Tuscany / Chianti / Siena /Trains-car

Posted by Terri (La Pine, Or) on 11/09/13 07:27 PM

We will have about 6-7 days to spend in the Tuscany area after traveling from Rome and Orvieto. Looking for suggestions on the best place to call "home" for those days since we will be renting a car and taking day trips. We want a farmhouse or BndB and not a hotel. Friends have told me Siena might be the best place, but would like input from the experts on this site!

Also, suggestions on taking the train from Rome to Orvieto and picking up the car there. Train options? When we return from the Tuscany area we'd like to stop in Assisi before returning to Rome to fly out. Can the car be picked up in Orvieto and dropped off in Assisi?

Thanks in advance!

Posted by Andrea

Sacramento, California U.S.A.

11/09/13 07:56 PM

10737 posts

Terri - I sent you a private message with a recommendation.

Posted by Fred

Vacaville, CA, USA

11/09/13 11:15 PM

46 posts

Yes you can pick up a Car in Orvieto. Hertz his just at the bottom of the hill near the funicular. I have done this. Send me a private message and I will give you the place I stayed in Orvieto. Very nice with a great view. I also stayed just outside the walls of Siena. Small farmhouse B & B, with a few rooms. I can send you all that.

Fred

Posted by David

Huntsville, AL, USA

11/10/13 06:56 AM

8371 posts

Terri:

The hill towns south of Florence are surrounded by relatively small olive farms and wineries. Virtually every farm in the region has rooms and apartments for rent for secondary income. The agriturismos are often within eyesight of Certaldo, San Gimignano and Siena, but they're all throughout the Chianti region.

Some of the accommodations are very reasonably priced. We had a two bedroom apartment close to San Gimignano for 70 Euros per night; it was booked through Booking.com. We went on day trips to Siena, San Gimignano, Certaldo and Volterra. Florence would be another good day trip by bus.

We found very large, modern supermarkets in Poggibonsi, and cooked most nightly meals in the apartment.

One great way to find accommodations in an area is to sign into GoogleMaps and enter a city's name. Then click on the '+' to magnify the map until hotels and B&B's showup. You can click on the hotel icon and websites showing the property and rates will pop up. I prefer B&B's and agriturismos to staying in any city or chain motel.

If you'll look on Rick's Graffiti Wall, you'll find a Heroic B&B experience section. They talk about some fine B&B's in Orvieto. It's a great place to stay with good restaurants and great B&B's. Down at the foot of the hill, it's a pretty modern small city.

Posted by Becky

Seattle, WA, USA

11/11/13 02:42 AM

360 posts

We stayed at an agriturismo in Pienza recommended from the RS book and found it was a perfectly central location within Tuscany to drive to most of the hill towns within a couple of hours (Fonte Bertusi). We came from Florence and wound up dropping our car off in Rome, as the car rental in Orvieto had more restricted hours and it was more expensive. It was a little crazy driving out of Florence and into Rome (especially during a thunderstorm), but my husband was up for the "challenge" to save the $$ and we did just fine as the car rentals in both locations were on the edge of the city.