My husband and I are traveling with our daughter, who is currently studying in Rome, for a week over Easter. Current plan is to train from Rome to La Spezia on Thursday afternoon and explore Cinque Terre using the ferry on Good Friday (this is first operating day for ferry season). Plan to pick up car on Saturday morning and head into Tuscany for the weekend. I cannot decide which town to stay in, as I am concerned that a small town will be shut down over the holiday and we may be better off in Siena for example - need your expert thoughts regarding Easter weekend in Tuscany. Would be happy to enjoy a cooking class or spa time while in the area, but again am unsure what is available over the holiday. Next consideration is whether I am brave enough to just drive straight to Rome from Tuscany on Tuesday or am I crazy to do that and should drop the car in Siena and train back to Rome? My last visit to Italy was 4 years ago but concentrated on Rome, Florence and Venice by train. Thanking everyone in advance!
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
15161 posts
Easter Sunday and Easter Monday are both holidays and many stores will be closed. Restaurants should be largely open, especially in tourist areas.
If you decide to stay in Siena be aware that there are traffic restrictions in the historical center (just like Florence), therefore you need to choose accommodations carefully if you want to be able to drive to your hotel. That is true also for smaller towns, however their historical centers are small and a parking lot is never too far.
Nobody knows if you are brave enough to drive into Rome but yourself. A lot depends on one's experience driving in big cities. If you are used to driving in Manhattan, I'm sure you can handle Rome or any other city. If your driving experience is limited to the prairies of rural Montana and have never driven in a town with more than 2 cars on the same intersection, then you won't feel comfortable driving in a city. In Rome there are several locations that are far enough from the city center not to present too many problems. Near the Tiburtina station for example or even at the Fiumicino airport, which is out of town. If you are renting from Hertz and a visit to Orvieto is in your itinerary, you could even return it there and proceed to Rome by train.
Posted by
OP
2 posts
Thank you! I'm a city girl and can drive fine in NYC so I feel more confident based on your reply. I'm challenged between staying in or just outside of Siena vs Montepulciano. Any thoughts on the beauty or culture of one vs the other over Easter holiday would be appreciated.
Posted by
Vignola, MO, IT
654 posts
I have been to both but really liked Montepuliciano. We stayed several nights there and they had a parking spot for us (tiny) that was not too far away from where we stayed.