Siena
 

We are two long time friends who will be traveling this November and may be staying at an apartment (provided by a friend)in Siena for two weeks or longer. Any ideas what we should do while there other than absorb the beauty of the area?
We'd like to go off the beaten track to non-touristy villages and interesting sites, try family type restaurants, little cafes,etc.

What is the weather like at that time?

Any help will be very appreciated.
Thanks.

The weather might be lovely, like an Indian summer, or you might get a considerable amount of rain. It will certainly be chilly at night, no matter how sunny and warm the day.

If you don't have a car, you'll find it hard to get away from non-touristy villages. Even if you do have one, you'll have to be adventurous and take chances. With a car, if you head into the area known as the Maremma, you will have the greatest chance of hitting beautiful places without tourists.

Without a car, the best thing to do is just look at a map, pick a town, and if you never heard of it, take a bus there. Or a train.

November can be an extremely down-month for Firenze, so it's worth taking advantage of that fact and spending time there. In fact, if you go there and feel it isn't obnoxiously crowded, you might find it very rewarding to visit repeatedly.

Finally, as November progresses, you have the grape and olive harvests. You might enjoy going to a farm to taste the new olive oil, before it is bottled.

Have a great time!

Here are the weather facts. You can see it can be a bit chilly and wet.
The bus transport to the villages is good from Siena but not the trains. Good luck !
http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/w...641&refer=

I suppose the good thing is that even the touristy places won't be too busy in November.

There are reasonable bus links - try the Tra-In website at http://www.trainspa.it/en/home.html

Florence, San Gimignano and Arezzo are all easily reached. With a car there are many other options - Montalcino, Montepulciano, the abbeys at San Antimo and Monte Oliveto. The countryside around Siena is stunning - I particu;ar;y liked the road from Siena up towards Rada in Chianti.

Just to add...

November will be a great time to sample the new oil, truffles and wild game. Yum!

We just visited Volterra for the first time a few weeks ago and really enjoyed the town and the Etruscan museum.

The good news of the November time frame is that most everywhere will be "non-touristy".

I agree with zeppole regarding Florence, which has a tourist infestation during the summer months; you'll be clear of that.

I don't mean to be picky, but Tuscan towns devoid of tourists in November can still feel rather touristy, even when empty. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to San Gimignano one early December -- clear skies, fairly warm, and only a fraction of the usual hordes -- but it's a touristy town now even when the tourists aren't there.

It's a stark contrast to towns like Massa Marittima, or Manciano, or even Pistoia, which have a very workaday feel to them amid the staggering architectural and artistic wealth in the towns, and (from Massa Marittima) amazing views of Elba and the mountains of Lazio.

So if you want to see Italian life that hasn't been deeply impressed by the tourist industry, San Gimingnan, Pienza, Chianti, etc. ain't that. HOWEVER, if you ever want to really SEE the art and architecture in these towns, by all means, go in November or December when you have your chance. You'll still see the tourist tat, and some tourists, too -- but at least you won't be stuck in a mob.

The Siena central bus station is just outside of the wall near the Jolly Hotel and football stadium. From there you can take a bus to most any of the nearby and not so nearby towns for a pittance. We found the ticket sellers happy to make suggestions of what towns to visit.

I think the grape harvest will be well completed by November (just in case you focused on that in a post above)

yes -- that was my mistake. Grapes will be harvested. Olives in November.