My wife and I are staying in Cortona area for a week. However, on our first night, we have open. We plan to either stay overnight in Siena or Orvieto and then visit the other on a day trip. Rick calls Siena "magical" at night, which has me leaning towards that city. Would other travelers concur or would Orvieto be a better first night option? Thanks!
Rich
Posted by
Forest Grove, OR
11838 posts
We found Orvieto more serene.
Posted by
Texan in CA
4418 posts
Ahhhhh...Siena just glows at night (sigh)...
Posted by
Toledo, Ohio, US
11613 posts
Siena is a larger city than Orvieto, so I would opt for more time there. Orvieto is an easy daytrip from Rome or Cortona, although I spent 3 nights in Orvieto and wished I could have stayed longer. Same for Siena.
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA
7737 posts
It really depends on what you're looking for. Siena is more "hopping" in the evening. Orvieto is more serene, as pointed out. You really can't go wrong with either one. Flip a coin. :-)
Posted by
OP
Princeton, MA, USA
5 posts
Thanks for the replies so far. I think we are most interested in which town lends itself to the most memorable overnight stay - beautiful evening walks, great night atmosphere, etc. -- something that you can't get if you just go for a day trip.
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA
7737 posts
It's still "flip a coin" time. You can find that in either place. Here are some photos and a couple of video clips I took when we were in Orvieto in May of 2011 in case you're curious. We loved it. But we also loved Siena in September 2003.