Travel from Orvieto to Volterra

Have you considered renting a car for the drive? Might be worth it then spending time on the bus and waiting for connections. Rentals for a day aren't that much.

Or you if your budget isn't limited you can look into a private driver for the trip.

It's one of those trips where a rental car is a better option, especially coming from Orvieto.
If you were in Florence, you'd have the option to take the bus to Colle V.E. then change to a bus to Volterra, or also the train to Pontedera, then a bus to Volterra. Either way it's a trek, because Volterra is not along a train line. Coming from Orvieto, it would be much worse. There is a Hertz rental office in Orvieto, see if you can book a car there.

I thought about a rental car, but we are traveling from Volterra onward to Lucca. I thought one way charges to drop off if another town may be prohibitive. And my husband is not that interested in driving there.

Has anyone driven the route from Orvieto to Volterra?

Thanks for your help.

Drive... Orvieto > Montepulciano > Siena > Volterra > Pisa
Train... Pisa > Lucca

No drop off charges apply if you return within Italy.
The drive is 4 lane freeway all the way to Colle VE, then 2 lane highway the rest of the way.

Island, I agree that a car might be more time efficient, but you're doing your research and see that it can be done with public transportation. Last summer, I was traveling on my own and was not willing to rent a car and navigate by myself, so took public transportation all over central and northern Italy, including one day traveling from Volterra to Ravenna. That was a trip that included 4 bus and train sections. I had earlier traveled from Florence to Volterra via Pontedera, and the return through Florence and then on to Ravenna was through Colle Val d'Elsa (or maybe it was the other way around!) With print-outs of the schedules, and many lovely people along the way, it was quite doable and even enjoyable. Just make SURE that you make a written (or camera-phone photo of) the connecting stations and times along your route. Have fun!

Thank you everyone for your comments and suggestions!

I'm going to look into a rental car. We've been to Italy several times, but have always been able to use public transportation. This Itinerary looks like it will require a car.

islandreams, if you do decide to rent a car for this stretch of your trip, and since it seems you have never rented a car or driven in Italy before, I suggest you come back to this forum with a new thread seeking guidance for driving in Italy. It is certainly very doable, and many people love driving through Umbria and Tuscany, but you should become familiar with ZTLs, International Drivers Permits, insurance, etc.