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Tuscany Hotels

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Sunday, August 20, 2006

To travel among the towns of Tuscany, it is possible to forgo a car altogether. Train schedules may be viewed and tickets purchased (all in English) at Trenitalia's Web site, http://www.trenitalia.com/en/index.html . Travel times are short (an hour from Pisa to Florence; an hour and 40 minutes from Pisa or Florence to Siena) and prices low: A first-class ticket from Pisa to Florence costs $10, a second-class ticket $6.65.

If you want to rent a car, a week in a compact manual-transmission automobile (with air conditioning) starts at about $320, with unlimited mileage, from Alamo or National; book in the United States before leaving. Be aware that an automatic will cost many times that and will saddle you with a huge boat of a vehicle that you'll be hard-pressed to maneuver on tightly curving hill roads.

The best road maps are from the Touring Club Italiano ( http://www.touringclub.it/ ). These, along with even more detailed regional maps, are available at TrekTools.com (877- 845-5222, http://www.trektools.com/ ). Carrying a red Michelin guide, with its detailed town plans, is a good idea.

WHERE TO STAY:

· Villa la Principessa, 1616 Via Nuova per Pisa, Massa Pisana (Lucca), 011-39-0583-370037, http://www.hotelprincipessa.com/ . A big double room runs $305 per night, including buffet breakfast.

· Villa Scacciapensieri, 10 Strada di Scacciapensieri, Siena, 011-39- 0577-41441, http://www.villascacciapensieri.it/ . Double rooms start at around $165 in low season (early spring and late fall), breakfast included, and go considerably higher, but discount rates often are available.

· Grand Hotel Villa Cora, 18 Viale Machiavelli, Florence, 011-39-055- 2298451, http://www.villacora.it/ . Despite the high rack rates (doubles from $385), we paid about $325 for a junior suite, with a bottle of spumante, chocolates, an airport transfer and a dinner for two included in the package. A normal double room would have been considerably more costly. This was arranged by e-mail, based on offers posted on the Web site.

INFORMATION: Italian Government Tourist Board, 212-245-4822, http://www.italiantourism.com/ . Tourism in Tuscany, http://www.turismo.toscana.it/ .

-- Edward Schneider

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Tuscany Hotels

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