SIena vs. Motalcino

I have not been to Montalcino, however, can give a vote for Montepulciano if you are looking for an alternate, small hilltown. I was there 4 nights and loved it! Lots of shopping and good restaurants. A wonderful piazza! We did use public transportation since we did not have a car. The people are wonderful and the scenery is beautiful!

We stayed 3 nights in each place in Oct 2010. Montalcino is beautiful but a bit wine oriented. In addition to wine, there is some hiking in the area, great food, and a beautiful abbey, Sant'Antimo. You can also easily see other hilltowns, and take some beautiful drives from Montalcino. A car is imperative, IMHO. Check out the Slow Travel site for some Tuscany driving itineraries. In particular the road from Montalcino to Pienza and on to Montepulciano is divine. I highly recommend Palazzina Cesira as a B and B in Montalcino. We found Montalcino to be more restful and charming than Siena. We loved our Siena B and B (Antica Residenza Cicogna) but it was noisier there. Many lovely hilltowns are accessible from Siena, too. Again, a car is a good idea. All said and done, I would not split your 3 nights between two towns. Save yourselves some time and energy by settling in for 3 nights in one town or the other.

Montalcino gets very quiet after dark and it's all about Brunello (which is why I make it here!). Beautiful small town but if vino isn't your thing, I might spend 3 nights in Siena instead. You can do a great day trip from there and hit Montalcino, Montepulciano, and Pienza all in 1 day (start early!). If you are curious about wine, do try the Brunello. I am getting picky about my food the older I get and I have done a few Michelin starred places and this area blows all of them away! Have a great trip!

Short answer: No, not as good as Siena. Montalcino is charming, but also small and all about Brunello wine. If you don't drink wine, then Siena makes a lot more sense as a base. It is far larger and therefore has a lot more to do, and almost nothing requires wine to enjoy. There's a lot more history and far better shopping. It's a slam-dunk. Getting out of Siena into the countryside is very easy by bus or car. You can be in a charming little town in Chianti within 20 minutes on the bus. Renting a car gives you more flexibility about what to see and do. Siena photos: http://www.lodgephoto.com/galleries/italy-tuscany-siena/ Montalcino photos: http://www.lodgephoto.com/galleries/italy-tuscany-montalcino/ Chianti photos: http://www.lodgephoto.com/galleries/italy-tuscany-chianti/ Have fun!

If you're not drinking wine, I'd opt for Montepulciano over Montalcino - still great landscape, more variety of things to do. Siena is great, probably worth two nights instead of one. If you want to venture into Umbria, Assisi is beautiful but crowded almost all the time. Todi is another beautiful town, accessible by bus that lets you off near the town center.

I would make Florence my home base and take a day trip to Siena or any other hill town. You can enjoy the Tuscan scenery and she can shop.

Siena is a wonderful base because ofits central location. You can easily rent a car for the day and visit Montalcino and/or Montepulciano, or go north to visit the Chianti area, or west to other hill towns. My husband and I like Siena much better than Florence.

Greg, IMO, Siena would make a better "base" in that area. It's in a central location and it's a great place to wander about at night, and has more in terms of "sights" than Montalcino. However, there is incredible restaurant in Montalcino (best Bruschetta I've ever had!). As I recall, it was Taverna del Grappolo Blu. Although you're non-drinkers, you'll find lots of Gelato shops to enjoy in Siena. When I was there last year, I also visited a shop that offered a type of Biscotti, and it was incredible! Unfortunately, I can't remember the name of the shop or the specific name of the "delicacy". Happy travels!

Great advice, Ken. Taverna Grappola Blu is a treat. I had polenta with a sauceof various vegetables there over a year ago and I still think about it! Absolutely worth an evening in Montalcino, which is just so darn sweet anyway.

Laurel, Unfortunately, the Bruschetta that I enjoyed at Grappolo Blu has now become the "Gold Standard" by which I rate all others. Nothing else has come close and some that I've had in other parts of Italy have been a real disappointment. Cheers!

Hi Greg, I am an American living in Siena so maybe I'm a bit partial.
First, I agree that you'd be better off just staying in one town for three nights. And I think that place should be Siena. Here's why: Siena is in the middle of Tuscany so, to see the beautiful scenery, you could rent a car (Avis, Budget and Hertz are here) and go in any direction and see beauty. I would recommend south for a more authentic Tuscany. Siena is also a train and bus hub, so you could take public transportation (SETA buses) to go to nearby townslike Montalcino. There are so many lovely hilltop towns; just drive until you see one and drive up to it. The residents probably don't speak English. Inside, you can walk around and get a feel for life in the old days, duck into the town church, read a few plaques, have a gelato or coffee and look at the view. If you are hungry, eat at the restaurant on the square (there always is one). Shopping in Siena is medium- to high-end, at least in the walled, medieval part of the city (where I live). There are lots of little shopsanything you would possibly need or wantto keep you busy for days. Most close between 1 and 3:00 pm, and are open until 8:00 pm or so. People-watching keeps me entertained, always. Such fashionable, beautiful people! The passegiata (promenade) happens every night on the road from Piazza Gramsci toward Il Campo from 7 pm to 9:00, so wear your best! Walking around this old town, any time of day, is such a pleasure. I am a designer so I especially appreciate the aesthetics and architecture . . . I could go on but my space is almost gone . . . and of course see the Duomo and the City Hall and the Santa Maria delle Scale . . .

I'm sorry I misspoke in my first post. The bus lines out of Siena are "Sita" and "Sena." Sita goes only to: Colle Val d'Elsa, Poggibonsi and Florence (and not to Montalcino at all). Sena goes to most of Italy and Siena is its hub. On its website, I tried but it is difficult to find information on where Sena stops.
To go to small towns without a car, perhaps the train would be a good idea?

Thank you everyone for the great advice! We will stay in Siena for two nights and Montalcino for one night. I am very excited about seeing both areas!

We also enjoyed Grappolo Blu in Montalcino-hope you can dine there. Have a great trip!