severus in the Roman Forum. <BR> <BR>For food, I generally enjoyed my pizza experiences more than my pasta experiences in Roma. There was a nice restaurant near Piazza Navona called Fiametta in Piazza Fiametta. My best dessert experience was ice cream drenched with espresso at the Gran Caffe Rossi Martini near the Colosseum. <BR> <BR>I loved Rome and could talk about how wonderful it is for hours. If you have any questions, let me know. More about the rest of my trip later.

Welcome back, Vita! Glad you had a great time, and looking forward to the rest of your trip report!

Yes, welcome back. I know you struggled with a few decisions, so I'm glad it all worked out so well. I loved Rome too, and am very anxious to go back. And isn't traveling alone great? Companions are wonderful too, but you see things differently when it's just you.

I am very happy for you Vita - after all the soul-searching and worry you went through for weeks before you came over, it is great to hear you enjoyed your visit. <BR>

Part 2 - Siena <BR> <BR>I spent 4 nights in Siena at Hotel Chiusarelli (web.tin.it/chiusarelli). I have no complaints about the hotel. It was just a little more than I had intended on spending and more than I needed. Breakfast was included and I usually left before I could take advantage of that. The place was clean and the location was great (short walk to the bus station and Il Campo). This wasn't too big a issue because I was hardly there, but I'll mention it for those that are planning to stay at this hotel. My room (Room 9) was close to the front desk and, if people were talking in the lobby, I could hear it loud and clear. <BR> <BR>I did day trips during the day and spent my evenings in Siena. I went to San Gimignano, Radda, Castellina, and Montepulciano. I opted to take the bus instead of renting a car. The early morning bus rides were actually one of my favorite parts of my stay in Siena - the brilliantly illuminated sky with the sunrise juxtposed to the dark sillouhette of the countryside. As the sun came up, you cold see the hilltops peaking through the fog that settled in the valleys. This was especially nice in San Gimingano because I actually had about two hours to just roam the charming town streets on my own before the crowds got there. I climbed the top of the tower and had the view of the countryside all to myself. When it started getting crowded I took a little walk outside the town walls, passing vineyards along the way. <BR> <BR>Siena was beautiful but I was surprised that I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would. The first couple of days were great but then I kind of got tired of charming little towns with cute shops and narrow winding streets. I guess I'm more of a city girl than I thought. If I had to do it all over again, I would only spend about 2 nights in Siena and maybe do some of my daytrips out of Florence (which I loved!!!) instead. <BR> <BR>Things I loved about Siena: Il Campo (sitting at one of the outdoor restaurants reading my book and watching the world go by), climbing to the top of Torre del Mangia (if you go in fall/winter, try to go close to closing so you can catch the sun setting), THE FOOD. <BR> <BR>Everything I ate during my stay in Siena was awesome. It was hard to walk down the street without stopping to look at the treats displayed in the windows. I had the best pizza in Siena at Cavallino Bianco on Via di Citta. In Radda, I has excellent gnocchi at Pizzeria/Trattoria di Michele. If you sit at outside there is a view overlooking the countryside. Like, I said everything was good, so I won't list everyplace I ate. <BR> <BR>Stay tuned for Florence.

Part 3 - Florence <BR> <BR>I stayed in Florence for 5 nights at Hotel Abaco on Via dei Banchi, close to the duomo. It was clean and convenient, although Florence was so small to me, eveything was walkable. There was no elevator so I did have to schlep my stuff up a couple of flights of steps. Also, I don't know why this keeps happening to me, but I got the room closest to the front desk and could hear everythibg. Once again, I really wasn't in the room a lot so it didn't bother me that much. My room faced the street but the windows were a good buffer from the noise. I don't know what this place would be like in the summer went it's hot. <BR> <BR>Florence was the perfect end to a perfect vacation. The duomo was stunning. It was surreal seeing it's dome peaking over the top of the builings or catching glimpes of it as I walked down the streets. <BR> <BR>Florence was a great walking city and, even though it was small, I never tired of walking around the same streets. My favorite things in Florence: sitting in Piazza della Signorino or Piazza della Republica reading my book and people watching, walking along the Arno, losing myself in the maze of the Boboli Gardens (best L4.000 I ever spent), San Miniato on Piazzale Michelangelo (and listening to monks chant in the alter), looking at all the food displayed in the windows. I could not even hope to sample everything that I wanted to on this trip. <BR> <BR>Food: Once again, there were a lot of great places to eat in Florence. One of the nicest people that I met while in Florence was a Sicilian man who owned a restaurant, Trattoria Ponte Vecchio, on the strip between the Ponte Vecchio and Uffizi. <BR> <BR>Anyway, a very short summary for a vacation chock full of warm and pleasant memories. Ciao.

Vita, Loved your report. I am planning 15 days next June in Italy and what I am most looking forword to is just "being" there. I like art and museums, but not for days and days. I want to enjoy the feel of the places and not have a hectic schedule that burns me out. I was glad to hear you seemed to feel that way too. Sometimes I feel ignorant that I don't know all the important works of art and museums and was wondering if I was going to miss the enjoyment if I didn't plan every minute seeing "must sees". Thanks for the report.

ciao vita! <BR> <BR>wellcome back! and thank's for your report, i'm happy that you enjoied your holidays and felt comfortable here in florence and rome and siena. i loved your words about how you walked in san gimignano, if i go there during touristseason i go after 5.30 in the evening and often during wintertime. no crowds and wonderful sceneries. <BR> <BR>have a good time back where you live! <BR> <BR>tanti saluti <BR> <BR>christina

Oh Vita, how nice! It is so good to hear about happy traveling! I was supposed to go to Rome and Florence, and could not (for other reasons than the present problems) and reading your report, makes me more determined to get there as soon as I can! I have always heard that you cannot get a bad meal in Italy, sounds like you feel that way too? Thanks for the cheery summary-will try to ask questions when my trip becomes a reality and not another daydream~M

Vita: Please tell me more about the Panda in Rome. I will be in Rome late Nov. and am looking for clean and central. Thanks.

Sure, Marianna. My room was a single, no bath for L80.000 per night. I think it's about L20.000 more if you get a bath. The room is small and the bathroom is tiny. Maybe a little too much information but I actually had to slide my legs under the sink to use the toilet. LOL. How's THAT for a visual? But it was perfect for me. I just wanted a nice clean place to rest my weary head and to take a shower. My bathroom was right next to me. My room (Room 17, I think) was around a corner so that afforded some privacy. I could leave the bathroom with my towel wrapped around me and there was very little chance of my being seen. I never was to my knowledge. I think I only shared the bathroom with two other rooms. I never saw my hallmates and never had to wait to use the facilities. The place was recommended in my Let's Go guide and, as I was checking in, a couple was raving about their stay there, so it looks like my experience with the hotel was not unique. The place is about a 3 minute walk to the Spanish Steps. It was about a 10 to 15 minute walk (roughly) straight down Via del Corso to get to Piazza Venezia. I'm not sure if I told you what you wanted to know. Let me know if you had any other questions.

Hi Vita! I know you posted this awhile ago. Can you tell me more about using Siena as a base to travel to other towns (e.g., San gimignano, Montepulciano) by bus? Were there a lot of buses daily or only a few? Is there anywhere on-line that has bus schedules?

Hi, Mariarosa. It varied depending on the place. I might still have the bus schedules and can check when I get home. I will tell you that it helps immensely to know some Italian. I didn't find the bus system intuitive in Siena. I asked a lot of questions to make sure that I was at the right stop and was getting on the right bus. People were very kind and helpful though and it's a great way to practice your Italian.

Hi Vita! Thanks for such a quick response. I would be particularly interested knowing (approximately) how many buses there are to Montepulciano and San Gimignano. So if you can check that for me, that would be great. <BR> <BR>You also mentioned that you got up really early. Was this so you could take advantage of a full day or because there were few morning buses?

Vita <BR>I missed this the first time around as well. I too would love to hear more about the bus logistics in Tuscany

Hi, Mariarosa and Elaine. First of all, if you think you are going to use the bus a lot to travel outside of Siena, I would suggest staying at a hotel near a bus stop. I stayed at Hotel Chiusarelli, which was near Gramsci, the main bus station. It was a nice hotel and a short walk to Il Campo, but a little pricey for one person. <BR> <BR>According to my schedule, buses for San Gimignano leave Gramsci hourly from 7:20 to 3:20 during the weekdays (including Saturdays). It doesn't look like there is service from Siena on Sundays. The bus coming back from San G. is also hourly and the last bus is at 7:35 during the week but 1:30 on Saturdays. <BR> <BR>Montepulciano is a more restrictive and varies according to season (summer or winter). I think the only morning bus leaves Siena at 6:35. I actually took the bus to Arezzo and switched, I think at, Serre Rapolano. There was a sign to this effect on the bus and a tiny footnote in the schedule about it, but I almost missed it. In the winter, buses leave Montepucliano at 2:00. In the summer, 12:05 and 7:15. I think there might be another line that you could take with more times. The best thing to do might be to e-mail the tourist office at Montepulciano. <BR> <BR>I'll also tell you that there were some deviations from what was in the bus schedule. The person that sells you the ticket at the bus station can tell you where you need to go and the time for the next bus. It sounds complicated to explain, but it wasn't too bad. <BR> <BR>Mariarosa, in answer to your question, I generally left early to make the most of my day. I don't regret it because I loved being up to watch the sun rise. As it turns out, I really didn't spend much time in each place, that I visited, about half a day each in San G., Radda, and Montepulciano, and about an hour in Castellina. <BR> <BR>You should also know that you will be able to do wine tasting in the towns, but if you want to visit wineries and you don't have a car, you'll need to pay for a tour guide to do it. <BR> <BR>Let me know if you need any additional info. It's late and I just got home so I hope this makes sense.

Thanks Vita! You really went above and beyond your Fodorite call-of-duty by digging out the schedules after arriving home so late! <BR> <BR>The connections to San G. sound convenient enough, but the ones to Montepulciano sure don't. So I better fllow your advice and contact their tourism bureau. Out of Radda, Castellina, San G., and Montepulciano, which two did you like best?

Mariarosa, I think I liked San Gimignano best, but I also visited it first. I think the architecture was also the most impressive of the four. Montepulciano was nice, but I think I was just tired of the small Tuscan town thing after a while. Looking back, I wish that I had visited a larger town instead of Montepulciano on the third day just to see something different. It's really all a matter of taste though. I think I'm just more of a city-oriented person. <BR> <BR>Radda and Castellina are both very small and there's really not a lot to do unless you have a car. The good think is it's easy to visit both by bus on the same day because they share the same bus route. Another thing I would recommend is, if you like to hike, get a good trail map and do some country walks. It's a great way to see the countryside if you don't have a car. <BR> <BR>There are also horseback riding and canoeing tours that you can do from Siena but they weren't available on the days that I was there. <BR> <BR>And when you visit these places, make sure you have an appetite. The food is amazing!

Vita, <BR>Great info on the buses, makes me believe I don't have to give up seeing more of Tuscany just because I don't want to drive. <BR>A few more questions: <BR>Were you able to get bus schedules <BR>(on line,or elsewhere) before you made your trip, or did you figure it out when you got there? When you were there, where did you get the schedules? <BR> <BR>Is there a bus travel pass available, or did you buy just individual tickets? <BR> <BR>I loved Florence as well, and I too am a city girl. I loved Siena, wasn't as overwhelmed though by S. Gimignano as others, although the lousy weather I had that day may have affected my impression. <BR> <BR>You mentioned a couple of towns you weren't thrilled with--are there any that you now wish you'd chosen, based on what you've read and seen? <BR> <BR>And did you do a winery tour <BR>(with a guide) that you mentioned? <BR>thanks <BR> <BR>

Elaine, I looked into schedules online, but there wasn't a lot of information that I could find. To get an idea of what was accessible, I e-mailed tourists offices of towns I wanted to visit for bus scheduled for Siena. They were very helpful. Ultimately, the bus schedule that I picked up at Gramsci station was the most helpful and offered the most detail. <BR> <BR>I didn't use passes but I didn't really look into them. I just bought two tickets for each day, one for going and one for returning. <BR> <BR>So far as other towns to visit, I didn't really look into it, but Lucca and Arezzo looked to be larger on the map anyway. If I really, had the chance to do it over again, I think I would just spend two nights in Siena and do a day trip to San G. from there. <BR> <BR>I didn't do any wine tours. If I had, the two that would have fit my schedule and that were affordable for someone travelling alone were offered out of Florence - CAF tours (www.caftours.com) or the Accidental Tourist (www.accidentaltourist.com). I think someone on this site did a CAF tour and said they weren't impressed, but I could be wrong about that. <BR> <BR>Christina's tour (www.christinastour.com) also had some affordable options but I don't think she was offering tours when I was there. <BR> <BR>For Siena, I wouldn't necessarily recommend booking through this place, but here's a Web site lisitng some tours offered out of Siena (http://www.travel-italy.com/tours/gu...ria/index.html) <BR> <BR>In any case, by the time I left Siena, I really didn't want to return to Tuscany. I'd seen wineries before, and I wanted to see something different and to be in the city. <BR> <BR>I feel like I've said too many negative things about Tuscany. I did like it, it just went a little too long for me.