I am planning to base myself in Montecatini Terme and then take day trips. I am interested in seeing Lucca, Pisa, Siena, and Cinque Terre. Is Montecatini Terme a good spot for a base and are the towns I mentioned suitable for day trips? Any other "must see towns" you would recommend? I had been planning to travel by rail, but should I consider renting a car for a day or two to see Tuscany? Finally, any recommendations for 3 star hotels in Montecatini Terme? Thanks in advance for your help.

Montecatini is a perfect place to use as a base for Lucca and Pisa as well as for Firenze. Cinque terre are not close by: you would hav to take a train to Pisa or to Viareggio, change train and either go all the way to Cinque terre or have to swap another train in la Spezia. The overall travelling time is approx 3 hours, a trip to Cinque terre should be better done by car, but if you ddecide to go by car,do not use the Autostrada, rather take a longer route across the Alpi Apuane, the mountains that connect the Alps to the Appennini mountains: this detour might turn out even more interesting than the overrated and overcrowded Cinque terre themselves. Also, Siena is not close by. Driving from Montecatini to Siena takes approximately one hour and a half or maybe more. By train you would have to go to Firenze Rifredi station, and in there take iether a diret train to Siena or a train to Empoli and than another train to Siena from Empoli, like in the case of Cinque terre, travel time is around 3 hours. Much better to leave Siena for he very last days of your trip and do it as a separate destination. More places that you might see are certainly Pistoia, quet medieval and absolutely non touristy, and generally speaking the mountains above Pistoia. In particular one lovely trip is to go by train from Pistoia to Porretta terme. Porretta is nothing special, but the railway is one of the most scenic of italy.

Dont miss Montalcino...it is a quaint little village and home to the best Brunello in Italy. check out www.castellobanfi.com

You should check out www.bassettobackpack.com we stayed there this yaer and it was amazing, true Tuscan adventure!!!

We just got back from a week in Florence. We went to Lucca, Siena, Pisa and San Gimignano. I loved San G the most.

My husband and I spent a week in Tuscany in April and split our hotel time between Florence and Lucca. After 3 nights in Florence, we were in serious need for the peace and tranquility that Lucca offered. (stayed at the Palazzo Alexander - lovely) From Lucca, we made day trips to Cinque Terre, Pisa and Volterre. Volterre was by far our favorite Italian experience. It was only about 40 min south of Lucca in our rented Ford Focus and was a beautiful drive though the green hills of Tuscany. Volterre is a charming, untouristy, mediaeval/etruscan, hill top town with loads of charm. We went to one of the many wine shops and purchased a picnic lunch of local cheese, salami and olives and drank our bottle of wine in a park overlooking the countryside. It's one of those little gems you don't read about in the guide books. (we found out about it from our hotel in Lucca) Great day trip - not to be missed!

Volterra is a true gem, but it has been on the tour bus circuit for at least ten years and is only :30 from San Gim.<BR>Troy, I would drive to these from your base camp--cannot access by train.

Thanks so much for your detailed and very helpful information. Greatly appreciated!!! I can't wait to get to Italy.