home base for 7 nights in tuscany

Do you plan to have a car, or do you need to stay somewhere with better public transportation?

yes- we will rent a car for the Tuscan time period after leaving Rome (perhaps in Orvieto). Note, we have stayed in both Florence and Cortona and therefore, these two are not prime destinations on this trip.
thanks Mike

I have based in Siena and Orvieto and thought both were excellent. For your location I suggest Siena and if you wish you can actually use the bus for alot from there. Then pick up a car rental later as we did.

We took the train from Rome to Orvieto and picked up our car there. We stayed at an awesome Agriturismo just outside Siena. If you would like information about it send me a PM. A certain someone on this helpline has forbidden me from mentioning the name of this Agriturismo publically.

Linda,
This may give you some ideas http://www.slowtrav.com/italy/tuscany/hs_planning.htm

Thank you Henry. We'll check it out.

Linda, As you'll be driving in Italy, be sure to consider the usual potentially expensive "caveats". EACH driver will require the compulsory I.D.P., and you'll have to be vigilant to avoid the dreaded ZTL areas. If you need more detailed information, post another note. Siena would make a good "home base" for Tuscany, although as I recall parking is a bit limited (unless your hotel offers parking). Buon Viaggio!

I second Siena. Try Agriturismo Marciano. Just off the busy highway in a quiet suburb of Siena. Easy to get out of town for exploring. Easy to get to center of town for visiting Siena.

Oops, I think I mentioned it!

We found staying near Montalcino ( at an agriturismo) to be a perfect location. We visited many hill towns, Santelsmo (sp?)Abbey, Banfi Winery, etc and driving was easy-GPS was a great help and we returned the car at the Florence airport without any problem.

Thanks all for the wonderful help...much appreciated!

Skip, Skip, Skip...didn't you get the memo?? Now you will need to pay a fine. PM me for where to send your money.

I suggest the countryside outside of Siena. The town itself has a bunch of apartments, and is downright congested. Parking is also a nightmare. Virtually every farm in the area has rooms or apartments for rent as secondary income. We were paying 70 euros last April for a 2 bedroom apartment on an agriturismo.
Like they say, eggs are always cheaper in the country. Thankfully the country can just be 5 or 10 miles away.

thanks all. David, do u remember name of the agritourismo? We're looking at one very close to Siena, smaller tho.

Skip!! I'm new, and even I know the Rule!! ;)