Four days in Siena

also can you suggest a good day tour in Florence that includes all of the important sights.

As far as a wine tour, I would highly recommend Castello di Verrazzano. Our base was Florence, but we took the bus to Verrazzano and our tour and 4 course wine tasting lunch was AWESOME. It was one of the highlights of our 13 days in Italy. We spent one day in Siena and even though it is beautiful, I don't think I would have wanted to stay there 4 days. Florence has so much more to see and do in my opinion, but I did enjoy my day trip to Siena. Happy travels!!!

As far as a wine tour, I would highly recommend Castello di Verrazzano. Our base was Florence, but we took the bus to Verrazzano and our tour and 4 course wine tasting lunch was AWESOME. It was one of the highlights of our 13 days in Italy. We spent one day in Siena and even though it is beautiful, I don't think I would have wanted to stay there 4 days. Florence has so much more to see and do in my opinion, but I did enjoy my day trip to Siena. Happy travels!!!

Myself and husband had the pleasure of a wine tour in Castellodi Verrazzano. We did the romantic evening and we were there from 4pm until after midnight.We had a blast. It was one of those times when you meet the perfect people with the perfect atmosphere. We stayed in their B&B just down the road. It was the best wine, food, tour and side splitting laughs. Can't remember their names but we had a wonerful couple from California, couple from Milan ( we spoke with hands and geatures all night) and last but not least the couple from Hawaii who we nicknamed :Reserve:
Go and have an awesome time. You just brought back some wonderful memories for me to ponder on..no wonder I am going back in Sept.
Pat

So it sounds like Castello di Verrazzano is the place to go for my wine tour! Thank you both for the wonderful reviews! How about a day tour of Tuscany? Did you guys explore it on your own? What were your favorite sights! Thank you so much for the help!

I don't think it is possible to cover all the important sights in Florence in one day. I think Florence warrants more than one day. The major museums Uffizi and Accademia usually require pre-reservations and in my opinion would be too much in one day. Why not spend three days in Florence and a wine tour of the Chianti region. Or a day trip from Florence to Siena?

Hi Abigail. I also agree that it would probably be better to stay in Florence & take a day trip to Siena. That said, I spent 4 days in Siena this past September but we had a car & drove to various hill towns using Siena as our base & we had already been to Florence on a previous trip. To do Florence justice, I would recommend staying at least 2-3 days in Florence. Have a wonderful trip.

We have actually decided to stay one night in Florence to lengthen our stay. I would like to stay in Florence for a longer stay, but I am hesitent because it is July and I know it is very crowded. We plan on going back again in a few years to see Rome and southern Italy, so I figure if I feel I need more time I can go back then.

Sheron, what were your favorite hill towns?

Sheron, what were your favorite hill towns?

You might consider joy riding through the hills of Chianti. There are buses that go from Siena to Florence and take that route. Two of the wonderful villages you could enjoy would be Casteline and Greve. Saturday morning, Greve has an outdoor market that is lots of fun. In 2003, my husband and I accidently took this route and were so enchanted that we returned in 2008 and stayed 3 nights in Greve. If you have time, walk up into the hills around Greve for some of those "glorious views" that inspired you to want to visit Tuscany. (We stayed a short walk out of town at Casa Nova and spent a lot of time walking the hills and drinking in the views) The best views are between these 2 villages, so there is no reason to go all the way to Florence. (since you are already spending a day there) Stay up in the hills.

Hi Abigail. We day tripped to Pienza, Volterra, San Gimignano & Montepulciano. We also visited Orvieto en route from Rome to Siena but you could easily take a train from Siena to Orvieto for a day trip. I loved them all. I loved Pienza for the cheese & Volterra was really interesting but I really enjoyed all of the towns; they all offered something a little different from the others. We of course also spent a day in Siena. Have a wonderful trip.

If you are up to it, consider renting a car in Siena to get to the hill towns. Only know that while distances are short driving time is longer than you'd anticipate because of the hilly, twisty roads. Near Siena is the delightful hill town of Monteriggione, a medieval town with walls and towers all intact--the only such town in Italy. It's delightful and not as touristy as San Gimignano. I also like Montepulciano, which would be a good whole-day trip from Siena. Our favorite town in the Chianti region is Castelina in Chianti--very charming. Get Rick Steves' book "Florence and Tuscany" for good guidance.

Stop by Montalcino for the vino. Then from there to the nearby Abbey at Sant'Antimo. It's a monastery built starting in 800AD, and is still in operation. Monks hold service 6-8 times a day, singing Gregorian chants. Otherworldly! It's situated in the vineyards & farmland, the ultimate Tuscan scene. Well worth it!

san gimingano and luca are well worth a day trip. orvieto and assissi and perugia, are also doable as day trips although your ride will be a a little longer. I would consider assissi especially but of course it depends on your interests. the cathedrals in assissi and orvieto are amazing.