Below is a trial Tuscany itinerary for mid-October. If things come up, it may be January/February. Any suggestions, changes, or add ons would be greatly appreciated.

Is Volterra worth seeing? I have been to San Gimignano. before, so Volterra is out of the way. I missed Lucca and Fiesole when I was last in Florence, so that is why I may see them.

Thanks

Saturday: Arrive 10AM Lake Bracciano 6.5 hours Hotel somewhere at Lake Bracciano

Sunday: Orvieto 5 hours Montepulciano 1 1/2 hours Hotel in Montepulciano

Monday: Montepulciano 3 hours Pienza: 2 hours San Quirico d’Orcia 1/2 hour Bagno Vignoni 1/2 hour Abbey Sant’Antimo 1 hour Hotel in Siena

Tuesday: Montalcino 4.5 hours Abbey di M Oliveto Maggiori 1 hour Siena Hotel in Siena

Wednesday: Free day. Possibly Train to Lucca, Fiesole, and Florences

Thursday: San Galgano 1 hour Volterra 3 hours San G. 2-3 hours Hotel in Castellina in Chianti

Friday: Castellina in Chianti 2 hours Greve in Chianti 2 hours Radda in Chianti 2 hours Gaiole in Chianti 2 hours Hotel in Gaiole in Chianti

Saturday: Arezzo 2 hours Train to Cortona 5 hours Hotel in Cortona

Sunday: Train to Perugia: 1.5 hours Train to Assisi 5 hours Train to Rome Hotel in Rome

Monday: Rome Hotel in Rome

Tuesday: Rome Hotel in Rome

Wednesday: Return home

I think most shops will be closed in Perugia on Sunday.

I think Volterra is certainly worth visiting.

Don't shortchange the lovely countryside around Pienza/Montepulciano/San Quirico - it's the prettiest in Italy, IMO. Try to visit Monticchiello also - one of our favorite non-touristy viiiages. The area around there is spectacular. It's between Pienza & Montepulciano & a bit south (not on the N146).

Stu Dudley

HI JS,

>Wednesday: Free day. Possibly Train to Lucca, Fiesole, and Florence

It would be a shame to try to fit all three into only one day.

I suggest that you visit Florence. If you can, take the no. 7 bus from SMN station up to Fiesole to watch the sun set over the city from the terrace of the Bar Bleu - right at the bus stop.

Keep in mind that mid-day the shops and restaurants are closed. It seems that you are trying to see too much and just reading your hour by hour itinerary makes my head hurt.

Rather than break a day down into slots of as little as a half hour, I'd much rather be spontaneous and pick a starting time and place and then just go with the flow - it seems to me like you are trying to hit too many places in too little time - but that's just my opinion.

Have fun!

Oh my - this seems quite frantic to me and I am a detailed planner - but this seems so rushed.

I would not get too hung up on how many hours you spend in each place - once you get to some of them, the time to spend in that particular area will sort of reveal itself to you. For example, I can't imagine spending 2 hours in Radda - and for Greve - you could just go there for dinner one night in the square and see it that way.

You also seem to be changing hotels a lot. You could pick one area as a central base - in or around Siena maybe - and do day trips to these places as well. (Maybe not Orvieto but the others.

It just sounds so rushed to me and very frequent hotel changes will eat into your time as well.

Try and not break your trip into hours. Allow as much time as you need at each location.
You might find side trips like a cashmire farm or a great pottery shop that you might want to detour at.
Choose a path and see what you can see.
You've got some great ideas, just allow yourself the time to not just see Tuscany, but absorb it.

When I put together an itinerary, I'll often indicate the specific time of day I plan to spend at a site, and also the travel time between sites. I do this to make sure my schedule is do-able, and I'm not arriving in a city like Montepulciano just as everything closes for a 3 hr lunch. Sant Antimo has chanting at specific hours, so I make sure I don't dawdle in Montalcino too long and miss the chant. My itineraries always allow for leisurly drives in the countryside.

Stu Dudley

Stu really hit on something that's often not realized by new travellers. Things really stop at lunch time.
STOP
Planning on showing up at hill town like Cortona at noon for a three hour visit,won't work.