Scrappr2

We're making our first trip to Italy and will be staying in Montecatini. We want to do some traveling on our own to San Gimignano, Cinque Terra, Cortona/Montepulciano and other areas. How do we best accomplish this? I'm checking trains and I'm getting replies that the train does not go into these cities. Any ideas? Buses, maybe? Thanks for any help, and any other suggestions on what to visit.

macanimals

Rent a car.

TuckH

The places you wish to see are hilltowns and that's why you're getting no results for trains.

By all means, rent a car.

Montecatini is located in the northwest corner of Tuscany. Making visits to southern Tuscany will take considerable time. For instance, it's about 2 hours to Cortona/Montepulciano.

See http://tinyurl.com/5fznhg

>> any other suggestions on what to visit. <<

You'll be close enough to the Cinque Terre and the Chianti area, as well as Pisa, Lucca, Volterra, San Gimignano, Monteriggioni and of course, Florence and Siena...

jExIcA

there are buses and train to move on different city so check it's simple just find the right bus and the stop

bobthenavigator

That will not be your best location to visit some of your destinations. Consider also staying in Siena. Do you ahve a good map?

WebVisionItaly

If it is Montecatini Terme (spa) then Tuck sounds right - Lucca, Voltera, San Gimignano, and Pisa are close by. Here's a little video introdcution to Tuscany:

http://www.webvisionitaly.com/catego...p;ref_item=268

Another town close by is Pietrasanta, just below Carrara, where the white marble made famous by Michelangelo comes:

http://www.webvisionitaly.com/catego...p;ref_item=373

Scrappr2

Thanks to all of you. Yes, as I do more research, it's becoming less intimidating. Our tour company offers some tours, but half the time we're on our own (11 days total).

Is renting a car fairly safe?

Any suggestions on a good map? I found a couple at Barnes and Noble, but haven't purchased yet.

What's the best hill town to visit if I need to pick one?

TuckH

Yes, renting a car is safe - don't worry about it.

The Touring Club Italiano Toscana (1:200,000) can be bought online.
http://tinyurl.com/2ac3j4

San Gimignano is the best hilltown IMO.

supertuscan

We rented a car from Hertz in 2007 in Florence and were very pleased and the price was competitive. Driving in Tuscany is not difficult once you get used to it. Most every intersection has signs pointing in various directions. The key is that the signs typically indicate a far away large town so know the towns beyond where you're trying to go so you head the right direction.

You definitely need a good map. We used a Michelin map of Tuscany and it had even the small roads. We also had a Herst NeverLost GPS and it was amazing in getting up to even the most out of the way places. The only problem we had was it took about 10 minutes to find itself when we first turned it on so we turned it on in advance.

One final caution, try to avoid driving in the large city of Florence as much as possible as its very confusing. Drive in, park and walk.

Have a fabulous trip and let me know if you have any other questions about visiting Tuscany.

supertuscan

On hilltowns:
San Gimi is nice, but often very crowded. Don't miss Volterra and also be sure to spend a day in Lucca (not a hilltown, but a beautiful walled city).

As an off the beaten path idea check out the Vilca crystal factory in Colle Val d’Elsa near San Gimi (www.vilca.it). They have 1 hour tours and you walk between the glass blowers and its amazing (clearly no OSHA rules which separate you from the workers).

WebVisionItaly

In San Gimignano we love this restaurant:

http://www.webvisionitaly.com/catego...p;ref_item=368

The town does get crowded, esepcially on weekends! Early in the morning and late afternoon are beautiful

Volterra town and its Etruscan museum are nice.