we are seniors who travel like local exploring back streets and hidden gems. Like renaissance and Roman architect not so much repeating the oid towns with Medieval set up. Pisa is our base to visit cinque terre, Lucca (anything else?) we are travelling for Italy from 20th may to 20th june. we've been to Italy before. Now want to long waited destination Tuscany .Umbia Sicily last Rome to do some side trips and hv kept 4 to 5 days for Rome, as we hv visited the place b4. Pl. can you suggest the best way to draw a plan? There are so many places we ike in Tuscany and Umbria that we are confused. will rent a car after Florence. looking a center base reasonable to explore both the areas. The towns which are cheap cause we go to europe a month and more and try to budget as much as we can. Is chianti road trip is same as Scenic road A1? will appreciate all the inputs we can get. we r little late this time. usually hv all in order b4 2 months. When we are driving around can we visit 2 or more towns in a day?
Awaiting anxiously.
Posted by
11609 posts
Siena to Florence is the historic Chiantigiana, SR222, through the Chianti villages.
Umbria: we found Spello to be the perfect base for our two week trip to Umbria. Bevagna, and Montefalco
are nearby. We always rent cars outside of cities.
Posted by
Irving
3279 posts
The only place you can take a direct train (no transfers) from Pisa to the Cinque Terre is Monterosso al Mare and there aren’t many but it is doable: https://www.trenitalia.com/en.html. Pisa is a 30m direct train ride from Lucca. Other places in the Italian Riviera to visit by direct train are Santa Margherita Ligure (2h), Sestri Levante (2h) and Levanto (1h 30m).
The direct train from Pisa to Florence’s (Firenze) S.M. Novella station takes 1h. I wouldn’t rent a car in Florence because there are strict ZTL zone laws and a few seconds in a bus lane is costly. When you’re finished with Florence take a direct bus to Siena (1h 15m) that will drop you off outside the old town. Siena makes a good base for both Tuscany and Umbria (Assisi) and the perfect place to rent a car. From what I’ve read Siena does not have ZTL zone laws but if you’re renting a car do some reading on this. However, you will need to park in the car park outside the old town. Do try to sleep in Siena's old town so you can enjoy the ambience during the evening hours.
I would forget the SR222 Chiantigiana Road known as the Chianti wine road that connects Florence and Siena. Instead, get on the SR2 road from Siena then turn left on SP146 and drive to Montepulciano (1h 15m) for the day. I’ve driven this route and you’ll pass many memorable landscapes: https://lovefromtuscany.com/scenic-drives-in-tuscany/. The next day drive to Volterra (1h).
Assisi (Umbria) is a 1h 30m drive from Siena. Orvieto, the other Umbrian town to visit is best from Rome as a day trip. From Rome’s (Roma) Termini station take a direct train (1h 15m) and then the funicular to the top of the town.
To get to from Siena to Rome’s Termini station you’ll need to take a bus or taxi to the train station and transfer at the Florence S.M. Novella station (3h 45m).
In Sicily you’ll need two bases: Siracusa and Palermo.
Posted by
Irving
3279 posts
One more thing, have you bought tickets for the Uffizi Gallery yet in Florence? If you plan on going do it now. Before COVID the wait list was two months out.
Posted by
lexington, il
4105 posts
Welcome to the forum Ruby.
The A 1 is a toll road, much like here in the states. It does have some rules of the road that are not only different, but can be expensive. Please peruse this …
https://italybeyondtheobvious.com/
The Chianti road SR 222 is a two lane windy road connecting the hill towns. The SP 2 is the road that goes thru the Val d’Orcia from Pienza south. ( these roads connect by Radda in Chianti.
You can usually see at least 2 towns and depending on size sometimes 3. We have always traveled to the town farthest away and worked our way back to our home base.
When we first visited Tuscany we use Via Michelin to plot our route and printed it out to take with us, it provided a good reference in an unfamiliar area.
Posted by
OP
2 posts
In Pisa which areas we look to book B&B or hotel which are affordable with good reviews and close to train station. we will be travelling from Pisa to cinque terra and Lucca making day trips. is cinque terra doable in a day or we need 2? Do they hv trains and Buses for commuting within the town?
Any other towns we can go from Pisa which are worth a trip?
Posted by
Central Indiana
272 posts
We have thrice used Spello as a base to tour Umbria. It’s very easy to get in and out of the town and it puts you in very central location from which to tour. Plus, the town itself is lovely. Enough good restaurants to satisfy you, a grocery store, laundromat and other services.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
16133 posts
Siena does have a ZTL, the first ZTL in Italy to encompass the entire historical center in fact, it was inaugurated in 1965.
The oldest ZTL to include only some streets was actually in Rome. It was opened in 45 BC by Julius Caesar. They say that some foreign tourists are still receiving fines on the mail from that time. Apparently they were fines they received while entering the ZTL to return their rental chariot to the rent-a-chariot agency.
Posted by
Cinque Terra & Cortona
6 posts
We too arrive 5/20 for the Tuscany region. Have 4 nights @ iL Borghetto which is very near Siena in the hills. SanGiminano is also very close. I follow the hotel on Instagram and Simona's posts are saved in her highlights. Check 'em out. So many small villages you'll love for the kind of trekking you do. We will head to Cortona next for 4 days. Found our hotel via Booking.com. Lots of Etruscan ruins there and more!! Lastly we land in Vernazza (via car) and spend the last 4 days to hike all 5 villages. We were there I. Oct 2011 just one week before the rain and mud slides into the villages. Vernazza was the worst. All is brand new now. We will Fly back to London for 2 days of fun celebrating our 50th anniv. Ciao!!