We will be in Italy in May and want to visit Siena, Cortona, Oriveto, Arezzo, Assisi, Voterra - haven't locked in exactly the places to visit. All our travel will be by bus or train. I'm afraid we don't have the courage to hire a car as, not only do the Italians drive fast, but they drive on the wrong side of the road. What I would like to know is where would be the best place to base ourselves? At this stage it seems like Florence or should we stay elsewhere? Which of these places are must sees? Which would you not bother to visit?

I have done a site search and read some great reports but all seem to be written by people who have driven the area.

Any comments/suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.

I have explore the region of Umbria both ways, by car (1993) and by train (2002). I am biased towards the car, but found the train to be very easy and convenient. If you decide to take the train just do a thorough research on the Italian rail lines for the cities and how far the station is from your lodging. May can go rainy frequently in those regions so take good raingear with you need to walk outside.

I loved Siena, Orvieto, and Assisi. The station in Assisi is about 5 Km from the hilltop medieval town; take the bus. A taxi will cost you about $10-15, which is a bit much. The town behind the train station is also worth a stop to; you can walk to the big cathedral.

BTW, I am guessing you are Australian? British?

We overcame our 'fear' of driving 'on the wrong side of the road' when we first went to the UK and we've been back many times since and have been rewarded with much enjoyment.

Driving in the Italian countryside is not at all difficult IMO and I'd urge you to reconsider because it's the best way to get the most out of your visit. I suggest basing in a centrally located agriturismo, with easy access, from which you can make your day trips. (I'd not advise driving INTO these towns; park in the designated areas outside the walls.)

Give it a try...

I second TuckH.
There are so many wonderful places in the countryside that it would be a pity to be forced to stay in town in the vicinity of public transport.
Furthermore, it is May, and not that touristy.
I would choose my base somewhere in the Pienza region.

This also...

We've never traveled by rail or bus but I've noticed that the stations or depots are often quite remote from the centers of these hilltowns.

I spent a week last year in Passignano sul Trasimeno, and it was very easy to make day trips by train to Arezzo and Assisi (also Perugia if that interests you). You should also be able to get to Cortona, although you would need to take a bus from the closest train station. Orvieto's quite a bit further south than the other places on your list - do you want just one base for the whole trip? If so, and lovely as Orvieto is, I'd skip it on this occasion, and go some other time. For Siena I think you'd need to change trains a couple of times, and I'm not sure about Volterra.

Your comment about driving on the wrong side of the road leads me to believe you are from the UK or Australia. If so, I recommend you skip the driving unless you splurge on an automatic. Not that driving there is difficult, but the cars are primarily stick shift. To drive on the "other" side of the road and work a stick shift is not much of a holiday.

You don't mention how long you will be there and the places you want to visit are far from one another. Take that into consideration in your planning.

Siena and Orvietto might be two good places in which to base yourself. Volterra is nice, but not so much to do. You might want to consider San Gimignano instead. That is if it's Volterra you were referring to.

Let us know how many nights you're planning and we can offer more detailed suggestions.

Thanks everyone, you've all been really helpful.

Yes I'm an Australian and have only driven an automatic for years hence the hesitation. I can come at driving the country roads but not into the larger city areas. However I am coming to think that driving really is the only way to go to see what we want to in the time we have available. My other big fear is the motorways. I find the speed and way they drive somewhat intimidating.

TuckH you are right the train stations are often quite far from the town itself. Also looking at the bus timetables we would be spending quite a bit of time travelling instead of enjoying these great towns.

Nothing has been locked in but we are looking at 2 - 3 nights in Florence (I've been there 3 times previously hence the short amount of time there) and then heading to Siena for 2 and then 4 days getting around the hilltop towns.

Is it more logical to stay in the Tuscany reagion and leave Umbria to another trip?

I assume I could hire a car out of Siena.

Baysidegirl, I know how you feel - also driving at the "other side" of the road in my home country. Yes, it is a bit intimidating to drive in Italy because the Italians like to speed - and they are impatient drivers - but it is absolutely worth it. So much time is wasted when you have to wait for trains and buses. And you cannot reach all the small villages by public transport - or only by means of a bus running only once a day.

If you are used to an automatic car - get an automatic and drive yourself. If I could do it - you also can do it! My bit of advice would be to pick up the car where it is easy to navigate out of town. I read that Florence is a bit of a nightmare. We picked up a car twice in Arezzo and it was not that difficult to get out of - and into town again. Bonus is that you will drive right pass Cortona on your way to Assisi. I later saw that AVIS has an office in Foligno and thought I will pick up a car there next time. We usually base ourselves in Assisi and then in Montalcino or Pienza.

You can drive in Italy. Just ignore the Italians and drive as slowly as you are comfortabe doing! It is really easy to drive from Assisi to Orvieto and Volterra. I printed directions from Michelin and it helped a lot.

We rented a car in Siena where it was not too difficult to drive. Note that most car rental agencies other than at airports are closed on Sundays and sometimes on Saturday. In Siena we rented from Hertz and they closed at noon on Saturday and all day Sunday.

> Is it more logical to stay in the Tuscany reagion and leave Umbria to another trip? <

IMO - yes. There's plenty to see and do in Tuscany, especially around Siena and in the Val d'Orcia.

I think you could train to Orvieto (which is technically in Umbria) and rent the car and return it there. This way you'd not need to travel the motorway at all.

> I can come at driving the country roads but not into the larger city areas. <

No one drives into the town centers - they're for pedestrian use only.

Hi there!

I have been to all of these towns more than once. Of all you have listed, I would rate them (remember this is only one person's opinion) in order of my enjoyment of visiting them, starting with my favorite and ending with my least favorite. Keep in mind that just because one is listed last does not mean I didn't love the town, I just like a few others better.

1. Assisi
2. Volterra
3. Orvieto
4. Siena
5. Arrezzo
5. Cortona

Florence is a great base. How long will you be in Italy? You could spend a week in Florence alone.

With a rental car you have much more flexibility. It won't be that difficult, but trains are also a possibility, the only probably with trains is that unlike driving a car, you can't stop if you see something interesting enroute you want to explore.

If you need any links, please say so. I have been to Italy 9 times and will go again two more times this year and can point you towards lots of great sites.

OK you've talked me into it. I am taking all your very helpful suggestions on board and investigating getting a car and trying to work out the least stressful route.

Also trying to cut down the number of places we want to visit as I think we are being a bit ambitious in the time we have. Now just the process of deciding which ones.

Chiarachiara - your suggestions sound perfect for us. Thanks

Wanderlust5 I have been to Florence 3 times and although I love it, I'd like to explore further afield. Appreciate you sending any links you think I might find helpful.

In October my wife and I visited Florence for a few days and we rented a car and then drove to Siena where we based out of while we toured the Chianti region of Tuscany. It was easy to rent an automatic and it was a decent car for little money.

When we moved from Florence to Siena we took Route 222 also known as the Chiantistrada Hwy and loved it. We stopped in Greve and a few towns along the way and then took a dirt road to a town called Volpaia. There they have and excellent outdoor cafe on a patio (I recommend the Boar Stew). It is connected to a winery where we drank and then purchased a case of the 2004 Coltassala to ship back.

My advice is NOT to base out of Siena or Florence, we found it difficult and stressful to get in and out of the city to our hotels (Siena more than Florence). I'd find a hill town and base out of there. I would also recommend adding Montalpuciano to your list and perhaps Pienza. You could even add Montalcino, not alot to look at there but it is the home of great wines(Brunellos), has a great Enoteca for tastings in an old fortress and just outside it is St Anthony's which is one of the most picturesque spots we found in all our driving.

One other note about driving in Tuscany. I found that it was very forgiving and easy to drive. There are lots of spots to turn around if you get lost and great signs orienting you to the major cities and landmarks. You might consider splurging on a GPS device (I don't know what they cost or how hard they are to work).

Have fun I am so jealous. If you like wine read the book by Ferenc Mate before you leave called "A Vineyard in Tuscany." Then find some of his 2004 Syrah while you are there!

we were in tuscany in june and stayed just south of florence in greve in chianti which was a nice base for day trips. we went to volterra, siena and lucca...volterra has some beautiful views and is especially interesting if you're a history buff. siena is a must see. and then lucca...i HIGHLY recommend it if you have time. we absolutely loved it and went on the recommendation of the vineyard owner where we stayed. beautiful town to bike around and spend a day. if you have a chance, you should check it out - we just went before our evening flight out of pisa. have fun!

Plastictraveller - you are echoing my thoughts. I thought we'd get a car in Siena and then head off and stay in one of the small towns overnight and then head off again and stay somewhere else. Thanks for your input.

Nkluedke - thanks for your suggestions too. Now the hardest decision I have to make is to decide which towns.

I know you said you've gone through some of the posts here on Tuscany, but you might enjoy my journal and photos. We based several nights in a villa outside Siena and then four nights in Pienza. I just loved Pienza.

http://www.travelswithdiane.com/trip...13tuscany.html

Lovetotravel. Thank you so much for sending me your link. I actually read your whole trip journal and really enjoyed it. You were lucky to be at Villa Charlotta when the azaleas were out, unfortunately we missed them but still enjoyed the gardens. Bought back very happy memories of Lake Como. The photos and the time frames in travelling you quoted have really helped me work some things out. Thanks so much. I've bookmarked your journals for future trips. Brilliant photography by the way.

My wife and I spent two weeks in Italy in late 2006. We hit all of the usual towns and cities but we were pleasantly surprised at how beatiful Assisi was. Most of my best photographs were taken there. Go up to the castle at the top of the city and you can get some really nice views.

Lucky, lucky you! I really do recommend that you drive -- off of the main roads Italians don't drive especially fast, and it is so much more difficult to see the countryside by bus. That said, if you don't already drive a stick it can be a strain to try to master that and drive on the wrong side. I did it for a week in Fiji (I learned how to drive a manual transmission the day before we left, sort of), which is "the wrong side of the road" for Americans, and it took more of my energy than it should have.

In Tuscany I HIGHLY recommend the Villa Scacciapensieri outside of Sienna as a place to stay. It's a gorgeous villa standing in its own grounds and has amazing food and the most wonderful staff. VERY quick easy in and out of town by bus (you could walk, but it would be tiring after a long day of shopping and sightseeing).

We had the best meal of our lives (and this was 12 years ago) in Florence in the Altrarno, at a restaurant called Gallo Nero. If it's still there, go. Unbelievable tasting menu for very, very little money. It is very, very easy to get between Florence and Sienna by train if you only plan to stay in one of those cities.

If you haven't been there before, Florence strikes me as a natural place to base yourself, or possibly up the hill in Fiesole, because there is so much to see and do in gorgeous Florence itself. That said, we made Sienna our base, and loved every minute of it. We moved around by bus, train or car depending on how far we were going and whether we wnted to stop off along the way.

San Gigmignano is beautiful and strikingly unusual, and has some really nice places to stay in the surrounding countryside. We wound up spending a night at the Best Western inside the walled city (our hotel in the countryside having lost our reservation) and were pleasntly surprised -- very small, but lovely casement windows, fluffy feather beds, and wonderful views across the rooftops.

In Umbria, Assissi is not to be missed. Personally, we would say the same about Spoleto, if only for the stunning natural setting and viewsviews. If you happen to covet Italian pottery, go to Deruta -- it is not a pretty town, but it is the center for the high-end export majolica pottery and the quality, variety and quantity is spectacular. Visit Cama, if you can. The people are as lovely as their work.

I'm jealous! I hope you have a wonderful visit!