Orvieto as a base for Tuscany?

Orvieto is about an hour by car from Montepulciano, so feasible. It is also a little over an hour from Assisi in Umbria. You can't see all of Tuscany from any one base, so you might want to experiment using Google maps or www.Rome2Rio.com and look at drive times to and from places that interest you before you make a decision.

Just for the record, wonderful Orvieto is in fantastic Umbria, not in nearby Tuscany.

I agree with Laurel. When we started planning our Tuscany trip, we made a list of the places we'd like to see, then pulled up Google Maps and looked for somewhere in the middle of it all.

I think your idea of staying a day or two in Orvieto, then heading north is great. You could then find somewhere on the outskirts of Siena. This would give you several options that could be done in a day, such as Siena, San Gimgnano/Volterra and cruising up the famed SR22 and stopping at wineries.

If you spent two days in Orvieto, how much time would that leave you before arriving in Florence? How long would you have in Florence? BTW, it may be easier to return the rental car in Siena and then take the bus to Florence.

Orvieto is too far as a Tuscany base in most circumstances. But if it’s just one day trip to Montepulciano, it’s doable.

Thanks for the correction on Umbria vs Tuscany!

It sounds like a shorter 1 or 2 night stay in Orvieto may be a better idea, and then a drive to Montepulciano for a daytrip and then on into Tuscany for a few nights.

I've been to Florence before, so staying in a smaller town outside of Florence and then day tripping into Tuscany and Florence sounds better to me. We could also drop off the rental in Florence when we are done with that part of the trip, and take the train.

If you decide to stick with Orvieto and want to see southern Tuscany, look into the Citta Del Tufa- Pitigliano, Sorano, Sovana. You could probably see all three in a day unless you add some hiking on the Etruscan Vie Cave. But a couple stops and an Etruscan site should be doable. They're interesting towns and something different than the usual Tuscany. You'd also be near Bolsena, which was on my list to see but didn't quite make it. Looks nice though!

I agree with crgraham. My wife and I stayed in Orveito for five (5) nights a year ago with the same intention of using it as a base and driving around. Unfortunately it’s a difficult place to park a car and the Hertz dealership located at the train station weren’t very helpful or freindly.
We eventually decided to spend the full visit in Orveito and are planning another trip this year staying in the surrounding area.
I feel that your best bet would be spending a couple of days in Orveito and then relocating to another more accessible nearby area in which you can use as a base to drive around.

Orvieto is a wonderful destination, on crowded days as well as quieter ones. I don't want you to be surprised when you find that this pastoral Umbrian hill town has built a massive, multi-story parking garage, with both elevators and escalators up to the historic part of town. I'm not saying it's like going to the Mall of America, it's not. But it's not an undiscovered treasure, that's all. The garage saves a lot of stress for me. I forget the parking rates.

I had heard about the garage, but we didn't see it last time because we took the train.

It was just myself and my daughter on the last trip. My wife and other daughter are both going this time, so we want to make sure they get to visit Orvieto as well. We spent 9 days in and around Rome/Florence, and Orvieto was one of, if not THE highlight of the trip. We had an amazing day there.