Home base for travel in Tuscany

Hi Lisa - My suggestion would be -
http://www.casolarelibbiano.it/
Berta and her husband Andrea have a beautiful property about 3 miles outside of San Gimignano and close to Volterra as well as Siena. A super place to use as a base of operations. Check out their website and I think you'll understand why I have used their place several times and highly recommend it!!

Ciao, Greg

Since you prefer to utilize public transportation for your travel, I'd suggest using either Florence or Siena as your home base. Buses would be your best bet for the places you list, and either town would work well in that regard. I prefer Florence, but many people prefer Siena. You can't go wrong with either town.

Hi, Lisa: We visited everywhere you mention (and then some - Volterra, Assisi, Cortona, etc.) from Pienza in the gorgeous Val d'Orcia. I'd recommend you reconsider the car and day-trip from either there or Montepulciano...although you may not want to leave either place. :)

I would vote for Siena. Very centrally located. Wonderful city. If going by bus, it has good "hub" for bus trips. If renting car, you might want to stay just outside city as driving in center city is limited.
Short drives--30-60 minutes--to about everywhere.

If you don't want to rent a car, I would consider Florence as your home base. You have all the train and bus lines at your disposal - you can go north (Bologna), south (Siena), east (Arezzo) and west (Lucca, Pisa) just to name a few. There isn't a place with a more central location and variety of transportation options in Tuscany (IMHO).

If you don't want to be in the city, it does get tougher without a car. Staying countryside as suggested, with a car, is a great option. If you stay in the Chianti Classico area you can drive within 1 hour of the places you mention and many others. Just make sure you aware of the driving in the ZTLs etc. (see other threads for that!). For Florence I tell people to park at the Piazzale Michelangelo and walk down into town, then you can take a taxi or bus back up when you want to leave. And there is free parking there!

Siena, San Gimignano, etc. there are parking lots clearly marked outside the city walls. If you think about staying around the Chianti zone check out this site for villas and apartments in the countryside: http://www.tuscanyrentdirect.com/

If you're planning to use the buses and trains, it's probably best to first decidewhich cities to visit, then check the bus lines/ schedules (SITA company) and train schedules and plan accordingly. For example, it's easy to get to Siena and San Gimignano by bus from Florence, but easier to reach Montepulciano from Siena; if going by train to Pisa, it's easier and faster from Florence, etc. A car certainly gives one more freedom.

Siena, Siena, Siena! It is magical at nite, and the bus transportation system is awesome.

We wparked our car in Sienna, and used the bus to Florence, etc..