We will be in Siena for 4 days in middle May this year. I'm trying to decide which hill towns to visit from there. There seems to be many choices, but none very convenient with public transportation. I'm thinking we will rent a car for 2 days. Anyone have any suggestions of which towns to visit?
Thanks!!!!
The choice is very vast. I'll list some of the most popular (the ones in bold are the most famous and included in many organized tours to Tuscany):
San Gimignano
Volterra
Chianti Hills (Castellina, Radda, Greve, etc.)
Monteriggioni
Pienza
Montalcino
Montepulciano
Buonconvento
Certaldo
Colle Val D'Elsa
There are dozens more, but you won't be able to do more than a couple a day.
Check some here:
http://www.borghiditoscana.net/en/category/villages-en/
San Gimignano was my favorite! I went via bus, too, just 1 transfer, was pretty easy to get to, but a car will be much more convenient. I also visited Montalcino, Montepulciano, Pienza, and Volterra. Volterra was my second favorite, I rented a car for the day and drove out, it was an easy and gorgeous drive. It's fairly big for being a small hill town, so lots to explore, and they have a prison next to the old town that on some days it's possible to actually have dinner at, served by the (most well behaved and minimum security) prisoners, if that's something that interests you. Pienza, Montalcino, and Montepulciano are pretty similar, but all make for a beautiful drive through the Tuscan hillside. One of my friends on the trip exclaimed that the rolling hillsides looked just like Microsoft Windows' grassy background, so so picture perfect. Montepulciano is famous for where the scene in the Twilight movie in Italy was filmed, so those tourists love that. Otherwise the other two are a little cuter and offer better Tuscany views
