Would need some itinerary advice please!

xd3vilx

New member
Hi guys,

I be in Europe in April and will be touring Swiss / Italy. Please let me know if this itinerary is feasible! I also heard great things about the Tuscany region and would like to explore it by Car. I was thinking to spend half a day at Pisa before renting a car to tour Tuscany and return the car at Rome. I would need some advice on which city in Tuscany would you recommend me to explore for my short trip there? I saw some pictures, I really like those winding roads with green all around it and the scene of castle (?) over a big piece of land is really nice. Building on cliffs are also quite pretty. I might be also able to squeeze another half a extra day or so for Tuscany if required!

Thank you for your time and appreciate your advice!

Cheers,
Darren

Itinerary:
Day 1: Zurich
Day 2: Zurich
Day 3: Lucerne
Day 4: Lucerne
Day 5: Arrive in Venice @ Noon
Day 6: Venice
Day 7: Florence
Day 8: Pisa/Tuscany
Day 9: Tuscany
Day 10: Rome
Day 11: Rome
 
Towns to visit

Hi,

If you pick up a car in Pisa, I suggest you head towards Certaldo....a beautiful little town on a huge hillside (they even have a cable car to take you to the top!) then drive towards San Gimignano (you can check this link out for more info http://www.discovertuscany.com/san-gimignano/ ) and then end your day in Siena.

Enjoy the morning in Siena and then head towards Rome by passing through Pienza and Montepulciano here is a link with more info: http://www.discovertuscany.com/montepulciano/.

If you really want a "cliff hanger" you should be sure to stop at Orvieto on the way to Rome. It is right off the main highway and has a goregous church and under the city there are caves to explore.

Buon Viaggio
 
Agree with Donna's suggestions on renting a car in Pisa and heading inland. Siena is a great midpoint to stop in - make sure to spend some time there too! If you can get a half day more in Tuscany, this is where I'd recommend it maybe taking it out of time in Rome ;)
 
Hill Towns to Visit from Pisa

I second the Certaldo suggestion - many tourists pass through it on the train on the way from Florence to Siena and don't realize what they are passing up.

You enter into the modern town at the bottom and the best place to park is in the huge free car park at the back of the railway station, on the other side of the tracks from the main entrance. Then you can walk to the "funicolare" which takes you up to Certaldo Alto, the wonderful medieval part that was the birthplace of the poet Boccaccio. It is smaller but less touristy than San Gimignano that lies 13 miles to the south, and there are some good little trattorie. In mid July they have an amazing medieval-style torch-lit street theatre festival called Mercantia - if you ever go back, or have friends who are going at that time of year.

Other places well worth stopping for on the way to Siena are Colle di Val d'Elsa, another stunning hill-top medieval town, and Monteriggioni, where you can stop to eat for some excellent local food at Bar dell'Orso that is just off the highway "Raccordo Siena-Firenze".

Oh, and Volterra is on a huge and imposing rock if you head more directly south from Pisa via Pontedera on SR 439.
 
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