I thought it might be better to start a new post since I have a new question regarding my trip...

Has anyone stayed in a Tuscan village with a train station near by ? I don't mind staying in say Florence and daytripping but I love the smaller villages.

Also I asked at the end of the other post but probably a better spot is here...

Can we see Tuscany without a car?

Thanks for all the help. I am trying to have all my options together for my sister and mom to make the final decision.

You can see Tuscany without a car, but it isn't easy. Relatively few villages are on train lines. Many more are served by buses, but the buses cater to locals (chiefly schoolchildren) and not to tourists: they go from the villages to the provincial capital in the morning and return in the afternoon.

How about Chiusi?

For buses in the Siena province of Tuscany:
http://www.sienamobilita.it/EN/index.html

We are going to Montepulciano from Florence in early June for 3 nights and taking the train and then bus. There was a thread about all this that includes info about renting a car for a day through the hotel, Meublè Il Riccio, where we are staying.

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...an-opinion.cfm

Or we may just wander around Montepulciano and also take local bus to Pienza for one of our days. We are going off to Rome, so we are fine with low key activity for a few days in between Paris, Florence and Rome.

Although Siena is certainly not a small village, there is a lovely old olive farm on the outskirts of town that is within easy walking distance of the train station. We stayed at Borgo Grandaie three years ago and have reservations for this May. We will have a car this time from Orvieto, but previously we took a train into Siena from Miilan and then rode the bus back to Rome for our flight out. We rented a car for the days in-between. That was a great system for us. PJK

I certainly appreciate the help. Now I just need to find a happy medium My sister wants to stay north and my mom prefers Florence and surrounding areas...much work still to be done!

Please hang on because there may be more questions to follow...

1txgrl

How about Bologna as a base? What about the towns just outside, Parma, Reggo...good for exploring? According to the train system map it looks like it would be easy to get to Florence and Venice plus the smaller towns I just mentioned.

Bologna is a great base for exploring other areas by train. However, it is NOT a small village. It is a lovely city lined with porticos and known for its great food and university. Easy and enjoyable day trips from there include Ravenna, Ferrara, Modena, Parma, Florence and more. For me Venice is a bit too far (2 hours) for a dat trip, plus I couldn't settle for just a day there.

Last Spring we stayed in Badia a Coltibueno and drove to train station in Montevarchi to do a day trip into Florence. Car ride 20-30 minutes to train station and train ride (express) 30 minutes. Very easy. There are many accommodations near Badia a Coltibueno and you will be very rural in the hills. We stayed at the old abbey where the accommodations were great and great restaurant on site. Venturing out from there, we discovered many other interesting places to stay for a return trip but I would stay at abbey property again. On another trip, based ourselves in Castellina in Chianti and drove 30 minutes to train in Poggibonsi for day trips to Rome and Florence. A car is highly recommended.