Sienna as my base for Tuscany?

Old Nov 7th, 2008, 05:36 PM
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Sienna as my base for Tuscany?

I don't think we want to stay in Florence proper(or do we)..we are planning a 5-6 day stay in Tuscany. Most tour books recommend Sienna..do you have a better recommendation?
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Old Nov 7th, 2008, 05:42 PM
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Will you have a car?
All the difference.
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Old Nov 7th, 2008, 08:16 PM
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And Siena is spelled with only 1 "n".

Stu Dudley
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Old Nov 8th, 2008, 12:40 AM
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While Siena is a wonderful city, Florence really has more to offer a tourist and 5 -6 days is probably too long in either (although I could and have spent that amount of time in Florence) unless of course you have a car.
But then with a car I would advise to stay in the Tuscan countryside and day trip to both cities. There are hundereds of excellent villas etc, available for rent and close to both cities. If a car is not part of your plan, Florence is the easier to get to by train and certainly my preference.
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Old Nov 8th, 2008, 03:10 AM
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hi horatio,

what do you want to see/ when are you going?

if you have a strong interest in art and architecture, then you'll want to spend a few nights in florence, perhaps followed by a stay in the countryside.

if on the other hand you like exploring the countryside and walking, then a stay in an agriturismo [rooms on a farm] might be in order.

if you are somewhere in between, and like the buzzz of a town with trips out most day, and the possibility of a day-trip to Florence on the bus, the Siena would be ideal.

all of this is dependent on the time of year - an agriturismo in January might not be the best use of your time! nor 3 days in Florence in July at the height of the tourist season.

so there you are - answering a question with a load more questions. but once you've worked out the answers, you'll have a far better idea of how to plan your holiday!

have a great trip,

regards, ann
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Old Nov 8th, 2008, 04:03 AM
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Sorry for the spelling mistake. We were thinking no to a car..so maybe a couple of days in Florence, followed by a couple of days in the countryside would be good. Thnking, when outside of the city, of hiring a tour guide to take us around for a day or two.
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Old Nov 8th, 2008, 05:05 AM
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We stayed in Radda, which is about 45 minutes from both Florence and Siena. Town is only a handful of streets, but the countryside is gorgeous!

We didn't have a car, so we hired Lucca Garrapa of Hillsandroads.com for day trips to the vineyards and some of the hilltowns. We really enjoyed the time we spent with him!

If you're interested, we stayed at Relais Fattoria Vignale, a hotel/agriturismo that makes its own wine. The rooms were lovely with beautiful views of the surrounding countryside, and the food at the restaurant (especially the amazing breakfast!) was very good, too.
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