centeno

I am beginning my trip for our anniversary in Porto Ercole for three nights. We were than suppose to drive from there to Florence stopping in Sienna just for lunch and staying two nights in Florence before we go to Venice for three nights. I have been to Florence a few times already and was thinking I am missing out by not staying somewhere in Tuscany instead. What do you think? Where would you stay for a couple of nights? Would you go to Florence once again since it is easy to take the train to Venice or drive from Porto Ercole to a location in Tuscany and stay two nights doing day trips around? Any suggestions? We love food and wine and honestly I don't think I'm going back to the Uffizi this trip Also this is the first week in July so I am afraid it will be HOT and CROWDED. Might be nice to be in the country side with a pool?

Ann1

I would suggest finding an agritourism and staying there for a couple of days. I can't remember the name of the one we went to, but if you haven't experienced staying in the country of Tuscany and driving around to the American cemetery and the little villages, that would be a great idea.

At the place we stayed, they had the shelves stocked with their wine and other products that they charged the normal (not inflated) rate for. We walked through the vineyard early in the morning and had a view of Florence. IMO it is a must do.

annhig

do you know the area around Grosseto or Orbetello? it's a really interesting and lovely place. I stayed there for a week about 2 years ago, and you will find more than enough to do for 3 days in the immediate area, what with the beaches of the lagoon, exploring the coast, boat trips, possibly hiring bikes, etc, etc,

After that, there is a lot to see in southern Tuscany - the national park of the Maremma, Pitigliano [a little like Orvieto in that it is an etruscan hill town, but far less crowded] Saturnia, the lovely town of Massa Maritima towards Siena - and these places will be far less crowded than Siena and Florence.

so i would look at the other Ann's suggestion of an agriturismo with a pool somewhere in southern Tuscany "far from the madding crowds" of Florence and Siena.

adrienne

Where you stay depends on what Tuscan towns you want to visit. If you just want to relax and sit by a pool then any area will do. I've stayed in Pienza (in the town) and found it was a beautiful area to explore. We took day trips as far as 2 hours away but there are plenty of scenic towns/drives close to Pienza.

BTW - Florence is in Tuscany.

bobthenavigator

I would stay in rural Tuscany for 2 nights--perhaps south of Siena.

centeno

Thank you for all of your input. Yes, I am aware Florence is in Tuscany and that Tuscany is actually very large with various areas. We will be near Sienna and Florence coming from Porto Ercole on our way to Venice. An argriturismo sounds great. We love food, wine, people, culture as well as art, architecture and shopping. I donot want to sit by a pool when I am in Italy however, to have the option for a swim would be nice if it is very warm which I suspect it will be.
Any suggestions on where to stay? Where would you drop off a car and than go on to Venice? I know I can do it from Florence easily and I am sure other towns but I do not know. We also looked at Borgo San Pietro which looked beautiful as a place to stay. Has anyone stayed there for a few nights? Is it worth the expense? I think the only room they have available is not that nice so I need other ideas as well. I don't really want to be driving two hours back and forth to a place.

annhig

Centeno - a place I would like to stay in or near would be Massa Marittma. it's a fascinating place - a gorgeous cathedral, interesting little streets, very nice restaurants, - and a very strange wall running round it, the significance of which was explained to me but sadly my italian wasn't up fully to understanding what I was being told!

it's quite close to the coast so there should be swimming opportunities too.

alternatively the Pienza area could be very nice.

here's a link to an organisation of many agriturismi:

http://www.agriturismo.it/en/farmhouse/tuscany

according to www.trenitalia.it, the fast trains take about 4 hours from Siena to Venice, with a change at Florence.

carmar

http://villacicolina.it/

Our family of 8 adults stayed there 2 yrs. ago and it was wonderful!

bobthenavigator

This place is quite nice:
http://www.amorosa.it/

I would drop the car in Siena near the train station

Jean

Is there a reason you wouldn't want to drive to Venice and drop the car there?

centeno

I would think driving all the way to Venice would be very long? And if I did what special towns or places would I stop in? It's all a bit new, which is good Any suggestions?

centeno

The amorosa looks beautiful btw.

Jean

"I would think driving all the way to Venice would be very long?"

Even without knowing where in Tuscany you decide to stay for 2 nights, unless you stay in Florence, I think it's pretty safe to say it would be faster to drive from that place to Venice than to drive somewhere to return the car, get to the train station, wait for the train and ride the train. For example, the drive from Siena to Venice would take about 3.5-4 hours. Just the train ride from Siena to Venice is 4+ hours. I recognize it may not seem like a large time difference, but one advantage to driving is you only have to handle your luggage twice: putting it in the car and taking it out of the car. If you turn in the car and train, you'll handle your luggage 6 times (in/out of car, and in/out of two trains because of the connection).

If you do decide to turn in the car and train to Venice, make sure you know if/when the car rental agency is open/closed. Many offices close for a few hours in the middle of the day. Siena is one.

centeno

Thank you Jean! Just found out the Paleo is happening in Sienna the day we were suppose to go there! I don't think I would enjoy that event or the crowds!! So now the challenge is to either drive through another area to Florence or just keep the car and spend a couple of days touring and staying places on our way to Venice. We have from July 2 to the 4th or 5th depending on how many nights we give to Venice. Does anyone have any itinerary driving suggestions from Porto Ercole to Venice? Or direct me to where I can find out that type of information? Thanks!

annhig

and if you follow Jean's advice, you can stop off when you like - perhaps at Sirmone by Lake Garda, or in Ravenna and take a peek at the mosaics, or just have an excellent lunch in Bologna.

Jean

You can search driving routes on maps.google.com and/or viamichelin.com. Both sites give the option to search by preference (i.e., fastest, shortest, avoid highways, avoid tolls, etc.).

I generally prefer Google because you can view a Streetview image of each step of the itinerary. Plug in your from and to information. When you get the map and turn-by-turn directions for your route, scroll down to any of the numbered steps, and you'll see a small Streetview (yellow man) icon appear at the right side edge. Click on the yellow man and a window will open at the top of the map showing what the road looks like at that point.

If you want to stop in, say, Bologna for lunch, make sure you know where you can park without violating the city's limited traffic zone (called a ZTL in Italian towns). Google gives vague warnings about "restricted usage road," but it's up to you to know the boundaries of these zones. If you violate the zone, even without meaning to, you'll likely get an expensive ticket in the mail after you get home.

http://maps.google.it/maps/ms?gl=IT&...398bd2f12ee750

http://www.comune.bologna.it/media/f...l_20122013.pdf [a little confusing, but public parking is noted]

cathies

My daughter and her husband stayed here two weeks ago and absolutely loved it.

http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/au/luxu.../poggio-piglia

centeno

Thank you cathies for the mr and mrs smith recommendation! They have lot's of nice hotels! Jean the google map is great and amazes me how close everything really is! Still planning since the information is overwhelming and of course I want to see it all!! At the moment I am thinking of driving from Porto Ercole to somewhere in Tuscany for two nights to explore. Than possibly on to Florence for a night just to drop the car off, eat, walk around, shop a bit and take the train on to Venice. I know it might be easier to drive so that is still a possibility. I would skip Florence than I think and just drive to Venice. I am a bit concerned leaving luggage and such in a car as I explore Bologna for example. Doesn't seem like such a good idea to me.

Jean

Re your Bologna comment... You'd need to rent a car with a trunk or one with a cover over the cargo area so that your luggage is not visible.

Returning the car IN Florence is a little tricky because of the ZTL. Make sure you have precise directions to the rental office that avoid the zone. Many people choose to return their rental cars at the Florence airport and take the bus or a taxi into the city.

Places may seem close to each other, but the drives almost always take longer than the Google estimates.

kybourbon

I don't think you'll find many agriturismos that will rent for a day or two, especially in season. Most will require a weeks rental in summer. This place is near Siena and has very nice pools.
http://www.mulinodiquercegrossa.it/