A friend and I will be traveling thru Tuscany in October 2018 after staying a few days in the Cinque Terre. Planning on getting off the train in Pisa we would like to travel by bus or car and stay 2 nights in Volterra and then the next 2 nights in Montepulciano then off to Chiusi to pick up the high speed train to Rome.
Looks like buses are better than trains since trains and hilltowns seem to be at odds with each other.
Bus: It looks like the bus is do-able but will have a number of stops , connections and transfers. Don't see any one bus that connects the two hill towns directly. Like the idea of being free of a car though. Like to hear from someone who has dont it and if they recommend it or if they have any recommendations on the subject.
Car rental seems like the best choice since we could visit what we want, when we want. then I guess parking the car may be a problem. We can pick it up in Pisa and drop if off in Chiusi after Montepulciano to hop on the high speed train to Rome. Love to get some feedback from someone who has done it. How is the traffic, road conditons,parking, is it well signed, how much did you get lost. Like the idea of driving on slow country roads or is it free way travel.
This is the first time driving in Italy on europe since I usually take public bus and train transpo but in this case based on the little research I have done it may be wise to car travel . Any recommendations would be much appreciated. Like to hear any stories you may have.