Glenn and June on the banks of the Arno in Florence, with the Ponte Vecchio behind them
Arriving by Train
Getting to Florence by train from any major Italian city is fast and easy. Florence's Santa Maria Novella station is served by high-speed Eurostar trains every hour or so; the trip from Rome on a Eurostar takes only one and one-half hours (about half the driving time!). Santa Maria Novella is also served by slightly slower, less frequent and less pricey Intercity trains. The station is in the city center, just a 10-minute walk from the Duomo.
From Florence to Rignana
There is, however, no way to get to Rignana using public transportation. The nearest bus stop, in Greve, is six kilometers away--more than you'd want to walk, especially since it's all uphill to Rignana.
By renting a car. If you want to explore beyond Rignana on your own, we recommend that you rent a car. Most major car rental companies have offices in central Florence near the train station (when you make your car reservation in advance, make sure that the pick up office is in this area, rather than near the airport).
If you rent a car in Florence, we will try to meet you there and lead you to Rignana. If we cannot, ask the rental agency to give you a map indicating how to get to the Firenze-Siena highway. You will probably be shown a route that crosses the Arno River via the Ponte Vittoria. After you cross the Ponte Vittoria, keep an eye out for signs to Siena. Make a gentle right immediately after the bridge, then, at the next major intersection, two lefts. After another right turn, the route straightens and proceeds past the Porta Romana and the Certosa (a monastery). Finally, about 15 minutes after having crossed the Arno, you arrive at a circular intersection. At this point, you should follow the directions from Firenze Certosa provided on the "arriving by car" page, except that you take the second right (marked "Siena") after you enter the circle (the first right are the toll booths for entering and exiting the A1 autostrada).
By calling us for a ride. If you don't rent a car and you're content to hang out at the house, taking occasional trips with us in our deathmobile (actually a very dependable Fiat Panda, but almost completely devoid of safety features), you can arrange to have us pick you up in either Florence or Greve.
If you know your train's arrival time before you board, call us and we'll meet you at the Florence station. If not, you can call after you arrive in Florence, and hang out for an hour or so while we drive into the city.
Alternatively, you could take a SITA bus (from the SITA station next to Santa Maria Novella) to Greve in Chianti (about a one-hour trip), and call us from Greve.
