Mary Schwenkner

What a spot to be in. Discovered we will be in Italy (business trip) in April. Want to extend our time - have "done" Rome but need other ideas. Thinking Florence/Tuscany? Any recommendation on how to get around? (car, train etc), where to stay, what to see or do? Love museums, Italian food, wine.

elaine

Mary <BR>If you love museums, than Florence is definitely a place to consider; it is art heaven. <BR>I have a sightseeing file on Florence and nearby Siena; if you'd like to see it, email me. <BR>Don't know how much extra time you will have. If you really want to tour Tuscany than you will want a car. If you want to see Florence and perhaps venture out from there for a daytrip, <BR>trains and buses will do fine.

Deborah

Yes, if you are into museums then Florence is the place and it has alot more to offer. I know alot of people like Siena but I didn't enjoy it much but I really loved some of the smaller towns in Tuscany. San Gmignano was touristy but it was so beautiful that I still reccommend it. <BR>Venice is also an amazing place if have the time to do both.

Tom

Florence is a must, if for no other reason than to see David! <BR> <BR>San Gimminano, Sienna and Orvieto. Great hill towns. <BR> <BR>And of course Castello Banfi Brunello di Montalcino....the true nectar of the gods, red wine that is liquid velvet! <BR> <BR>

wendy

Naples was my absolute favorite city in Italy. it's warm, bustling, chaotic, and everything I expected Italy to be. Plus, food was cheap and delicious - pizza, sweets, sandwiches, yum yum.

Kathy

What a great topic, as I was coming to post the same question myself. My husband and pleasantly surprised my college aged daughter and myself with a trip to Naples in March during her spring break. We will have about 10 days and I, too, have done the big 3 in Italy. I was thinking of seeing Naples and the surrounding area, taking the train back into Florence (my sister will be with us and she has not been here). I wanted to venture out into the Tuscany area from Florence, but was not sure how to do it....train, rent a car? Help, please. I am excited and need to get this planned. Does this sound reasonable in the amount of time that we will have? Thanks!!

elaine

Hi <BR>I have a file on Florence and nearby areas; if you'd like to see it, email me <BR>Here is some info that may help; some local travel is actually easier by bus than it is by train <BR>www.annells.demon.co.uk/main/busita.htm links to websites on Italian bus services <BR>www.tiac.net/users/pendini/bus.html bus service, Florence airport-train station, & to Siena www.turismoverde.com/english/enhome.htm bus service Siena <BR>http://150.217.9.3/ie/citybus.htm bus service in selected cities in Italy <BR>The two best places on the web that I know of for information on the <BR> Italian rail system are: <BR> www.itwg.com/trains/trains.asp <BR> and <BR> www.fs-on-line.com/ <BR>Someone on this forum also recommended www.railsaver.com <BR> <BR> <BR>For the Chianti region, there's a great, detailed map available free on the web. <BR>www.monterinaldi.it/en/. Click on "The Map of Chianti Classico area", fill in your name & address on the next screen, and you'll get a map in the mail in a few weeks. It's 1:80,000 in scale, <BR>so it's quite detailed. As a bonus, it shows exactly where all of the Chianti wine estates are located. <BR>Chianti Driving Tour <BR>The following is adapted from Bon Appetit Magazine, October 2000 <BR>Highway S222 links Florence and Siena and is known as Via Chiantigiana. In Florence see the 6-hundred-year-old Palazzo Antinori, headquarters of the wind dynasty. The Cantinetta Antinori serves Tuscan fare and wines. <BR> <BR>Out of Florence, travel south on S222 and you'll see the beautiful Tuscan landscape of olive trees, vines, and cypress trees. You will come to Castello Vicchiomaggio, which produces Chianti Classico wines and some proprietary reds. The cellars date to the 9th century <BR>Many of the wineries are in the hills just off the Via Chiantigiana. Nearby is Castello di Gabbiano, erected in the 12th century and still producing fine Chianti Classicos. <BR> <BR>Near Greve, Villa Zano produces Chianti Aziano and is one of several estates owned by <BR>Ruffino. <BR> <BR>Isole e Olena is a large property to the west of the highway, and is an 18th century estate next to a 14th century village. <BR> <BR>Baxk on the S222 you'll come to Fontodi in a valley south of the village of Panzano. It has a proprietary Super Tuscan called Flaccianello della Pieve, pure Sangiovese grapes. <BR>Farther south is the charming village of Fonterutoli, whose chief business is wine-making. Castello di Fonterutoli is a favorite winery. <BR> <BR>Upon entering Siena, visit the Enoteca Italica Permanente, housed in a former fortress.Wines from all over Italy are available for tasting. <BR>good websites about Siena <BR>www.turismoverde.com/english/enhome.htm includes bus schedules <BR>also www.comune.siena.it <BR>