bobthenavigator

Take S-2 south and then over to Orvieto--I would allow 2 hours. The car drop is in the lower town on the east side, not far from the train station. BE SURE TO CHECK HOURS THEY ARE OPEN. The train to Rome will take about 1:10--see schedules at trenitalia.com

jabez

Chiusi is about an hour nearer to Orvieto.There's a number of trains going to Rome each day. It'll take 1:30-1:45 to get to Rome. The downside is that you don't get to see Orvieto by saving that hour.
Montalcino is lovely and so is Chianti.We like both VERY much. If I wanted to stay in a town, I'd choose Montalcino. I'd stay in the countryside in Chianti. There are more places (small towns, Siena, Florence,etc.)you can easily see from Chianti than Montalcino.

nicoleg

THanks to all. Which town typically offers a better (more open) train schedule, any ideas?

ssachida

Chiusi and Orvieto are on the same train line, so I would "think" they'd have similar schedules. Not sure though...
On a side note, AutoEurope will not let you return in Chiusi or Orvieto fro anything less than a 3 day rental. Hertz is the only one I found where I could pickup a car in Florence (on a Sunday) and return in a hill town (Orvieto in my case) 2 days later.

Good luck!

nicoleg

ssachina,

Thank you for letting me know that IMPORTANT fact. I too will be renting in Florence and will only have the car realistically for two and a half days. I appreciate your input.

Thanks.