I'm interested in hearing suggestions for hotels in Siena. Also, what side trips are worthwhile? Anyone been to Assisi, Perugia, Orvieto, or other nearby towns? We are trying to decide which ones to visit.

hi, <BR> <BR>visit hotel piccola siena, it's really nice: http://www.charmingtuscany.com/piccolasiena/ <BR> <BR>regards <BR>bea

Ed: Siena is one of my favourite towns. *Beautiful*. The main square "Il Campo" is to me the most beautiful square I've ever seen. Assisi, Perugia and Orvieto are top spoots. One day should be ok for each town, if you don't go into small details. They are pretty small. Visit ALL of them! <BR>Maybe you find other general inputs on the official site of the Italian tourist board. <BR> <BR>www.enit.it <BR> <BR>Buon viaggio!

Bea, hello again - you must surely be on a chunk of tuscany.net commission for this?

ed if you speak some italian and will have a car try the castalanetto hotel. its located not on the same ridge as the main town-its quiet, lovely and the hosts are remarkable and friendly. beware they speak no english and understand less. the hotel is a converted estate house and beautiful luck

Be sure not to miss San Gimmignano not very far north of Sienna !!

to: heretoo! <BR> <BR>no im not, but im staying in Tuscany so i know what im talking about, have stayed and visited a lot of places all over Italy, and if someone wants to book online i really think that this site www.tuscany.net is the only one that really gives you the possibility to see what you are booking. <BR> <BR>regards <BR>bea <BR> <BR>

to the top!

Ed, I am confused. You ask about Siena but then you mention 3 towns in Umbria that are not near Siena. Your best choices for Siena are the Santa Caterina and the Piccolo Oliveto if you have a car---both nice 3 stars just outside the city walls. If you want to see Umbria then I suggest you move over to near Assisi--perhaps Spello. Let me know if you need details.

I've been to both Orvieto and Lucca as daytrips from Florence. You can easily do them from Siena instead, and both are well worth seeing. <BR> <BR>The facade and frescoed ceiling of Orvieto's Duomo are spectacular, and Lucca is a charming town surrounded by ancient walls upon which you can walk (and look into the gardens below!) Volterra is another town worth visiting, especially if you are interested in things Etruscan - there is a museum with quite an exensive collection.

Oh C'mon Bea - you're everywhere, recommending solely tuscany.net AND the partner sites (charming rome, florence, etc), and, in the case of a recent Lucca posting, giving a direct link to a page that wasn't even in your own indexes yet! Plug your own company by all means (actually, don't, it's poor form), but do stop insulting our intelligence. There are lots of sites which show you what you're booking - initaly.com, knowital.com, agriturismo.net, but most of them, including your beloved tuscany.net, but not knowital.com, are agents in the middle. You pays your money and you makes your choice.

Ed, <BR>I have a suggestion where to stay in Siena:. I've been in <BR>Tuscany many times, but I wonder to stay for a long period to know it with <BR>more details. <BR>So after a homework I decide to rent a villa in the outskirts of Siena. That <BR>was a lovely experience! <BR>From this point we went to the Chianti region, San Gimignano, Florence <BR>(twice), and south of Siena to Montalcino, Montepulciano, Pienza, etc. <BR>A car is a must. The roads are great and the little back roads very nice. <BR>Le Meridiane ís a villa in Siena. It could suit you. <BR>&gt;&gt;My wife and I have been at Le Meridiane, for a week, last year. <BR>&gt;&gt;We liked it very much. The accomodations are very clean, large (you can <BR>see the bedroom where we slept at the website), comfortable and has all <BR>amenities. It has all cooking facilities and we had many meals at home. <BR>There is a good view to the gardens with many olive trees and to a valle <BR>with a avenue. It is located at the outskirts of Siena, fifteen minutes by <BR>car to the Centro Storico and very near to the auto-route to Florence. <BR>&gt;There is a small grocery store nearby and a supermarket (COOP) a ten <BR>minutes ride near the railstation. <BR>&gt;&gt;The street, with many houses, ends at a cul-de-sac at Le Meridiane in a <BR>small plaza where you can park your car. We had a car (leased from Renault <BR>in Paris) and we've made many trips to the Chianti Region and south of Siena <BR>(Montalcino, Montepulciano, Pienza, Sinalunga, etc.). Twice we went to <BR>Florence (50 minutes by a no-toll auto-route). La signora Ana, who is in <BR>charge of the villa, is very helpful and lives in another house nearby. I <BR>looked for the website and I found it: <BR>http:www.rpilo.it/meridian/meridian.htm <BR>&gt;&gt;I'm a travel consultant in Belo Horizonte (Minas Gerais State) in Brazil <BR>and I'll be glad to give more informations. <BR>&gt;&gt;Ismael <BR>