Marci_77

I realize that this seems like a question that I should be able to find in any guidebook, but I can't.

We are looking to spend 4 nights in Tuscany exploring some smaller towns (before that 3 nights in florence, and after 3 in rome--first time to Italy).
We are trying to find a good "base" but can't figure out how far the drive is from in between towns. I think we are more interested in the southern towns.
I certainly would appreciate advice on what town to stay in, but at the least some help on driving times would be much appreciated.
thanks!

Shar

It might help if you were more specific on which hill towns you are referring to to see how far apart they are. There are so many, some better than others.

HowardR

Montalcino, Pienza and Montepulciano are three delightful towns that are close to each other in southern Tuscany.

bobthenavigator

The book TOP 10 TUSCANY by Reid Bramlett lists the top 10 hill towns. Howard hit 3 of them that are close together along the S-146 corridor. Another concentration is NW of there and includes Volterra, San Gimignano, and Siena. Either area is terrific, and Siena is smack in the middle. I like to stay south of Siena for day trips and include the two abbeys in that area as well. Good luck !

macanimals

Marci: Southern Tuscany is commonly thought to include Montalcino, San Querico, Pienza and Montepulciano and others. It is easy enough to determine driving times and distances by using viamichelin.com or mappy.com . There are other websites as well. Just enter the town of origin and any destination or combination--it will calculate distance and time.
As for base, it really depends on your preference. We stayed in Montalcino and could get anywhere we desired and always return to a very "wine centered" village--we enjoyed it. I would think that San Querico and Montepulciano would be convenient as well. Use the websites, look at a map and figure out what places you want to explore. Enjoy!
Cin Cin! Paul

HowardR

I'll also strongly recommend TOP 10 TUSCANY. It's an excellent resource for anyone going to that area.

Marci_77

You guys are great! Thanks for the book and website recommendations--just what I needed.

Carol_A

Gubbio to Pienzo – 1 hr 50 min
Montalcino (about 45 minutes (by car) from Siena
Assisi to Pienza – 1 hour 30 min
Assisi to Gubbio – 1 hour
Orvieto to Assisi - 1 hour 23 min
Pienza to Siena – 1 hour
Pienza to Volterra – 1 hour 50 min
Volterra to San Gimignano = 40 min
San Gimiganano to Siena – 45 min
Volterra to Siena – 1 hr 10 min
Volterra to Florence 1 hr 25 min
San Gimignano to Florence – 1 hour
Orvieto to Pienzo = 1 hour 10 min
Rome to Orvieto = 1 hour 30 min

I got all these from this site: http://www.viamichelin.com/viamichel...MaHomePage.htm
You just type in the cities and it gives directions, tolls and times.