Small towns en route to Siena

Manarola comes easily to mind ,,,,,

Verona, no question.

I loved Parma and found it small, quaint, and quiet. the food alone is worth it. I didn't go to Modena so I can't compare though they are in the same general region and I know modena is also known for its food. Parma has a fantastic duomo and baptistery and you could even take a free tour of a parimigiano cheese dairy if you schedule it in advance - that was the highlight of my last trip to Italy and something I will remember forever. I stayed in a B&B just across the river, actually, the owner bought the whole back of a building and turned all of the apartments into rooms/apartments. I paid 60 euros a night for a full apartment that would sleep 4! crazy.

We recently spent the night in Verona while enroute by train from Innsbruck to Venice. It turned out to be one of the highlights of our trip to Italy and is high on our list of places to revisit. It has a lovely old town, is easily walkable and has much to see and do. I would also recommend the Hotel Giulietta e Romeo as a nice place to stay in the old town. It is located on a quiet street a half block east of the Arena off of Piazza Bra. Its an easy bus ride from the train station.

If you're train route takes you via Innsbruck and the Brenner Pass, it will either stop in Verona or you'll change there. It's a nice smaller city (I enjoyed it) and would be a good choice. You could also take a slight detour from Verona to either Vicenza or Padua, which are even smaller towns worth considering. If your train route takes you through Switzerland to Milan, then there's a whole different group of towns that you could consider, such as Santa Margherita Ligure or the Cinque Terre. For a town closer to Siena, consider Lucca.