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Random questions for our first trip to Italy.

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Hi there! We have been planning this trip for a long time! The time is finally here. We leave on Oct 13 for 15 days!. I've got our itinerary, trains booked, car reserved and activities booked and even some restaurants. Now I need a little help with logistics...Any help would be greatly appreciated.

For our drive through Tuscany, we are getting our IDP, downloading google maps, and have the ViaMichelin GPS Route Planner.
1. Anything else we need?

  1. Do we need actual hiking boots for Cinque Terre or are good tennis shoes fine? We are hiking Monterroso to Venazza at a minimum.

We are renting a car from Florence to drive to our agriturismo/castle in Pienza for 2 nights and want to visit Siena.
3. Can you help us decide if we should
A. visit Siena on the way from Florence to Pienza for 3-5 hours
or B. go to Siena on our only full day on our driving "tour" of the Val D Orcia from Pienza?

Thank you in advance!

Posted by
7187 posts

Visit Siena on your way
Make sure luggage is not visible when you park

Posted by
2003 posts

I walked all but one of the Cinque Terre with tennis shoes, but be sure they are good ones with lots of support. I definitely recommend Siena as a full day stop. Also, anywhere you park, be sure NOTHING is visible in your car. Try to go to Siena on market day and be sure to wear 'appropriate' clothes if you plan to visit the cathedral (basically skirts below the knee and no tank tops for men or women.)

Posted by
7187 posts

Siena deserves a night or two, but if you only have a few hours, make the best of it, have a plan

Driving in Val D’ Orcia is delightful. You can hit several little towns and villages in one day.
We love Pienza, enjoy your stay!

Posted by
5 posts

Thank you, Laurie Beth We will actually be able to do market day as we will be in the area on a Wednesday. I'll look into it. The negative is that I couldn't park at Stadio which was recommended. Apparently the walk from Stadio to Campo is supposed to be very special.

Thank you! I would LOVE to spend more time in Siena. And great news about the tennis shoes.

Posted by
5 posts

Christine, I wish we could spend a night or two in Siena. We were originally staying in Siena, but decided to stay in Pienza so we could easily drive the Val D Orcia and visit the villages, maybe Bagno Vignoni... and because it's something different from the city breaks on our vacation. We will come up with a plan for Siena. Thank you!

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