We spent 10 days last year and did Venice - Florence, day in Sienna, then Rome. We are going to do 10 days again and want to go to Venice again to see Murano and Burano. What would you recommend from there? We really loved the small towns like Sienna, loved the wine tours, did not care for galleries and the Renaissance period of art. Recommendations? We are fit, active, open minded...want to see more!
Posted by
Vancouver, B.C., Canada
22 posts
My wife and I recently spent 9 days in Tuscany. If you liked the medieval ambience of Siena, you may wish to see some of the smaller hill towns near there. Places like San Gimignano and Volterra are an hour or less from Siena by bus. We rented a car from Hertz in Siena and spent a day driving around the Tuscan countryside south of Siena (called the Val d'Orcia). Some small hill towns we visited were Montalcino, Pienza, and Montepulciano. While I would not personally drive in an Italian city (too crazy!) it was easy to drive in the Tuscan countryside. Just make sure you do not enter the walled part of the towns because you will get fined (they are traffic-free zones). But there are always several parking lots just outside the walled towns. If you have a car, you can then stay at a country B&B in a farmhouse or similar place, which they call Agriturismos. They start around 80 Euros a night for a couple.
If you want to know more about this area I can provide more details. Greg.
Posted by
Seattle, Wa, USA
663 posts
The lakes are lovely. Verona is wonderful. Assisi. Orvieto. The cinque Terre. Lots of great places abound, so grab a guide book and figure out what appeals to you.