Siena Italy from Rome Or Florence?

[Bop]

We will be revisiting Italy at the end of the European Explorer itinerary on the Star Princess next September. I have been reading about the town of Siena, near Florence and was wondering if anyone has been there and what is a reasonable way to see the city from Florence or Rome. I am considering spending at least a full day there but can't decide if it makes more sense to disembark early from Livorno or take a day trip from Rome via train. We have heard great things about Siena and welcome any advice, recommendations and or recent experiences in exploring this part of Italy.

 

We plan to spend 3 or 4 days post cruise in Rome and we will be in Florence/Pisa the day before arriving in Rome.

 

Any information would be appreciated.

 

Ciao,

Bop;)

[andydee]

Bop,

Bus is the way to get from either Rome or Florence as the train station in Siena is way out of town while the bus station is an easy walk to the old center. We travelled from Rome to Siena and from Siena to Rome and both were easy trips. Forence, of course, is a lot closer to Siena than Rome. From memory, the company is called SENA. An internet search should turn it up quickly. As a matter of interest, while we enjoyed Siena a lot, we enjoyed San Gimignano even more.

Cheers,

Andy

[Hlitner]

We love traveling in Italy and often spend both land and sea time in this wonderful country (our most recent trip was in May). This past May we actually spent 3 nights in Siena as part of a 15 day driving trip.. I certainly would not recommend giving up a day in Florence or Rome to see Siena as part of short trip. Siena is a nice destination when driving through Tuscany, but it would not be one of my "top 10" destinations in Italy. We would agree with Andydee on San Gimignano and there are many other interesting Tuscan towns such as Lucca and Volterra that would be higher on my list for a short day trip. Unless you have spent a lot of time in Florence I would not forgo an extra day there for a daytrip to Siena. For those who are familiar with Tuscany, have had their fill of Florence, and enjoy renting a car it is possible to do an interesting day trip from Livorno by driving to both Siena and San Gimignano in one day as an independent shore excursion. But even this option (we have done this ourselves) means you have to rush your visits in both cities.

 

Hank

[kruzin']

:) we will be in Florence on a Monday and understand how most things are closed on Mondays,,Would you forgo Florence on a Monday and head to Pisa/Lucca instead?l thank you for your reply

We love traveling in Italy and often spend both land and sea time in this wonderful country (our most recent trip was in May). This past May we actually spent 3 nights in Siena as part of a 15 day driving trip.. I certainly would not recommend giving up a day in Florence or Rome to see Siena as part of short trip. Siena is a nice destination when driving through Tuscany, but it would not be one of my "top 10" destinations in Italy. We would agree with Andydee on San Gimignano and there are many other interesting Tuscan towns such as Lucca and Volterra that would be higher on my list for a short day trip. Unless you have spent a lot of time in Florence I would not forgo an extra day there for a daytrip to Siena. For those who are familiar with Tuscany, have had their fill of Florence, and enjoy renting a car it is possible to do an interesting day trip from Livorno by driving to both Siena and San Gimignano in one day as an independent shore excursion. But even this option (we have done this ourselves) means you have to rush your visits in both cities.

 

Hank

[Bop]

Andy and Hank,

Thanks for the tips and thoughts. I was relying on Rick Steves who is very high on Siena. You have given me some food for thought but we have plenty of time to sort out all the details. I always try to do too much in Europe and end up still wanting to see more. Italy is a favorite.

 

Ciao,

Bop;)

[cberge]

:) we will be in Florence on a Monday and understand how most things are closed on Mondays' date=',Would you forgo Florence on a Monday and head to Pisa/Lucca instead?l thank you for your reply[/quote']

 

There was another thread on this and it comes up ALL the time...Florence is NOT closed on Monday's only the museum's and then not all of them.The shops are open,the restos are open and there is a lot to do and see in Florence any day of the week.If you have never been to Florence GO!!!! I don't know where it has gotten around that most of Florence is closed on a Monday.

[corkpopr]

I Would Definately Go By Train To Siena From Rome It Is A Great Trip. Too Much For A Day You Need To Stay Overnight

[Bop]

Corkpopr,

 

Thanks for the suggestion. Any specifics on where to go, what to see, places to stay, etc.

 

Bop;)

[bchbms]

I've been to Siena both on land and sea vacations and we love it there! So much history and beauty! The Cathedral is the largest one ever made of all black and white marble. But my favorite thing to do there is shop for that beautiful hand painted Italian pottery and dinnerware. I have some gorgeous pieces in a very traditional pattern and like to add to my collection each time we go. My favorite shop is right in the main piazza where the horses race - it's called Antiqua Siena. Then have lunch at one of the sidewalk cafes and pick out a great panini and bottle of wine and watch the mimes and performers and all the people passing by. Ahhhhh, Siena!

[Bop]

Hi Mary,

I like your dancing letters.

 

Siena sounds like a magical place to visit. Of course, I could say "ah _____ "(fill in the blank) for many places in Italy. I guess that's why we are always drawn back there. Since our time is always limited, we never get to see all the places we want to. Would you place Siena in your top 5 Italian places to visit? If not, what would they be? We have been to VeniceX2, Florence, Amalfi coast, Rome, Pompei, and most of the other "top attractions". A smaller town would be a nice change. Siena or ?

 

Ciao,

Bop

[bchbms]

We definitely love Siena, but as someone else said, San Gimignano is also beautiful (my son and his wife honeymooned there), as is almost every town in Tuscany. We rented a villa there 3 years ago and had the most wonderful time! We've also been to Florence once, which was enough for us - we prefer to be off the beaten path...next land trip to Italy is 2008 when we are renting a villa in Amalfi. Or, as I call it "Ahhhh-malfi"!

 

BTW, my dancing letters are even better with some Marley music playing!:D

[Hlitner]

I also enjoy Rick Steves, but must admit that sometimes we disagree. Siena is an interesting city with its high walls and wonderful Piazza del Campo (huge central square (not really square but more like a hemisphere). The city can only be properly seen on foot (you cannot drive into the central area) and some of the streets are very steep. Although I think the architecture is amazing, I still do not put it in my top 10 list (sorry Mr. Steves). I say this even thought we have a special affection for the place since the Cathedral contains a few pieces of my wife's partron saint (smile). The regions of Tuscany and Umbria are quite magical and its one of these situations where there are so many places and generally not enough time. We have spent weeks exploring the area (a car is the only way) and look forward to many more months in these regions. As to magical, my wife would immediately equate that word with strolling through the streets of San Gimiganao very late at night after almost all the tourists are long gone. As we walk through the quiet ancient streets, with the street lights causing all kinds of weird shadows she likes to think of the people that stolled those same streets over a thousand years ago. Its almost the same in Siena except we always get lost late at night.

 

Hank

[micruiser2002]

Not sure if this has been said but you can easily take the train to Siena and then just grab a taxi outside the train station up to the town. We did that last year. We took the train from Rome early in the am, spent the day and night in Siena, then the next morning took the train to Orvieto and spent the day. Both are wonderful towns.

[Bop]

This is just the kind of information I was looking for. San Gimiganao sounds magical, indeed. Now I will try to figure out the logistics of visiting Livorno and setting up a tour of San G and Pisa with at least another couple going along or touring the area from Rome after we disembark at the end of the the European Explorer cruise. It sounds as though my original idea to take the train from Rome is doable but it seems that going to Siena or San G from Livorno makes more sense distance wise. We were in Rome for 3 1/2 days last Sept. but want to see some more. If we really want to see Tuscany, it seems that a separate trip to spend a couple of weeks in the area by car would be the way to go.

 

So much to see, so little time! We'll hash all this out eventually. Thanks again for the tips. Any other thoughts would be appreciated.

 

Ciao,

Bop;)