My husband and I are going to Italy March 9-18th 2007. It is his first time there and he is Italian so I want to make it special. Here is our itinerary:

March 9th: arrive in Venice in the evening
March 10th: Venice
March 11th: Venice
March 12th: leave Venice early morning to hotel in Siena
March 13th: Siena
March 14th: leave Siena for Rome
March 15th: Rome
March 16th: Rome
March 17th: Rome
March 18th: early morning flight to US


My only hesitation is our time in Tuscany. If you could only pick one town to visit, would Siena be the best choice? I have already done Florence (although my husband has not), so was hoping to experience a more quant Italian setting sandwiched between the two larger cities (Venice and Rome). Is two nights in Siena too much? I was thinking the travel time alone takes away half a day. Are there “field trips” that we could take from Siena to see some neighboring towns? I have heard San Gimignano and Monteriggioni are also good choices. Are these close to Siena or on the way from Venice so that we could stop there the day of the 13th? Also, I am undecided between taking the high speed train (to save travel time) or renting a car to travel from Venice to Rome. Is a car necessary in Tuscany if we have a hotel in Siena? Is it recommended? I am leaning towards it but would love your advice and thoughts on where we could visit the day of the 13th on our way to Siena.

Thanks!

Hi Amber,

Unless you are planning on a dew days touring Tuscany, I would take the bus from Siena to Rome Tiburtina station.

It's more convenient than the train.
See www.senabus.it/

You might also want to consider taking the train from Venice to Bologna, spending 1/2 day in B, and then the Sena bus to Siena.

You could also take the train to Florence, see F for 1/2 day and take the SITA bus to Siena.

Enjoy your visit.

>Is two nights in Siena too much?<
NO - it's a nice contrast to Venice and Rome; you'll like it.
>I have heard San Gimignano and Monteriggioni are also good choices. Are these close to Siena...?<
YES - These are good choices for your "field trips" from Siena.

Personally,I'd skip Tuscany with such a short schedule.
Florence is obviously your best bet,because of less travel times.
You also might consider Lucca or Orvieto as alternatives.

Withn only a day in Siena,I doubt that there would be time for any "field trips".

Yes, I would include Siena for 2 nites.
You must connect via Florence to get there, and Ira is correct about the bus to Rome--there is no direct train.

Thanks for all the advice. What do you think is cheaper or more convenient given this itinerary, renting a car or riding the train?

We always prefer to travel by car (because we prefer smaller towns and the countryside). In your case a car would make little or no sense with Venice and Rome on your agenda.

The only possibility would be for a one-day jaunt into the region outside Siena (the 13th). Perhaps that could be an impromtu decision...

Hi Amber,

Take the train from Venice to Florence.

Leave your luggage at the station and see a little of Florence.

Take the SITA bus (about 3 blks from SMN station) to Siena.

Take the Sena bus to Rome.

Enjoy your visit.

BK

I like your idea of splitting time between two cities, but Siena wouldn't be my first choice. I am in the minority as not liking it terribly much. And it's a city of some 50,000 or so (I think).

I'd choose a much smaller town for a contrast.