Hello,

We would like advise on traveling to Rome and from there seeing the countryside in southern Tuscany.
We've visited the Florence, Lucca, CT, Venice, San Gimi, areas in past trips.
Our tastes run towards easy travel, time spent in one location (prefer a Villa or B&B) with easy day trips.
Assisi, Saturnia, Spoleto, Perugia??? Thoughts?
We welcome suggestions for people that love to embrace Italy and not run from site to site.

Thank you

I'll be heading to the southern coastal region of la Maremma this May. It might be up your alley as well.

Fly into Rome

take train to Orvieto -great hill town - rent car or take train to Perugia- I mention Perugia because I based there for several days without a car and did some super sweet day trips - so car or no car it is a great base - lively town - home of large university-

I day tripped to Todi, Gubbio, Assisi and Urbino (latter longer day trip) - could also do Cortona or other towns you mention.

Trains are mainly regional ones - or buses - just show up for flat-fare dirt-cheap tickets - frequent service. Having a car would be more convenient but not necessary. For lots on trains and towns in Umbria or Tuscany check www.trenitalia.com-Italian Railways; www.budgeteuropetravel.com; www.seat61.com and www.ricksteves.com.

If your focus is southern Tuscany, why wouldn't you want to stay in southern Tuscany? Spoleto, Assisi or Perugia are good bases for Umbria but not so great for southern Tuscany.

I would define "southern Tuscany" as south of Siena, north of Pitigliano and west of E35, but perhaps you have something else in mind.

How many days do you have and specifically where in Tuscany do you want to explore?

If your focus is southern Tuscany, why wouldn't you want to stay in southern Tuscany? Spoleto, Assisi or Perugia are good bases for Umbria but not so great for southern Tuscany.

I would define "southern Tuscany" as south of Siena, north of Pitigliano and west of E35, but perhaps you have something else in mind.

How many days do you have and specifically where in Tuscany do you want to explore?

<i> Assisi, Saturnia, Spoleto, Perugia??? Thoughts? </i>

Except for Saturnia, all these places are in Umbria. If you're interested in Umbria, all the places you mention are good bases for day trips. I would also consider Spello, very near Assisi, but a smaller town, one of the prettiest in Italy (in my opinion).

All of the places Palenq mentions are in Umbria or, in the case of Urbino, in Le Marche.

In southern Tuscany, we really liked Sovana. It's pretty near Saturnia.

I thought Viterbo to be a really nice hill town - I assume in southern Tuscany.

Viterbo is in northern Lazio.

There have been some trips when I embrace Italy by running from site to site, and I probably wouldn't pick Assisi, Perugia and Spoleto unless I intended to be doing some heavy-duty sightseeing. Maybe the Maremma is more what you are looking for, especially if you are attracted to thermal waters. The sightseeing is more low-key if you enjoy historic sightseeing, and there is also the seacoast for a side of Tuscany most people don't associate with Tuscany. Horseback riding too if you like that. Islands.

Stay in the val d'orcin. It is wonderful. You can choose Montepulciano, Pienza, Montalcino, San Quirico d'orcin. Look for Stu Dudley's reports.

We have stayed at La Foce at least 3 times, as well as San Quirico.

Thank you everyone. Obviously I didn't know my southern Tuscany boundaries very well
I appreciate all the lovely suggestions and I'm going to work on researching now!!!
Thank you!!

If you go to the Maremma in the summer, you may need a litre of mosquito repellent. I'm one of those people who doesn't attract mosquitoes, but the little devils in the Maremma must have been desperate.

We spent a lovely week in Pienza in September. We stayed at a B&B--La Vite and did day trips. Very relaxed and fell in love with just about every hill town we visited.

We have stayed in both San Quirico and Montepulciano. Loved them both but think SQ is particularly well located and we loved to stroll through the quiet town in the evenings.

carolc

Just did a day trip to Montepulciano and loved it (but totally dead for a few hours after noon - church not even open but caffes were!

Just down from Montepulciano we visited Montecatini Terme, one of Italy's most popular thermal spas - was nice to go thru the campus like setting:

https://www.google.com/search?q=mont...HZcfDUcQsAQIHA

For something far different than iconic hill towns!

?????

Montepulciano and Montecatini Terme are absolutely nowhere near each other in Tuscany.

Folks, how much drinking do you do?

Oops got Chianciano Terme mixed up with Montecatini Terme!

Chianciano Terme is near Montepulciano:

https://www.google.com/search?q=chia...w=1745&bih=864

We stayed for a week just outside of Pienza at Fonte Bertusi.
http://www.fontebertusi.it/en/

Fonte Bertusi is divided into individual little villas. They serve a breakfast like no other! We found the location wonderful, easy drive to Montepulciano, Montalcino, Civita, Cortona, even Siena.

We stayed in Montepulciano last May, at the Politian Apartments. It is a perfect location for touring southern Tuscany, and the town is the perfect size for strolling in the evening. Politian apartments are beautiful and very reasonably priced, with parking just across the way.