Banff

Taking my family to Italy for nine days and I really prefer to avoid a car rental in that country. We are basing ourselves in Rome, Siena and Venice.

1) My question, I'd like to stop at Orvieto on our train trip to Siena. Can I get a stopover for a few hours? Or would I need to book separate tickets?

2) We, two adults and two kids, are going to try and squeeze everything into small carryons. I know this poses a problem getting around with kids and luggage. Are there lockers at train stations if we do stopover?

thanks

ellenem

1) Regional trains (the type without seat reservations) allow for a stopover of a few hours. Just before you board the train, you validate these tickets by stamping them with the date and time in the yellow machine on the platform. You must complete your trip within 6 hours. I think stopping off in Orvieto would be cutting it close. You'd have only two hours toget to the center of town, do something , and get back to the train station--the full trip from Rome>Siena take 3-4 hours. I'd probably book separate tickets, since on a regional train it will be pretty cheap.

Whether you were traveling Rome>Siena or Rome>Orvieto>Siena, you will have to change to a different train in Chiusi, and so the Chiusi>Siena portion of the trip would be on a different ticket.

Your family might be ale to get the family discount:

http://www.trenitalia.com/cms/v/inde...003f16f90aRCRD

2) No lockers (too unsafe in these days of terrorism) but some stations have Depositi Baggagli--luggage storage for a fee. Orvieto does not have a luggage deposit, but there is a hotel nearby the station that stores luggage for a fee.

Banff

thank you ellenem - great information. Do you think it would be better to just take the bus to Siena and then day trip out to San G and other towns from there? Is Orvieto worth the visit or are other more convenient towns to Siena just as good?

GAC

Orvieto is definitely worth the visit, and there is no good reason the "backtrack" from Siena.

I would take a regionale train to Orvieto, visit the town, then proceed to Siena on another regionale train (but connecting at Chiusi Scalo). There is a hotel at the Orvieto train station which stores luggage for a very small fee for travellers such as you who want to visit the town as a day trip.

Fares:

Rome to Orvieto: 7.10 Euros. Train departs Rome at 9:05.

Orvieto to Siena: 7.80 Euros. Train departs Orvieto at 16:20. There is a 19-minute connection at Chiusi Scalo, and you arrive in Siena at 18:36. There is a local bus from the train station up the hill to central Siena.

On Trenitalia trains, children under 12 years and one day, travel half fare.

Banff

beautiful - sounds like a plan - thank you !!!

GAC

Don't forget to "stamp" your ticket for any regionale train in the little yellow machines by the tracks. If you fail to do so, you may be fined 50 euros per ticket.

Remember: tickets for regionale ("R") trains in Italy must be stamped before boarding.

Don't forget!!!!!