I am spending 3 days (excluding 2 in Florence) in this region and would like suggestions on how best to maximise my time. Am I best to base myself in one spot and do day trips (have a car) or move around.

I would base within a 30 KM radius of Siena and tour from there.

I thought I could spend like 1 night Pisa, 1 night Siena and 1 somewhere else.

Do you really want to keep switching hotels every night? I agree with Bob's thinking. First, research the area and determine where you'd like to spend your time and then find a centralized spot for your home base.

Hi pm,

If you base in Florence, you can do daytrips by train to Siena, San Gimignano, Lucca and Pisa, Bologna, Chianti and Orvieto.

I have 3 days in florence anyways. Am keen to get out of the city and see the rolling hills. May be best to base ourselves in Siena I think!

Hi--just my opinion but if you are already staying in Florence for 3 nights, although Siena is nice, it is just another city experience and hot as blazes as well. Based on our experience, staying in the Tuscan countryside w/the lovely views and cool nights (as long as you have a car for exploring) is much nicer. I am enclosing a recent response I sent to someone else about Tuscany. Author: socialworker
Date: 03/30/2004, 05:50 pm
Message: hi-- we stayed here(see website below) and it was very much off the beaten path. even though it says "greve" for the location, it is really closest to a tiny and lovely town named panzano. when you open the website, and then click on "location", a map will appear, and then when you click again on the map, the map will enlarge to show the details of the towns' locations. this b&b was lovely and we stayed there at the same time--end of may. altho it gets very hot there, the night air is so cool that there is no need for a/c. even during the day, it was always cool and lovely in the hotel. here is the website---BTW unlike many websites, the place is much more charming in its actuality than on the site. The rooms look a little austere on the site and in person, it feels like the country villa that it is... http://www.venere.com/it/toscana/gre...nti/villarosa/

We just returned from Italy yesterday and spent 3 nights in Florence and then 2 in Montalcino. Great hilltown with narrow cobblestones streets and very convenient to San Gimignano, Siena,Pienza,Montapulciano. We stayed at the Hotel Vecchia Oliviera and truly enjoyed it!

Hi Darnwright, question for you. We are staying in San G for 2 nights in October. I was planning to take a drive one day down around Montalcino, Pienza etc. and visit these little hilltowns returning to San G in the evening. Is this doable? Thanks

I would stay in Siena and go out from there. We stayed on the outskirt of Siena in Oct and spent a day there, a day east to Cortona, Montalcino and Montelpulciano and a day west toward San Gimignano. When you drive, you can stop in Chianti (Greve in Chianti is on the way).

Bob is right. Stay S of Siena and use a farmhouse as your base for 3 nights! Sigh. I want to go!

I wouldn't spend a whole night in Pisa... Pisa can be done in a couple of hours. Be prepared for one heck of a tourist trap feel there too, especially in the summer

Aine, yes, it is do-able. But get an early start.

pmcconnell, bobthenavigator is right as usual in his first reply to your post. You can spend one day seeing Sam Gimignano and Volterra, another in Chianti country, and a third seeing Montalcino, Pienza, and Montepulciano. All depending, of course, on how strenuous of an itinerary you'd like. Be sure to spend some time in Siena -- it is lovely.

Good ole Sam G. -- whatta guy. That should have been "San," of course!

Aine, It is definitely doable but a bit hectic. We stayed in Montalcino and had a driver pick us up at 9:30am and spent the day at Pienza, Montepulciano and on to Siena, returning to Montalcino by 6pm. It was worth the hurried pace to see all 3. Don't miss Montepulciano.

TexasAggie,
One reason Pisa can have that "tourist trap" feel is that you're there only during the day with all the other people who believe it can be "done in a couple of hours."

You can see all the tourist sites in a short time, but after all the tour buses leave, the town takes on a different character, and can be quite charming, without the "tourist trap feel."

My wife and I are spending 2 full days in both Florence & Singuluna (15 miles south of Siena, but the travel days. We will spend 1 day in Florence, and take the train to Lucca & Pisa another. Renting a car then and will hit Chianti on the way tio Singulana and then 2 more day trips.
Rich

Siena and Pisa are nice, but in my opinion you can see more interesting sights in the Tuscany countryside. We stayed in Montalcino two weeks ago. It?s a perfect small hill town with less than 30 tourists. We enjoyed the 5-course lunch paired with wines at Castle Banfi. So wonderful! Many roads lead to nearby towns.

We visited Castellina, Greve in Chianti, Siena, and Pisa from there. Montalcino was still one of our highlights of our trip, along with Vernazza.