nancyjacky

Hi Everyone,
I was looking for some pros and cons of where to go for 2 nights after 3 nights in Montepulciano. After reading the posts I was thinking of Orvieto. We could drop off the rental car there before we head back to Rome for our flight out. However, if Orvieto isn't so highly recommended to stay, we could go to Florence for those 2 nights also. if you recommend Orvieto, do you have any place to stay that you would recommend highly??
Thanks so much!!!!

Ann1

Have you been to Florence before? If not, go to Florence. If you have, Orvieto is good for a day. It's a nice little city with a few very interesting things to see. Our favorite were the caves. A full day there is plenty.

zoecat

Have you considered staying in Montepulciano for the additional 2 nights and explore the area even more?

nancyjacky

Thanks everyone, I just found out though that Locanda di San francesco is booked for the dates I wanted, so it's back to the drawing board. I really liked the idea of a place where we could walk around at night for a gelato, dinner, etc.

leuk2

There are other hotels in Montepulciano. Its a great place for a base in southern Tuscany. We stayed at the locanda di san francesco. It was great, but only has four rooms. To bad you can't get in. Lots of good restaurants. Nice town to walk around. We don't have any experience with the other hotels, but its seems to me there are several other nice places. Check out tripadvisor. Don't give up on Montepulciano. As for the other 2 days- I'd drop the car at Chiusi or Orvieto, and then take the train to Florence. You don't need or want a car in Florence.

nancyjacky

Thanks Leuk2. I am so mad at myself. There were 2 rooms available at Locanda and I didn't reserve in time. I have checked other hotels in Montepulciano but with no luck. I will keep searching as you said.

As far as the car, you really think it is better to drop the car in Chuisi or Orvieto. If so, do you know if we need to book these trains in advance or is it ok the day of. Thanks so much....All this planning is intense.

Mimar

Unlike others on this board I am not a fan of Montepulciano. In southern Tuscany I think Pienza and San Quirico d'Orcia make better bases for daytrip excursions. Both these towns are on the flat so easy to drive in and out of, and both have a selection of restaurants. Montalcino is a third possibility, though that's another hilltown.

If you're driving to Florence, Chiusi would be on the way, Orvieto a detour. Either would work for Rome. Have you checked your rental car drop-off sites? Are both Chiusi and Orvieto options?

kybourbon

Your car drop off city will depend on what company you are renting from.

I would probably pick Orvieto since you will have already been in Montepulciano several nights. If you stay in the old town there are many restaurants and everything is an easy walk. The train station is easy to reach as it's right at the bottom of the funicular.
http://www.orvietoonline.com/

zoecat

I don't think there is a need to book trains in advance.

You may want to drive to Orvieto, park/visit/eat lunch, then drop the car at the rental office there. Make sure you look at the car rental open/close hours. Most offices close during the long lunch hour.

If you decide to spend the nights in Florence, it's easiest to drop the car at the Florence airport and take the bus into the city or a taxi directly from the airport to your hotel.

I like to use autoeurope.com or kemwel.com for car rental reservations.

If you decide to stay in the Montepulciano area, try hotels in towns near Montepulciano like Pienza, San Quirico d'Orcia, Montisi, Montefollonico. Or, even something outside of a town.

You could also drive south to Sorona or Pitigliano or Manciano, spend 2 nights, explore the Maremma area and then head to nearby Orvieto. All 3 of these towns have at least one nice hotel and each town is unique and lovely. The countryside is beautiful.

zoecat

Sorry for the error- it's Sorano, not Sorono.

Flame123

Don't be so hard on yourself. So you missed out on the place in Montepulciano that you wanted. There are SO many other close-by beautiful small towns, such as the ones already mentioned by others - San Quirico, Pienza, Montalcino.

We stayed in a lodging house just outside of San Quirico called Residenza Il Poggiolo. It was beautiful and clean with huge apartments for rent, by the week but also sometimes by day. You should check it out.

zeppole

What time of year is your trip?

Are there children in your party?

Are you keen on staying in Rome your final night or are you going to an airport hotel?

If you are traveling with children in summertime, you might not want to relocate for 2 nights into a hilltown with no swimming pool or things for children to do. Orvieto is a striking place to visit, but there is far less to do and see there than in other places.

If you don't want to stay put in on a farm near Montepulciano and use the car to drive to the airport, you might consider a drive up through San Gimignano and seeing Pisa, and dropping off your car there. (Yes, you will have a longer trip to Rome on the train, but the sights might be worth it to you). You could even fit in a bike ride on the walls of Lucca.

If you'd rather stay south, the area near Manciano and Montemerano has natural hot springs. It is also possible from there to visit the Tuscan beach towns, with a boat ride to the island of Giglio for a lunch. If it's not too hot, and your kids are interested, you could visit Etruscan tombs in Cerveteri, on the way to Rome. You could drop off your car in Orbetello, Grossetto or Civitavecchia if you were headed into Rome proper to spend the night.

http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/.../cerveteri.htm

If you would rather focus on art, it makes more sense to spend two nights in Florence than Orvieto, and the train ride from Florence into Rome is only a half-hour longer than Orvieto.

nancyjacky

Thanks everyone for your advice. And thanks Flame123 you are right I won't be so hard on myself for missing out on the Locanda di San francesco. There are other great hotels in Tuscany.

As suggested I will check for hotels in Pienza y San Quirico. Sounds like a good idea. I found a couple of hotels outside of town that looked nice but I think I prefer to be in town at night. I checked out Il Poggolio but it was only weekly rentals in the summer.

I haven't yet decided about the rental car company. I did open the autoeurope webiste though only to make sure that there were definitely cars available and thankfully there are.

I will check into the other suggestions offered later in the day.
Thanks again for the invaluable help.

kybourbon

You might find something on these websites.

http://www.prolocomontepulciano.it/index.uk.php

http://www.portalepienza.it/