Hi I would like to thank you and commend you on a fabulous site, and very helpful forum. We will be staying at agriturismo Fattoria Lavacchio, near Pontassieve from July 9 to July 16. We are a family of six 2 grandparents age 74 & 83, two children age 16 & 12 and myself and my wife. I will be renting a minivan and will probaly drive to very location but Florence. I'm confused because I have decided that Florence is a must see, but I have so many more places I want to visit. On my wish list are. ( Volterra and San Gimignano ),( Lucca and Montecatini Terme and Monticatini Alto ), ( ( ( Sienna ), ( Arezzo and Cortona ) , ( Montepulciano area ) ( Chianti area ) ( thermal bath ? ) ( cinque terre ? ) ( which locations on my wish should be must see's and which can I drop altogether , I don't want to rush my vacation ) Because of my diversified group I need to consider the age of my parents and potential boredom factor for my 12 year old son. I was thinking of 4 day trips , 2 ( 1/2day trips ) and 1 relaxation day at the farm with maybe a small shopping trip to Florence or the local Factory Outlets.( maybe a sandy beach would great too ?) Would you have any suggestions, we love to do things slowly, enjoy long delicious meals ( trattorias, pizzerias, osterias) and absorb the culture. I enjoy doing things off the beaten track, less turists more locals. Most of us speak Italian fluently.
Grazie in anticipo per la tua aiuto! Ps. Where can I park outside of cities like Lucca or sienna which would not be to far for my parents to walk into the city centers. Thank You Francesco
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32325 posts
Francesco, You may want to delete your duplicate Thread on this topic, so that you keep replies in the same place. If I understand your question correctly, you would like to visit 12 locations in Tuscany and Liguria in a seven day time frame - Mamma Mia! With such a short time frame, you'll need to focus on about four locations. It would be a good idea to allocate more time to Florence, since it's such a significant location. As you've noted, it will be important with a "mixed age" group to pace the touring a bit more slowly and also keep it interesting for the children. You might find if very helpful to have a look at the Italy 2012 Guidebook. It should be available either at your local Library or in larger book stores. There's a wealth of information there to help plan your touring (I normally pack the book along for reference during the trip). With reference to your other Thread concerning "Car Rental Problems", it would help to have more information on the overall details of your trip. Are you starting in Venice and ending in Palermo? What is the total time frame? July is not an ideal time to be travelling in Italy, as it will likely be HOT and crowded. I assume you chose that time as the children will be out of school? Buona Fortuna e Buon Viaggio!
Posted by
Boston, MA, USA
12 posts
Where to begin..?.. Lucca_ park right by the station, or in the parking along the ring-road just outside th old city walls.
Sienna- again, you can't drive in, but with a little patience you will find space. Book your minivan in good time. After Easter a lots of hire companies simply do not have available vehicles because they are used by small group tours.
Posted by
Ann Arbor, Mi
3696 posts
Since it will be really hot and probably crowded, I would spend more time in the smaller villages. With three generations traveling together I would think the 'experience' of travel and hanging out with family is every bit as important as seeing a ton of sights. Exploring Tuscany with your vehicle and finding quaint little villages to explore would be my idea of a great trip with this group. One of my most miserable days in Tuscany in summer was tromping through Florence with thousands of tourists being hot and sweaty and crabby. Most days I would just jump in the car with a map after a nice breakfast and take off exploring and see what Italy has to offer that day. Something wonderful will happen....