We will be staying in Tuscany very near Arezzo for one week beginning 10-6-07. We will have six full days for side trips and have narrowed all but one of the days down. Our dilemma is whether to try to visit San Gimignano and Volterra a half day each and skip Siena altogether or do Siena for a full day. We will be doing the art, church, culture thing in Florence and are also visiting Lucca & Pisa, Orvieto & Civita, Assisi & Spello, Arezzo and Cortona. It's just that one final choice between San Gimi/Volterra and Siena.
Thoughts and suggestions, please!
Posted by
Bay Area
3551 posts
I know it is tought to select but I would do a quick visit in Lucca & Pisa. Skip Cortona but def incl San Gimi/Volterra & Siena at about half day each by starting your am early. I hope you will have a car otherwise half days are difficult to plan. hope this helps. e if you have ?. Assisi is diff to do if you will pilgrimage to church, surrounds and city center.
Posted by
Marietta, Georgia, USA
2 posts
I definitely would recommend San Gio/Volterra over Siena. Re: Civita - absolutely !!! But, be patient it's a little hard to find but WORTH the effort.
In Florence see the Brancacci Chapel and have a glass of wine at Piazza Michangelo for the most fabulous view in the world.
Posted by
In the Mountains, USA
689 posts
Chivita is like Camelot! Hope for a little fog...
Posted by
Denver
799 posts
All three places are delightful, so it's a difficult decision, though time & distance will probably help you decide. How about visiting Siena, and then also go on to San Gimignano if you feel that you've enjoyed Siena enough. We've visited Siena several times, and I don't think we've ever spent an entire day there, though we enjoy visiting its historical sites and love people-watching in the Campo.
A trip from near Arezzo to San Gimignano/Volterra makes for a VERY long day - it's about a 2-hour drive from Arezzo to Volterra. Maybe save that for your next trip.
Lucca and Pisa are also 2 hours from Arezzo - do you want to spend that much of your vacation driving? Lucca's great, but there are closer places that are just as interesting.
Closer to Arezzo, there's Gubbio, Perugia and Deruta (for pottery), and a bit further, if you want to visit smaller towns, Montefalco (totally cute) and Bevagna.
Posted by
Denver, CO, USA
135 posts
kathy-
either you're very young or very energetic! but you may be underestimating the time between those towns, as well as the time IN those towns.
Just my insights- Hill towns are hill towns, and while the sights are charming, it's the people that really make the difference. Any two of those towns in one day is supremely ambitious. Part of the charm is in slooooooowwwwwwwwwiiiiinnnnnngggggg down, enjoying all that slow food and two hour lunch-
IF you're set on the itinerary, San G, Pisa and Assisi are day tripper filled every day, very crowded, much more serene after dark. Volterra, Lucca and Spello are much quieter during the day... so if you're living near Arezzo and doing day trips only, I'd recommend the quieter sites- Parking alone can be crazy in Assisi, Pisa and San G (and Lucca too).
Posted by
Tulsa, OK, USA
126 posts
I really like Todi, its near Orvieto. I finally got to Volterra, after many trips to Italy. I enjoyed it very much, but it is at least a 2 hour drive from Arezzo. Unless you are dead set on seeing Pisa, I would cancel that one. I went to Italy many times before actually taking the time to see it, for the same reasons I am suggesting you by-pass it. It is crowded and thats all there is to see there. Lucca is quite large so you need to allow quite a bit of time. I think riding the bicycles around the walls would be fun. I always forget to figure in the time for locating parking, getting my bearings, figuring out where to start etc. It always takes more time than I allow for stops because when I get there I find all kinds of things I want to do I didn't know I wanted to do!. Even if just walking down little alleyways or taking photographs, browsing in shops etc. I prefer San Gimignano to Siena, but both have tons of tourists. Enjoy the wonderful skyline of San G from a distance.