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Revised Varenna, Tuscany, Rome Itinerary

Hello, Below is our close to final itinerary for mid may 2027. This is our first trip as a family (4 adults) and prefer a relaxed pace. Is there a way to organize this to replace one of the 3 nights in Tuscany areas to 4 nights? Is the Florence, Siena and Val d’orcio too much overlap? As a family we like to feel immersed in an area as much as possible and prefer being able to walk to town/village whenever possible. We will book a wine tour and a cooking class at some point. For those wondering about a car we will have a car after Florence and will ditch it in Chiusu before heading to Rome for a family wedding. One thought I had was collapsing Siena and Val d’Orcia into one 4 night and add 2 nights in Orvieto and ditching the car there. Or some other variation of that. I have made reservations but all refundable at this point. Also would love to hear your thoughts on my lodging choices and must see or do. Thank you!

Dates Nights Base Status
May 15–18 3 Varenna — Villa Monti, Violet Suite ✅
May 18–21 3 Florence — Oltrarno Borgo San Frediano ✅
May 21–24 3 Siena — Palazzo di Valli ✅
May 24–27 3 Val d’Orcia / Pienza area? 🔎
May 27–31 4 Rome — Via Germanico, Prati District ✅

Posted by
6981 posts

It’s a purely personal preference, but I would want a longer stay there in the middle, so I would choose Siena OR Val d’Orcia—it’s a tough decision!

Posted by
12343 posts

I agree with Valadelphia in that I find a slightly longer stay -- at least 5 nights -- in the middle of a trip becomes sort of a centerpiece, a time to take a half day for nothing, take that cooking class, do a wine tour, do laundry, catch your breath, enjoy the being there. I would not add Orvieto but maybe add a night either to Florence or Rome while combining Siena and Val d'Orcia.

FWIW the Val d'Orcia, whether Montepulciano, Pienza, or my favorite, Montalcino, would be my choice.

Posted by
2544 posts

Just my opinion,

  • Varenna will give you quiet mornings and evenings with crowds during the day, but stunning scenery.
  • Florence can be overcrowded and loud, but packed with wonderful art and shopping.
  • Rome you will be busy with the wedding and family and Rome's sights again with crowds.

You need some downtime between Florence and Rome to feel immersed. Do all 6 nights in one location. Schedule your wine tour and cooking class during this stay.

If Orvieto is a must see, and you can find a car rental that allows one way drop off on Orvieto, you could stop on your way to Rome.

Posted by
9579 posts

There’s definitely a few ways you could adjust your plan.
A 3 night stay gives you just 2.5 days in that location.
I believe you are flying in to Milan?

I would give Florence 4 nights and use one of those days to day trip to Siena. Although Siena is really lovely at night it’s a pain to drive in and out of the town. Siena is also going to be quite busy where a smaller town like Pienza or Orvieto will give you a break from the big city crowds.
Stay near Pienza for at least 3 nights and visit the small hill towns near there. That is the area that one usually pictures when they want to “see Tuscany”
Orvieto is very nice and a 2 night stay is perfect there. If you choose to drop car there just note that Hertz is your only option.

For car rental make sure you check the open/close times- closed on Sunday, close at noon on Saturday and closed mid day 12-4ish on weekdays. The agencies near train station in Florence will have better hours. There are several threads here with directions how o get out of town without incurring ZTL violations.
If you are driving on a US license make sure all drivers have an IDP- get at your local AAA before leaving the states. Have a designated driver if you intend to wine taste- alcohol limits are much lower in Italy and very strict.

Varenna 3
Florence 4- day trip to Siena
Pienza or nearby 3
Orvieto 2
Rome 4

2 recommendations for hotel in Pienza
Piccolo Hotel la Valle- very basic but fantastic views, parking on site and a 2 min walk into town
https://piccolohotellavalle.com/it

A440- just outside of Pienza, parking on site, lovely property with great views. You can walk into town from here.
https://www.a440intuscany.com/