Siena & Southern Tuscany: Includes San Gimignano, Chianti, Montepulciano & Pienza

By Rebecca Ford

Footprintfocus Siena and Southern Tuscany is the only dedicated guide available covering this popular Italian destination. Features an Essentials section with practical tips to help plan a trip, detailed information on attractions and comprehensive listings of where to eat, sleep and have fun.

• Essentials section with tips on getting there and around

• Up-to-date recommendations of great places to stay and eat

• Highlights map of the region plus detailed street maps where relevant

• Slim enough to fit in a pocket

Loaded with advice and information on how to get around, this concise Footprintfocus guide will help travellers get the most out of Siena and Southern Tuscany without weighing them down. The content of the Footprintfocus Siena and Southern Tuscany guide has been extracted from Footprint's Tuscany guide.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bradt Travel Guides Ltd
• Release date: Jul 25, 2012
• ISBN: 9781908207449

Rebecca Ford

Rebecca Ford is travel writer and photographer who specializes in writing about the British Isles and Italy. As well as writing guidebooks Rebecca also contributes to newspapers, websites and audio tours for museums and gardens.

Book preview

Tuscany is at the very heart of Italy. It’s a region that is both unique and alluring, that gave the world Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and Dante Alighieri. Squeezed between Italy’s industrial north and the more agricultural south, it blends characteristics of the two – more laid back than places like Milan, less chaotic than Sicily or Naples. It’s a place where lively modern cities thrive and happily rub shoulders with tiny hamlets in which life seems hardly to have changed since medieval times.

Planning your trip

See map 1.1.

Siena and around

Siena, Florence’s old enemy, is the most complex, fascinating and unfathomable of cities; a place where the medieval is as much a part of modern-day living as the mobile phone. Most people know it for the Palio, the ancient and brutal horse race held twice a year in the Campo, Siena’s famous shell-shaped piazza. But the city also has a deliciously over-the-top cathedral, remarkable 14th-century frescoes depicting secular rather than religious subjects, and a maze of atmospheric streets and alleyways lined with individual shops and characterful bars and restaurants. Between Siena and Florence lies Chianti, the oak-wooded wine country that has long been a second home to the Brits and Germans who ‘discovered’ it after the 1960s. Also within easy reach of the city is San Gimignano, the many-towered – and much photographed – medieval hill town.

Southern Hill Towns

The landscape to the south of Siena is dotted with such a charming mix of medieval hill towns and serene abbeys that it makes perfect touring country. Here are fields of sunflowers and sweetcorn, green hills and rolling waves of smooth clay soil. If you love wine then you won’t want to miss visiting Montepulciano, famed for the Nobile di Montepulciano, or Montalcino, home of Brunello. Between these two is squeezed the less famous, but still delightful, town of San Quirico d’Orcia. Then there’s Pienza, Pope Pius II’s embodiment of the ideal Renaissance town. More isolated are the beautiful abbeys of Sant’ Antimo, Monte Oliveto Maggiore and, further west, San Galgano, where you can see the hilt of a sword sticking out of a stone – buried there, it’s said, by the eponymous saint in the 12th century.

Duomo, Siena Siena’s 12th-century Duomo (cathedral) is so lavish you hardly know where to look first: striped columns, a marble floor, Nicola Pisano’s pulpit and the vivid frescoes of the Piccolomini Library. Behind the Duomo is the ‘crypt’, where pilgrims once washed before entering the cathedral. see here.

San Gimignano It’s one of the most photographed places in Tuscany and no wonder, for San Gimignano’s medieval towers make an arresting sight. They were built first for defence and later to show off the wealth of its inhabitants. The town attracts vast numbers of tourists, who come to see the towers, admire the frescoes in the Collegiata – and try the award-winning ice cream. see here.

Chianti Squeezed between Siena and Florence, this landscape of wooded hills, isolated farms and pretty villages is prime wine country. Known as Chiantishire since it’s become home or second-home to so many British ex-patriots, it is prime touring territory – just follow the SR 222, the Chiantigiana, and stop off at the vineyards and many enoteche (wine shops) that line your route. see here.

Montepulciano Wine buffs flock here to taste its famous Vino Nobile, but there’s definitely more to Montepulciano than some good glasses of red. It’s a well-preserved hill town, perched dramatically on a ridge, with fine churches, lively festivals and good bars and restaurants. see here.

Pienza Small but perfectly formed, Pienza is the village that was remodelled into a harmonious Renaissance city by Pope Pius II, its most famous son. The embodiment of one man’s vision, it symbolizes the ideals and imagination that characterized 15th-century Tuscany. It’s also a lovely spot for lunch, with great views over the surrounding countryside. see here.

Air

From UK and Ireland Pisa is the main gateway to Tuscany, and regular flights depart variously from London Gatwick, Heathrow and Stansted, East Midlands, Leeds and Liverpool, by carriers easyJet, Ryanair, British Airways and Jet2. While it may be slightly less convenient to fly to Rome, it is still an option that many choose. Florence is a growing airport, and currently Meridiana fly direct from London Gatwick. Siena’s small airport (aeroportosiena.it) serves executive flights. Overland travel via train and coach or car is viable – more so than for southern Italian regions – but will take a leisurely 24 hours (if you’re lucky).

From North America There are no direct flights to Pisa or Florence from North America, but Continental, Alitalia and Delta fly direct from New York to Rome Fiumicino. Delta also flies from Toronto via New York. Other airlines that fly from North America to Rome include: British Airways, KLM, Lufthansa, Swiss, and United. It can also be cost effective to fly via London – or another European hub such as Amsterdam, Frankfurt or Paris – and connect to Pisa or Florence. To search for cheaper flights to Europe from the US, try europebyair.com (T(1) 866 478 1810).

From rest of Europe Pisa is the most accessible airport, with direct flights from most European cities, including Frankfurt, Paris and Amsterdam. There are direct rail links from Paris, Munich, Vienna and Geneva to international Tuscan train stations.

Airport information Pisa International (T050-849300, pisa-airport.com), 80 km west of Florence, is the main international gateway to Tuscany. From the airport it’s only a 40-m stroll along a covered walkway to the train station, where you can get a train to Pisa Centrale (five minutes) where you change for the train to Empoli, where you change again for Siena. Alternatively, a Terravision (terravision.eu) bus runs from Pisa Airport to Florence every 90 minutes from 0840-0020 (70 minutes, €10 return): from Florence you can get trains or buses to Siena. Train Spa (trainspa.it) buses run once a day from Pisa airport to Siena, via Poggibonsi (just under two hours).

From Florence Airport (T055-306 1300, aeroporto.firenze.it) a Vola in bus shuttle (every 30 minutes, €4.50) runs to Santa Maria Novella station.

International travellers may choose to travel from Rome. Rome Fiumicino (T06-65951, adr.it) is the capital’s principal airport. The Leonardo Express (trenitalia.com) rail service connects the airport to the central station, Roma Termini, every 30 minutes from around 0630-2330. It takes 35 minutes and costs €14 (free under 12).

Rail

You can travel with Eurostar (eurostar.com) from London to Paris, before joining an overnight sleeper from Paris Bercy to Florence’s Campo di Marte station, just northeast of the centre. Book tickets at raileurope.com (T08448 484064; search for trains that depart after 1900), or contact European Rail (T020-7619 1083, europeanrail.com) a specialist rail agency that can also book rail passes that can save you money. They also offer rail holidays in Italy (T020-7619 1080, eRail.co.uk). From Siena there are good connections from the main station throughout Tuscany using the Italian train network, though you might need to change at Empoli for some routes (trenitalia.com).

Road

The 1,625 km drive from London to Florence, the region’s capital, takes 17 hours’ driving time. EU nationals taking their own car need an International Insurance Certificate (also known as a Green Card). Those holding a non-EU licence also need to take an International Driving Permit with them. Autostrade (T840 042121 for road conditions; autostrade.it) provides information on motorways in Italy and Automobile Club Italiana (T06-49981, aci.it) offers general driving information, as well as roadside assistance with English-speaking operators on T116.

Bus/coach Eurolines (T08717 818178, eurolines.co.uk) operate three services per week from London Victoria to Florence, with a travel time of around 29 hours. Prices start at £95 return. In Florence coaches arrive and depart at piazza Stazione.

Rail

Italy has an extensive rail network, and it’s the best way to get around the country on a city-based trip – faster than domestic flights: Rome to Florence takes approximately 1 hour 40 minutes, Florence to Venice 2 hours 45 minutes, and Rome to Naples 90 minutes. Milan to Rome takes a little longer, at just over four hours. Much of Tuscany is well covered by the rail network, though not Chianti and the Maremma.

It’s worth knowing that there are several different train services running in Italy: air-conditioned and splendid Eurostar Italia, direct and convenient InterCity, and the slower Regional trains. All can be booked online at Trenitalia (trenitalia.com), where the type of train is indicated with the initials ES, IC or REG. Amica fares are cheaper advance tickets (if you can find one), flexi fare costs more but is – you guessed it – flexible, and standard fare is just that. You can buy one-country InterRail passes (raileurope.co.uk) for Italy (available for those over 25 these days), which can be used for three, four, six or eight days in one month and range from £167-286 for an adult travelling standard class.

In general, it’s more convenient to book online or at ticket machines than it is to queue at a large station in high season. When using a service such as Eurostar Italia or InterCity booking is advised, and a surcharge in addition to a pass will often be required; however, there is no surcharge on the Regional train service. On many Italian trains it’s possible to travel ‘ticketless’, meaning you get on the train and quote your booking reference when the conductor comes round.

If you can’t access the internet you can book and buy tickets at train stations, at the counter or via ticket machines. Remember that you must validate tickets at the yellow stamping machines before boarding.

Road

Car Driving anywhere in Italy is unlikely to be relaxing, as the Italians have their own inimitable approach to the road. Florence and other towns and cities have pedestrianized centres, so cars have to be parked on the outskirts and buses and trains are a far better option. However, a car is certainly the most convenient way of getting around Tuscany – and essential if you want to visit small villages and wineries. The roads in northern mountain regions such as the Garfagnana are generally quiet, but can be extremely winding. Roads in the southern part of Tuscany are generally the quietest, particularly those in the inland Maremma.

Italy has strict laws on drinking and driving: steer clear of alcohol to be safe. The use of mobile telephones while driving is illegal. Other nuances of Italian road law require children under 1.5 m to ride in the back of the car, and the wearing of a reflective jacket if your car breaks down on the carriageway in poor visibility – make sure you’ve got one. Since July 2007, on-the-spot fines for minor traffic offences have been in operation – typically they range between €150-250. Always get a receipt if you incur a fine.

Speed limits are 130 km per hour (motorway), 110 km per hour (dual carriageway) and 50 km per hour (town); limits are 20 km per hour lower on motorways and dual carriageways when the road is wet. Autostrade (motorways) are toll roads, so keep some cash in the car as a backup, even though you can use credit cards on the blue ‘viacard’ gates.

Be aware that there are restrictions on

Reviews for Siena & Southern Tuscany

[Serena Cirillo · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

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