Siena. Can it be a central location to stay when seeing parts of Tuscany ?

I would say yes outside the old town wall where there is parking,

Thanks for quick response Jazz. :)
Maybe I didn't make my statement and question clear enough because I did not quite understand your "outside the old wall and parking" comment.
We are looking at staying at a BNB in Siena. So I was thinking we could see the countryside and then return to our bnb in the evening.
Is 5 1/2 full days sufficient and can Siena be our base?

Thanks for your time

Does the Air Bnb in Siena have a place where you can park the car that you will be renting to use to explore the area?

It's just that parking in Siena can be tough so make sure your B&B has parking on offer. We found one with a little garage a 10 minutes walk away and they charged a bit extra for the parking.

Hi Jazz
View my very 1st comment. I stated that we are picking up our car at Florence airport. We have already seen Lucca, Pisa, Florence :)
Thinking of staying just outside of Sienna. Plenty of parking at this bnb.
Again maybe I should rephrase question? Can we see a good portion of Tuscany and return each evening to Sienna? Have a full 5 1/2 days.

Will Laurel or somebody else answer they way you have understood the OP's questions? Thanks

I find Siena to be congested and difficult to park in. I like the area to the west of Poggibonsi to stay in for B&Bs and agriturismos--outside of San Gimignano and/or Certaldo. 4 lane highway are close by and the entire region is reached easily, including Chianti.

I think what you're hearing is that arriving, parking and leaving Siena by car can be challenging, especially given the risk of inadvertently stumbling into ZTLs. So if you're comfortable with all that, to answer your specific question, geographically-speaking, Siena is a fine central location from which to explore Tuscany each day.

Hi Jazz. I can be pretty literal. Sorry about that.
I now realize from hubster and David that Sienna can be difficult for parking. Thanks David for the suggestion of San Gimignano and/or Certaldon. And hubestur thanks for explaining what I was trying to ask. Thank you one and all for your input! Mahalo, S

I think what Jazz is trying to get across is, In the centre of many Italian cities traffic is restricted to those vehicles with special permits. To enter the ZTL without the permit means you will incur heavy fines which will catch up with you down the road; there are reports on this forum of people receiving fine notices up to a year after the infraction. Just make sure your B&B is outside the Zone. If it is not, ask your hosts to help you get the appropriate permit.

But to answer your question, Siena appears to be a good central location to explore Tuscany.

Siena is a great place to use as home base exploring some parts of Tuscany. Realize that Tuscany is almost 9,000 square miles and you will be staying in the western part. The roads of the little towns are full of beautiful vistas and vineyards that you should experience, but the roads have switchbacks and speed traps. I get your question, but realize that there is never enough time in Tuscany, never enough time to explore the great towns and stroll through the land. Parking is extremely difficult in some of the towns, especially the walled towns and there are ZTL's that you should know about prior to the route that you take.

Hi Lanlubber
ZTL is new to me. I believe that's Zona Traffico Limitado. So I am assuming I can acquire a special permit? Is there any "clear" ( I ask tongue and cheek, yet am serious too, lol) posting of these signs in other Tuscan towns like San Gimignano ?

Hi Marie
Thanks for input? How do i find out where these ZLT's are?

Hi Marie
That's Thanks for input! Not "Thanks for input?"

Some info on Siena's ZTL zone:

http://www.comune.siena.it/La-Citta/Territorio/Direzione-Territorio/Servizio-Traffico-mobilita-e-trasporti/The-ZTL-Restricted-Traffic-Zone

Siena is a good central base for Chianti and part of the Val dOrcia, Montalcino and Pienza area.

Info on ZTLs and Italys rules of the road. Download their PDF.

Edit forgot to add the link🙃

https://www.italybeyondtheobvious.com/dont-mess-with-ztl-zones

Hi Princess. If you look at today’s postings on the Italy forum you will see a couple of photos of ZLT signs; it’s a red circle on a white ground. Questions on ZLT’s come up all the time on the Forum and I see today’s postings have some websites where you can get information on them.

Grazie one and all. Your info is of great use!

just google the ZTL's of the area that you will be driving to, or it can get overwhelming. When we drive in the tuscan region, we use google earth prior to taking the trip, just to see where the ZTL's are and how close to parking areas. good luck!

Give us the address of the AirBnB or B&B you are staying and we can advise better.

Roberto I'll let you know. Still deciding between 3 of them. They aren't remote but not super near. All i need, would be to get lost, yikes

Gerri
Thanks for info! :)

Thanks Marie!

We did this last year inthe spring. Stayed inside the walls in a B and B located a few feet from the back of the Siena Cathedral. At night I could open the curtain and look up at the cathedral in all its beauty just a few steps away.
Anyway, they had a parking service for a reasonable charge using a good garage and good crew. After five days of being picked up and driven outside the wall to the garage for our car and the reverse after 5 days driving to Arrezo, Anghiari, Volterra, etc., to return to our B and B it was enough. So decide what matters to you, for me it was the view of the cathedral and being in Siena in the evening for 6+ nights.
Outside the walls may be easier on you. And cheaper. Mahalo ( former Kailua resident)

MAHALO TTMOM12!
Former North Shore resident! Current Maui resident. I'm from da islands!

hey maui
another princess here and local Big Island girl, hamakua coast. Hope you decided on a place to stay and happy with what you chose. Have fun, have a glass of wine, a hui hou.
mahalo and aloha

Honorable Princess Pupule
Mahalos sistah!

And everyone else,
I have to giggle about having a glass of wine from princess pupule and others.

You see my husband and I don't drink! Lol
I have always been enthralled with visiting the wine country of Tuscany, from pictures and stuff. It just seems to be such a lovely place. We'll be enjoying our Pelligrino and sip to "la bella vita!

howzit princess
after your time in Tuscany, take a trip north of venice to conegliano, rent a car and drive the prosseco road and region. absolutely gorgeous. look up indianajo.com (search prosseco), spend the night in a small hotel and enjoy. have a glass of grape juice or POG haha
aloha