Tuscany for 4 days... where to go????

I'd go to Siena, as it's, to me, the heart of Tuscany. It's big enough (but not too big) to keep you entertained on foot and also big enough to offer train and bus connections, plus tours to nearby hill towns, wine tours, etc.

i also vote for siena. good luck :):)

I think you'd do best in a larger town like Siena. In smaller tourist-oriented and agricultural towns, they can be shut in January for winter vacations.

We had an apartment in Florence for five nights in in late Sept of 2007 and found it to be a very good base for exploring. First, you can walk EVERYWHERE in Florence. Second, it's an easy day trip to Siena (train or bus), and in fact we took an all day Grayline bus tour to San Gimignano and Siena (65 Euros including lunch in Siena) on one day and a day trip to the Cinque Terre (long day but worth it) on another. Third, if you like opera, check out St Marks English speaking Anglican Church in Florence. Routinely had weekend opera that was outstanding. We saw La Boheme for 20 Euros and it's only a ten minute walk from the Ponte Vecchio. We considered Siena as a base, but chose Florence because there is more to do there. Good Luck.

I second the idea of Florence as your home base. Besides having more to see and do there, it is much easier to get to and from the train station for your day trips.

Maybe you can fit one night in Orvieto before Rome. It's fun with beautiful views and easy access to Rome. We stayed at La Magnolia (see RS) with a great location for 60 euros this last summer.

We made Siena our home base for several day trips to hill towns, and we enjoyed it, but we were driving a rental car. Since you're travelling by train or bus, I'd probably go with the consensus for making Florence your home base. When I researched it, there seemed to be a quite a few "day trip by bus" options from Florence, not so many from Siena.

We where in Italy in September and went to the beautiful hill town of Voterra. The most wonderful town and people. We stayed in a 207 year old converted villa called Villa de Arco, run by the most wonderful woman Antonella. Her mother bakes all the pastries every morning!!! Not expensive and wonderful. We went to the "bra" bar Rick mentions in his books and show and were treated so well. The owner saw our Rick Steves Italy book and brought us a yummy cheese plate. Volterra is truly one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen.

I am so sorry, the name of the Volterra hotel is hotel Porta all'Arco. www.villaportallarco.it
Enjoy!

Start in Siena, Stay at Albergo Bernini's amazing B&B (http://www.albergobernini.com) and spend a day there. Then, rent a car and travel some of the hill towns. We hit up Asciano, Pienza and Montepulciano. We were able to walk around in each town and experience each town's own unique charm. If we had another day we would have kept the car and probably hit up some more of the hill towns. Each is unique and a must to visit a few to experience Tuscany. The drive alone to most of the towns is an experience on its own.

If you love wine, dont miss Montalcino. A good day trip from Florence or Siena. And the nearby 1200 year old abbey of Sant'Antimo, with the resident monks singing Gregorian Chants several times a day.

I would highly recommend Assisi which is in Umbria, but not far from Rome. It is a very special place. You could stop there on your way to Florence.
If you go to Florence, I would recommend making a half-day day trip up to Fiesole. You can get there quickly on the municipal bus #7 from the Duomo in Florence. You could have lunch, walk around the village, see the beautiful views of Florence and the Tuscan countryside. You can also do a lovely hike in a nature park at the top of the hill. While in Florence, be sure to go to Trattoria Casalinga near Santo Spirito. It has inexpensive and delicious food and a convivial atmosphere.