Visiting Volterra and San Gimignano in the same day
 

This October we are staying a week in Monteriggioni with a car and I'm trying to plan our day trips. For one of our days I thought I could combine a visit to Volterra and San Gimignano.

ViaMichelin states Monteriggioni is 25 miles (an hour drive) from Volterra and 16 miles (40 min drive) from San Gimignano. The drive between Volterra and San Gimignano is 22 miles (50 min) This doesn't seem too much driving for one day if the Michelin times are accurate.

Would you recommend devoting a full day to either of these towns? Our stay in Monteriggioni is the final full week of our time in Italy. We will have already been to Verona, Venice and Florence. At this point of our travels I think the interest will be in the hill towns and wines of Tuscany rather than the museums. Thanks for any comments or suggestions. Deborah

We did it in one day from Siena, but it was a long one.

You can do it in one day. If you're going on the weekend, see San Gimignano first before it fills up. Then go on to Volterra.

Sunset in Volterra was spectacular. The view is gorgeous.

San G is known for it's Vernaccia. If you prefer reds, you might want to head east towards the Chianti area or south to Montalcino.

Thanks for the comments. Once again we have more places to visit than time allows. I will plan our day trip to Volterra to coincide with conditions for a fabulous sunset ;;)

kybourbon, I'm planning a day trip for Chianti and another day for Brunello and Vino Nobile--those days will definitely be "wine-centric"!! Deborah

We did both in one day from a little southwest of Florence.
If you're interested in the Etruscans, the Guarnacci Museum in Volterra is very interesting.

http://www.comune.volterra.pi.it/eng...iit/metru.html

We enjoyed Volterra a lot. Although you can see a lot in a partial day, you could also spend an entire day there and not see everything.

We noticed that unlike other towns that have been on the tourist radar for many years, some sights in Volterra still close for lunch. Know before you go what you want to see, try to find out open/closed hours and plan accordingly. There is a good Tourist Info Office in the main piazza. The Etruscan museum is excellent and big, so it's easy to lose track of time. We rented audio guides (few exhibit tags are in English) but had to abandon them in order to pick and choose what to study, move faster, etc.

Some of the most interesting sights in Volterra are the archeological excavations just outside of the town.

http://www.comune.volterra.pi.it/eng...it/archeo.html

(Also click on the menu items on the left side for info on the main piazza, the city walls, churches, etc.)

I know there are San Gim fans here, but we thought the town was more interesting from a distance, the towers resembling a modern skyline. Maybe it was the hordes of tourists and the cheap souvenir stands, but one short visit was enough for us.

Hi DeborahAnn ~ I hope you don't mind if I join in asking questions. We too will be in that area end of September, early October.

We will first be in Venice for 4 nights, then in Castellina in Chianti for 5 nights. After that we go to Lucca for 2 nights and Imperia for 3 nights to meet up with some friends from Germany.

So, should we do SG the same day as Volterra from Castellina in Chianti, or what about Volterra on the way to Lucca? What is the drive like from Volterra to Lucca, is it scenic? (Google takes me from Volterra to Lucca on SS439)

DeborahAnn and wrenwood,

I suggest you try to get to the Abbey San Galgano to experience a truly unique sight. It's located just SW of Siena.

http://www.sangalgano.org/ENG/index.htm

I am not sure about the drive from Volterra to Lucca. But, if you decide to visit SG and Volterra on the same day, start early and head to Volterra first and then stop in SG after 6:00pm (after the bus loads leave).

Thanks for the comments and the information given.

wrenwood, hopefully more questions will bring more helpful suggestions.

It sounds like Volterra could take more time than a half day. I wasn't sure about the museums because I had the impression they were light on English information. I had not considered an audio guide. We spent two wonderful weeks in Umbria getting to know a little about the Etruscans.

From the comments maybe we should either stop in San Gimignano on our arrival day from Florence before we check into our apartment or go there one evening for a couple of hours after the tour groups depart.

Thanks again, Deborah

I have Volterra starred in my notes as a place that many people like. I'm not sure how I feel about SG, I guess it's a "must see" but I'm not sure we'll spend a lot of time there.

Deborah, are you familiar with Monteriggioni, have you stayed there before? It also has a star next to it on my notes.

And glad to know about the Audio Guides, that was a question I had, and now answered!

wrenwood, I've never stayed there but I selected Monteriggioni because it is a small fortified hill town with 14 towers, close enough to Siena/San Gimignano and the Chianti region yet where we could day trip to Arezzo, Volterra as well as Montepulciano and Montacino.

Through booking.com I found a 17th century castle with apartments which is 10 minutes from Monteriggioni. My husband has a "soft spot" for castles so this one is for him. I did warn him our rooms will probably be long on atmosphere but short on windows ;;) Deborah

timesaver tip if you will be driving to SG: there are several parking lots outside the walled city. if you park at the montemaggio parking lot, it can save you quite a bit of time to walk or climb lots of stairs to get inside the walls of SG. this is the lot that is closest to the main gate leading to the main drag.

You can do both, but I would be at the first by 0900.

i did both in one day several times. you should have no problem doing that. parking can get a little tough on weekends.

We did both Volterra and San Gimi the same day, spending more time in Volterra, worked well.

For my money I would miss San Giminiano - it was disappointing - very touristy! Monteriggioni is a small hilltop village right near San Gim -very sleepy gem of a mediaeval town with lots of character. Then also visit Col di Val d'Elsa - also close by. You park outside the town and walk up. There is an amazing restaurant there called Il Frantoio. These villages are close to Siena which I would definitely pop into and have a cappucino or a pizza in the Piazza del Campo.

In the Chianti region, look up the various castles, the best one being Castello di Meleto - perfect Tuscany. Look out for a little town called San Sano and find a Trattoria there called Grotto de la rana. Stunning! ANother castle is Castello di Brolio. There is a leaflet/brochure with a castello itinerary on it. Definitely see these 2. This area is hilly and very green - a contrast to the flatter drier area south of Siena.

I certainly appreciate all the helpful suggestions. I'm shifting my "excited anticipation" from San Gimi to Volterra.


clairmc, thanks for the suggestions about the castles---if I can add a castle or two to our itinerary my husband will rate our trip an A+ ;;) Deborah

Here is a little information. Both places are 'gems'. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Gimignano http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volterra