> Is there a hill town somewhere between Rome and Florence or around Florence that we should see?

Many people, especially those arriving by car, prefer to stay in Fiesole, a 15 minute bus ride from Florence. We have heard good things about the Hotel Villa Fiesole, Via Beato Angelico, 35, 50014 FIESOLE-FIRENZE. Tel: 055/59.72.52 Fax: 055/59.91.33.

We visited the beautiful hill towns of Pienza and Montepulciano when we were in Italy in the fall. You can read our comments in our Italy 98 travelogue.

> Also, is it worthwhile to visit Pisa or would Lucca be preferable or both?

We love Lucca and covered it in our Italy 96 travelogue. Although our room at the Hotel Universo was excellent, we've had some negative feedback from others. We'd be open to hearing about other hotel suggestions for future trips.

Cheers, Linda