Siena base, where to for day trips?
 

Well three days to go before we start our adventure in Italy. We spend the first week in Positano and have our days all planned out. Week two we will be staying in Siena for four days and was going to play it day by day. I have gone on all the forums and have some day trips in mind but nothing concrete.

Any suggestions as a " must do "? We do have a car that will be good to move about in Tuscany.

Thanks, Mike

I see 3 day trips:

1. NW day trip: Volterra, San Gimignano. Monteriggioni

2. SE day trip: Abbey Oliveto Maggiore, Pienza, Montepulciano

3. SW day trip: Bagno Vignoni, St. Antimo, Montalcino

Let your guide book fill in the details. Click on my name for my trip report from last May with some good places to eat.

I have just returned from 4 days in Siena

First day; I went to Pienza and Multepulciano.

Second day; Castellina in Chianti and San Gimignano.

Third day; Collie d Val D'Elsa and Volterra.

I travelled by public transport to all.

Favourite was Volterra but enjoyed it all.

ps. don't forget Siena itself. Lovely town.

I concur with both reply's make sure you have time to visit the winery's surrounding San Gimignano they produce some of the best Reds and try the Gelato voted the best in Italy located in the heart of the Mid-evil village.

madmikey,
This may help http://www.slowtrav.com/italy/tuscany/hs_planning.htm

If you're near Certaldo on Oct. 8 or 9, they're having their annual Boccaccesa wine & food festival. (And if you're there on the 9th, and you see a 40-something American couple walking around with wine glasses, that'll probably be me and ms_go.)

Sounds like a plan, how far is Certaldo from siena ?

marking for future reference as I plan our Tuscany/Umbria trip for 2012 :-)

and hijacking the thread... have a lovely trip, Go_family!

Save San Gimignano for an evening stroll. It's overly touristy during the day.

I would spend at least a half day driving the Crete Senesi and visiting some of the quaint villages. This is the area south of Siena upto about San Quirico d'Orcia, where all those beautiful postcards with cypresses have been taken. This was the highlight of our trip to Tuscany.

mm: It's about 25 - 30 miles up the road.

Aggie: Thanks so much. I promise a trip report and many pix!