lmont

We are driving from Venice and looking for a place to stay in the southern Tuscany area. We will be staying 3 nights and then driving to Orvieto for one night/two days ( with a trip to Civita di Bagnoregio from Orvieto), returning the car and taking the train into Rome.

Is it better to base in Siena for the three nights or find a location around some of the smaller hil towns ? We'd like to explore towns by day but be able to come back and walk around, eat and settle for a drink.

bobthenavigator

San Quirico--best location and a really cute village with no cars allowed in town. It is the real thing.

2010

Pienza is a lovely town with some historical interest, marvelous restaurants, stunning valley views & pecorino cheese! It is well-situated to visit hill towns such as Montalcino and Montepulciano; the abbeys of Monte Oliveto Maggiore and Sant'Antimo and the stunning gardens of La Foce. The town itself is virtually flat making it easily accessible. We've enjoyed two stays in Pienza!

jentrav

If you stay in Siena, which I think is a great base, be aware that parking can be a real problem, so be sure to inquire with your hotel to see if they can help. We have stayed in Italian towns with tight parking, and the hotel simply parks the car in an off-site garage for the duration of our stay. We walk and take public transit while there.

My DH and I stayed just outside of Orvieto last fall and though you didn't ask, I can recommend a tiny restaurant, Trattoria dell'Orso, with fabulous food of course, in Orvieto. The owner/cook/waiter was charming; we learned about the restaurant through Rick Steves and an American couple whom we met in Civita de Bagnoregio, which is one of the most spectacular places I've ever seen.

Enjoy your trip!

Dayle

lmont,

While I liked Siena, I found it to be a much larger "hilltown" than expected. I've discovered my preference when in the countryside, is to actually stay IN the much smaller towns - Orvieto, Montalcino, etc.

Pienza is nice (and flat) with beautiful views (all the hilltowns in the area have these gorgeous views), but it is on EVERY tour bus schedule because of the flat strolling for tour groups and easy parking for the tour buses.

This means that during the day (hopefully you are touring elsewhere) it's loaded with tourists, but in the evenings it should be quite peaceful, like San Gimignano, same situation.

lmont

I'm thinking the same thing about Siena. I wouldn't mind visiting but I think I prefer the countryside.

I'm checking out San Quirico Bob - I like the central location base.

This is a portion of our trip:

Thursday - drive from Venice in morning to determined base
Friday - explore hill towns
Saturday- explore hill towns
Sunday - leave base location in morning, drive to Orvieto - visit Civita Bagnoregio, stay in Orvieto
Monday - train to Rome from Orvieto

Do you think we will run into any problems with closed locations on Sunday or Monday ?

bobthenavigator

I like it.
If you do stay in San Quirico then consider the drive to Orvieto on SS-2 south and then jog over---pretty drive.