I will be staying in Siena for a few days and want to take a couple of day trips. We can only pick 2 of the 3 small group guided tours due to lack of time (we won't have a car). One day trip will be a Brunello wineries tour in Montalcino. That only leaves one more tour day and I'm torn between a San Gimignano/Volterra day trip or a Montepulciano/Pienza tour. Which would you choose and why? I'm sure we'll want to taste some wine and check out shops. They all look so nice, it's hard to choose!
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
16167 posts
If you have a car, you can pair your Montalcino's wine tasting with the day trip to Montepulciano/Pienza. They are all in the same area. You can do all in one trip. Done it many times and I would usually drive from Florence, which is farther.
That way you can devote the other day to visiting S.G. and Volterra.
If you don't have a car, then it's a problem with any of the destinations, because buses are not so frequent. But with a bus I wouldn't go to Volterra. Too far and too much hassle.
Posted by
North Carolina, USA
371 posts
interesting. i was in the same dilemma just a few weeks ago! actually, my issue was trying to visit voltera from siena by public transportation. As far as i could tell there is no bus or train that one can use to do a day trip from siena and back. you may have better luck with your research or perhaps you are driving and the point is moot. i did go to san gimignano and it is stunning, one of my all-time favorite locations in italy. my hobby is photography and the architecture provides endless photo-ops. the day i visited had clear blu skies, and the sharp bright sunlight contrasting with the deep shadows and the yellow stone structures were incredible. you can take a train or bus to poggibonsi and transfer to another bus to san gimignano. i took the buses because i think it suited my schedule better.
Posted by
OP
6 posts
Thank you both! We won't have a car and I'm looking at doing a small group guided tour for each so transportation won't be a problem. From the pictures I've seen of them all, they are all incredibly beautiful! I do appreciate architecture (although I'm not a great photographer) but my friend is more of a shopper so I'm looking for something to please us both. And I'm always looking for a wonderful meal!
Posted by
Saint Paul, Minnesota
1605 posts
On our next trip to Italy, we will be staying for 4 nights in Volterra and making a day trip to San Gimignano, so here's what we plan to see and do. Never been to any of these towns, but my impression is that Montepulciano and Pienza is mostly about seeing the town itself but Volterra and San Gimignano is both that and also a bunch of the late medieval/early Renaissance art that I am very fond of. Plus Etruscan & ancient Roman things to see in Volterra.
Volterra
*Palazzo dei Priori (frescoes & paintings 14th to 19th cent.)
*Roman theater
*Medici fortress & park
*Annie Adair guide for the town and/or husband for wine-tasting (you can see her youtube videos)
*town walls
*Guarnacci Etruscan Museum
*Pinacoteca (closed Mon?)
https://volterrawalkingtour.wordpress.com/
https://www.marthasitaly.com/articles/118/volterra-tuscany
San Gimignano
*Collegiata di Santa Maria Assunta's Taddeo di Bartolo's Last Judgement & Ghirlandaio's Santa Fina frescoes. 10–6:30pm daily
*Ghirlandaio Annunciation in the Loggia del Comune, Collegiata
*Museo d'Arte Sacra 10am–5pm
*View of the town & countryside from the Rocca
*Palazzo Comunale (aka Palazzo del Popolo) Camera del Podestà: Memmo di Filippuccio’s “Scenes of Married Life” & the Sala di Dante
*Sant'Agostino (Gozzoli chapel frescoes) ---- the sign on the door says 7–12 & 15–19
*EAT GELATO at Dondoli
*See this website: https://www.marronaia.com/blog/san-gimignano-10-things-you-have-to-see/
Posted by
OP
6 posts
Great info nancys8! I'll go check out those links. Thanks!
Posted by
Saint Paul, Minnesota
1605 posts
Here's what Rick Steves has to say about Volterra: https://blog.ricksteves.com/blog/volterra-my-top-italian-hill-town/