Verona or Siena
 

Hi all

We are planning a trip to Italy in December (know it is not the best time but all we can manage) and are a bit pressed for time wrt a FULL itinerary. We are considering picking either Siena or Verona (at this stage we're planning on visiting both). Any recommendations/tips on whether we should see both or which is better?

Regards

I like both cities. Where would this fit within the rest of your trip? What other places will you visit? What would come before or after these?

Verona isa flat town with a nice walkable historic center and ancient Roman arena and remnants of ruins. Siena is picturesque, on top of a hill, with narrow winding hilly streets. Both are good spots as a base to visit other small towns.

If you pick Siena but you don't have a car it leaves you somewhat stranded if you want to see more than Siena. In terms of public transportation, the options are not particularly good. It's better to have a car, but beyond the first of December, you run the risk of icy driving conditions and days getting shorter and shorter, meaning more time driving in the dark.

So for those reasons above all, my vote would go to Verona -- which I just happen to enjoy more anyway. In December in Verona, you will find the streets filled with light and life, lots of great window shopping, and even if it gets icy or snowy, the streets are flat (in Siena they are quite steep). Excellent train transportation to other places of interest.

But as to which is "better," the one you should go to is the one that interests *you.* Siena is a dramatic medieval walled castle city of ancient winding streets with a stupendous cathedral and central piazza. It has no cars in its center and can very atmospheric at night. From there you can easily visit Florence as well, with all its Renaissance treasures.

Verona is an old Roman city with an amazing Roman arena, a fairy-tale castle, lots of frou-frou architecture with balconies, a commercial hub with plenty of cocktail bars, and much more traffic and buzz. You visit Venice from there as well as other places of unusual architectural and artistic fascination.

The Sienese eat soup, pasta and wild boar. The Veronese eat polenta, pasta and duck. Both have legendary red wine.

If you are thinking that if you pick one of those two cities as your "base" that you can visit the other as a "daytrip", it's not possible. It would be close to 4 hours traveling each way, whether you take trains or drive.

That really is a tough choice, so I hope you can visit both. The cities are really quite different. Within the past few years we spent a December week in Siena visiting DD who was studying there and a year later several January days in Verona. The weather both times really was not a problem - cold, but not awful. Ski jackets, gloves and hats made us comfortable - of the two, Siena was a bit warmer, but then it was not the same year so one can't depend on that observation.

The cities are very different in character with Verona being larger with a definite small city feel. That time of year we found Verona to be the livlier place. We found the restaurants in Verona more to our liking but since in Siena we ate where DD wanted, it would not be fair to compare. Siena has lots of narrow winding streets to explore and easy public bus transportation to the hill towns and Florence for day trips should you want to do that - we did. Because the days were mostly gray when we were there and the streets narrow, Siena to us felt more of a darker place - moody with a medieval atmosphere. Rather than writing here about Verona, I have a pretty extensive trip report that you can find by clicking my name. I also have lots of Verona photos at www.flickr.com/photos/basingstoke2/collections.

ellenem and I were posting at the same time. I don't want to leave the impression that Siena is a terrible spot for visiting other towns, but I don't think it is as easy as Verona. I also find Verona quite picturesque, and love its pink granite in contrast to Siena's black and white stones.. Verona does sit on a flat plain, next to a rushing river, and its only "views" are distant mountains. If the weather is clear in Siena, , you have vistas of the Tuscan countryside from the highest points in town.

PS: I think Siena probably is a bit warmer as a general rule, but if a cold wind blows, it can end up feeling colder than Verona. You'll need to dress warmly both places.

Thank you so much, it seems that "both" might be the answer :)

The idea at this stage is Verona-Venice-Florence-Siena-Rome; but with only enough time to spend 1 day and night in Verona and Siena but I was wondering whether they are "similiar" to such a extent that it will make more sense to skip one and free another day for eg Rome. But both sound wonderful so maybe we will endure the traveling time and new hotel.

We will only be traveling to Siena and away (I saw that the bus to Florence is the best option) so I don't think it will matter that we don't have a car?

With your plans, you are better of without a car, and yes the bus is the best between Siena and Florence. We do not know the entire amount of time you have and your starting point but from what you posted, you will see 5 very different faces of Italy. BTW, of the group, Venice is likely to feel the coldest that time of year, Rome the warmest.

siena better weather and IMO a better base with so many hilltowns and Florence and Pisa and Lucca and etc to easily hop to - but much better weather in December (but still could be funky)

As far as time spent, I can only speak of Siena but one day is plenty. When you take the bus, be sure you don't get off until they get to the bus stop at the top of the hill (in town). They make a stop at the bottom of the hill (on the edge of town). If you get off there, you will have to take a taxi to the top.

There is nothing wrong with your agenda. On a trip of that length, a day each in Siena and Verona is appropriate, though if I had an extra half day ;-) I would spend it in Verona.

Find the movie "Letters to Juliet" A good part of it takes place in Verona.

I too plan to be in Verona and Siena this December. (Verona as a daytrip from Venice, and Siena as a daytrip from Florence.) I've been researching both places on the web and recently found these sites regarding Christmas events in Verona. The first is for an exhibition of presepi that looks to actually be held INSIDE the Roman arena...very cool! http://www.eventiarenaverona.it/

And then the second site shows what else is on in the city at that time, including a Christmas market: http://www.tourism.verona.it/_vti_g1...aspx?rpstry=6_

I think I'll plan to leave Verona in the evening after it gets dark...I want to see the city with all of its festive lights twinkling.

Buon Viaggio!