Tuscany Travel Question...

[Heather]

I am looking for suggestion on which area to stay in while in Tuscany, I am looking to be sorta of in between Florence and Pisa and Sienna (I think). I would like to be in a self contained apt., room, farmhouse ect... close to a village,town and train/Bus. I was thinking Montecatini Terme. Is that a good area? Any suggestion and I hope this make sense.
Thanx~
Heather-
From Florida

[Lourdes]

Your question makes perfect sense - you want to be somewhere in the middle of these places so that you can move easily between them by train or bus.

Montecatini Terme is a great location, especially if you want to also enjoy the natural springs at the many spas found in the city. But it is a bit further north than Pisa, located along the train line that connects Florence to Lucca. If you wanted to go to Pisa by train, you'd first have to go to Lucca. To go to Siena, on the other hand, you'd have to go to Florence, change trains to Empoli and then change train again to go to Siena.

Therefore, I recommend staying a little further south, closer to the main train line between Florence and Pisa or along the route between Empoli and Siena. It would be good to stay in either Castelfiorentino, Certaldo or even somewhere close to Poggibonsi (not in the town as it has tended to become quite industrial around the edges). The only farmhouse apartment that comes quickly to mind in these towns is Cabbiavoli just outside of Castelfiorentino's city center - check it out to see whether it would meet your needs.

[Heather]

Thank-you, For the advice. I'm sure I will have more question to come soon!
~Heather

[Heather]

Lourdes,

I am gonna be in Italy (Tuscany area ) July 24-31 8 days) I was wondering if I should stay 3 days in Florence city and 5 days in Tuscany somewhere between Sienna- Pisa (like I previously stated in previous post) We are really interested in Art-Culture, scenery,and history. I am not sure if I should do city & countryside or just countryside w/day trips? So with that said, Am I picking a good area (from previous post), And we are open for any suggestions. Also we are doing two days in Rome July1-2 then off to Budapest (can you give me advice on the cheapest and easiest way to get from Rome to Budapest? I hope this makes sense to you. Thanks so much in advance
Heather & Mike
From Florida (USA)

[Lourdes]

Ciao Heather,

Sorry I hadn't replied sooner, had somehow missed your additional post.

The area between Siena and Pisa sounds like a good area to stay in, it is also vast so you will have lots of choices in regards to accommodation.

If this is your first time to Tuscany and Florence, then I recommend dividing up your time and spending those 3 days for Florence and the rest in the countryside.. if you've been to Florence before, you might enjoy the time better spending it all in the countryside and taking day trips into Florence, Siena, San Gimignano, Pisa....

You will have a chance to see lots of history, culture, scenery and eat great food wherever you go in Italy (just avoid very touristy restaurants in Rome and Florence).

Are you still considering traveling only by train while in Tuscany or will you rent a car? That will make all the difference in your choices of where to stay - if you don't have a car in Tuscany, you'll have to stay in a town along where you know the train passes so that you can easily move about. Otherwise you will have problems getting into a town and depending only on buses and their schedules.
If you rent a car, you will have more flexibility and the choice of whether or not pick to stay in a farmhouse or villa in the countryside away from a town.


For Rome-Budapest:

You can either fly or take the train - check airfares to see if you get a better deal than taking the train, it saves a lot of travel time. Check http://www.cheaptickets.com/, for example. I did a quick search and found fares with Alitalia for around $176 per person.
Train - there is only one train per day that leaves Rome to Budapest. It costs around 117 euro per person, traveling second class, and leaves Roma Termini station at 4.50 p.m. with a train change in Venice Mestre and arrive the next day at 11 a.m.
By air sounds much better and cost is almost the same once you convert euros to dollars!

[Tina]

Originally Posted by Heather

I am looking for suggestion on which area to stay in while in Tuscany, I am looking to be sorta of in between Florence and Pisa and Sienna (I think). I would like to be in a self contained apt., room, farmhouse ect... close to a village,town and train/Bus. I was thinking Montecatini Terme. Is that a good area? Any suggestion and I hope this make sense.
Thanx~
Heather-
From Florida

Hi Heather,

I and my husband have been to Tuscany on many occasssions and have stayed in many different areas. We do like Lucca, it is not far from Pisa or Florence, and is truly beautiful.
We have a friend who has a place in Lucca that he rents out; it is a self contained apartment that sleeps 6 and is inside the city walls. My husband & I are going to use the apartment for a weekend in July and are really looking forward to going back to visit Lucca. I am new to this site so not sure of the protocols in relation to promoting companies etc....
but our friend runs a motorbiking holiday company www.ducatitours.com and I am sure Joe would be more than willing to help you.
ciao
Tina

[Heather]

thank-you for the info11:-)