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Travel planning help!

Hubby and I are in the planning phase of Italy. Went with a friend in 2017 and cannot wait to go with hubby for our 40th anniversary.
Thinking of flying into Milan then off to the Lakes-Varenna for sure! Planning on more of a relaxed trip and only going to 2 areas.
Would prefer Siena or another Tuscany town over Florence-been there done that.
How complicated will it be for us to go from Varenna to Tuscany? We will not be renting a car.
Thank you!!!!

Posted by
11037 posts

When are you going and how long will you be there?

How complicated will it be for us to go from Varenna to Tuscany?

This question is akin to 'How complicated is it to get from Chicago to New Jersey"?

How complicated it might be will depend just where you are going

Posted by
18 posts

Hi
Varenna and Siena at this point. For sure Varenna...trying to figure out the other place! October 2020

Posted by
1056 posts

I’ll defer the planning after Lake Como to others but will highly recommend you do the cooking class at Il Caminetto while you’re in Varenna. The class is in Perledo, a village a bit away from Varenna but they’ll pick you up and take you back. So much fun! And you’ll return home with recipes for what you cooked. Email address: info@ilcaminettoonline.com.

Posted by
7280 posts

Just for further clarification, on this relaxing trip, are you letting others handle the transportation, and not planning on driving yourselves?

Posted by
18 posts

Would live to use trains but don’t think this is the trip. We can from Milan to Varenna.

Posted by
2462 posts

You can take train from Milan central station to Varenna and back. Then you can take a train to Florence and a bus to Siena.

Posted by
391 posts

Yep - "when are you going?"

My first thought: they've been married 20 years and are planning WAY in advance!!

Posted by
15560 posts

Without a car, Bologna is very good. It's a rail hub so it's easy to do day trips to lovely towns - Modena, Ferrara, Padua, even Ravenna, to name a few. Bologna has a well-earned reputation for good food. It doesn't have top-tier sights, so it doesn't attract a lot of tourists. On the other hand, it does have a well-preserved historic center.

Posted by
4105 posts

From Varenna you go to Milan Centrale change train to Florence then bus to Siena. You could train to Siena, but then have to head uphill, about a 15 minute walk. There are escalators, but the bus will drop you in Piazza Gramsci at the top of town. I'd try for lodging between the bus stop and the train station just to have good access for your day trips.

Without a car, these are some towns to visit by bus and train.

Some towns I've combined with others. (B=bus, T=train)
Siena-Colle di Val d'Elsa ( B 30m)-San Gimignano (B 35m)-Siena (B 1H05m)
Siena-Montereggioni (B 18m)-Castellina in Chianti (B 30m) -Siena (B 30m)
Siena-Buonconvento (T 28m)-Monteroni d'Arbia
(T 12m)-Siena
Siena-Rapolano Terme (T 37m)-Asciano Mont Oliveto (T 10m)-Siena (T 26m)
Siena-Sinalunga (T 53m)
Siena-San Quirico d' Orcia (T 50m)
Siena-Certaldo (T 39m)
Even if you decide on 1 hilltown a day, there's plenty to do. Look at the towns to see what interest you.

Edit be sure to check return times carefully.