Hi everyone! I'd like some feedback please on our possible itinerary. 2 adults, 2 grown children, traveling June 2012. We will be in our second week in Italy, the first week spent on a business tour. We would have already been to Rome, Perugia, Assissi, Florence, Lucca, Montecatini and Venice. For this last leg we will be in Florence and need to return to Rome for departure. Here are my plans so far: Tuesday: morning at the Uffizi. afternoon bus to Siena. eve. and night in Siena. Wed.: An all day tour with "Tours With Roberto"- plan on some history, wine, scenic drive. Night in Siena. Thurs.: Rent a car. Open relaxed day, maybe drive to west coast beach. Maybe more scenic Pienza, San Galgano, Montepulciano. Night in Siena. Fri.: Leave Siena. Slow drive to Orvieto. See the town, or continue to Bagnoregio Civita by car. Overnight there, maybe B&B. Sat.: Early morn return car, train to Rome. Be in Rome by afternoon to have time for hotel check-in and possible
activity. My concerns right now are the transportation connections, are they even feasible. We will have lots of luggage because of the nature of our trip. Any thoughts or suggestions would be so appreciated!! Grazie!! Leslie
Posted by
Elk Grove, CA, USA
6898 posts
Looks really great. Tues-Sat to get from Florence to Rome is more than ideal. Renting a car to visit all of the smaller places also works well. For your train ride into Rome with the added luggage. As you have probably already experienced, the stairs onto the train are narrow and steep. Plus, everybody else wants to get off and on at the same time. Overall, I think that you are looking quite good with your planning.
Posted by
Bett
96 posts
I think your timetable seems great, so for the luggage issue, I am sure you will encounter some hassle with boarding with many pieces of luggage but with 4 adults to help move/watch bags I would think you would be fine. You will probably stow your bags in the belly of the bus to Siena and on the train From Orvieta to Rome, I don't remember it being overly crowded so I wouldn't think that would be a problem either. The one area I would be cautious, would be the type of car you rent. You will want to make sure there is room for all your bags and so you wouldn't be able to rent a compact. You didn't say how many bags...is it no more than 2 per person so you can walk from train to hotel in one trip? or more where you have to make arrangements for transportation?
Posted by
OP
Geneva, IL, United States
33 posts
Thank you so much Larry & Jackie! This part of the trip has been tough for me to plan- so you are both encouraging!
To Jackie- we will each have 2 pieces of luggage, one attaches & sits atop the other, as we are able to roll them 360 degrees- boy has that been helpful over the years! We would rather rent a small car to buzz around on that Thursday- but know that we will need something larger for the Friday part- last time we had to get a BMW SUV- really not that big- but I hope we can find one in the Italian countryside... should we stay in town in Siena? And should we find a place that has parking available? Any suggestions ( no more that 150 E per night) (hopefully less) ?? Grazie!! Leslie
Posted by
Bett
96 posts
I love Siena. It is my favorite town. We have been there twice and I would go back again. We stayed at Albergo Bernini both times. Great location within the town. Their daughter ran the desk last time we were there and she was fantastic with any questions we had. Most rooms use the shared bathrooms (3, I think), but it was never a problem for us. We never had to wait. I suppose that was just luck. The quad had it's own bathroom. We had a rental car when we were there and there is no on-site parking. We were allowed to drive to the front door to drop off luggage but then we had to park in the stadiums parking lot and walk...not a big deal considering all the walking that you do in a day, but getting to the front door of the hotel in the car is a bit intimidating. All signs seem to tell you not to go that way, roads are narrow, people are walking in the street, etc... so we stopped and my husband walked to the hotel got directions as to what to do and all was good. Have fun!
Posted by
Bett
96 posts
Oh, here is the website http://www.albergobernini.com/ Also we had a Fiat mini van (I guess that is what they would call it) that we picked up in La Spezia, which would probably work great for you...lots of interior space as I remember but not too big...so they are out there but it may just be by luck that you find one. We didn't request it, that is just what they gave us.
Posted by
Boulder, CO, USA
719 posts
Hi Leslie, Your intinerary looks great. I would make a few suggestions on your "maybe's". Thursday: between the option of the beach or Tuscan towns like Pienza and Montepulciano, I would definitely lean towards the towns. Disclaimer: I'm not a beach person. However, while our beaches here are not Italian, we don't have ANY centuries old villages to peruse, so I would spend your time there. But that's just me. Friday: Orvieto is a beautiful town, with much to see (or to relax with a carafe of Orvieto Classico on a piazza taking in the Duomo...). While you could drive to CdB, the town doesn't really have much (although June will make it much more "lively" than much of the rest of the year.) Rather than hopping around, I would spend some time in Orvieto and really experience that town, as it is really wonderful.
How many days does this leave you in Rome? Are you flying out Sunday? Just curious to see what you have available. Rome is one of my favorite cities in the world, and it's fun to come back into it after a week or so when you've been "energized" by Tuscany!