My son is visiting me in Florence, but will only be there for three days. One day will be a quick high lights of Florence and the other two days we want to rent a car and visit some small towns. Which would be the best places to visit while he's there.
Also, my friends want to go to Cinque Terre on a day trip. I have read that you have to spend at least three days there to really see the towns and that one day tour is not enough. What do you think?
Barbara
Columbus, Ohio
With travel time from Florence to the CT, you won't have enough time to really enjoy much more than one of the towns. I'd recommend spending at least one night in the area so you can hike part of the trail and explore some of the beauty - or take a boat ride to get the view from the sea to shore.
In Tuscany you should see San Gimignano or Volterre, also Greve is fun for a short visit.
Barb, how about 2 days seeing Florence and a day long bus (not train )trip to see Siena?
IMO, a day trip from Florence to the CT would be a waste of time. You need at least 36 hours to do it any justice.
I have traveled from Florence to CT by train. If you look at a map, you will see that CT is too far for a day trip. Travel by train will take a full day each way. Too many stops.
One day IN Cinque Terre can certainly work well to give you an opportunity to see some of the towns as well as doing some hiking to experience the incredible views and even take a boat ride. We did that as a day excursion from La Spezia - a few minutes by train away - and enjoyed it that way.
However, if you have to arrive from Florence and go back the same day that would involve quite a bit of travelling time cutting short the time you can actually spend in Cinque Terre. I wouldn't really recommend that and focus my time on closer destinations.
I'd go with the suggestion of two days in Florence and a day for travel outside of Florence. There is so much to see, two days is really a minimum. For your one day, your options are a train, a bus or a car. A car will help you cover more in the same period of time. Getting lost is a real possibility in Italy. If you get a car take a GPS and know how to use it. Buses or trains get you where you want to go but generally take a little longer than a car.
Rick Steves has a nice guidebook to Florence & Tuscany. I suggest you get it, read thru the descriptions of the various towns in the area, and pick a few that are of most interest to you. Our ideas of "best places to visit" might not match yours. For example Cortona has become popular after "Under the Tuscan Sun", Assisi is home of the church & tomb of the patron saint of Italy, Spello gives a real sense of a small hill-town, the wine region of Chianti is a draw for many, etc.
