We will be in Florence for several days and looking for an easy day trip by train to a Tuscan hill town other than Sienna and Lucca. Any suggestions for your favorite and why? Wanting to travel by train I know will cut the list down. Thanks in advance.
Posted by
Toledo, Ohio, US
11613 posts
Arezzo, easy to get to by bus or train from Firenze, beautiful Centro Storico and the castle and cathedral are near the main piazza.
But you could just stick a pin in a map and find a beautiful hill town.
Posted by
Corvallis OR
7180 posts
If you're ambitious travelers you can do both Arezzo and Cortona on one day trip from Florence. Arezzo is about an hour from Florence by train and then Cortona is a short 20 min train ride from there. Cortona back to Florence is about an hour and 15 min. We saw both in one day from Florence and I loved both of them.
Posted by
Lake Forest, CA, USA
1633 posts
Cortona. Take the train to Camucia-Cortona where you can board a shuttle bus up to the hilltown. The main street of the town is level and a joy to walk. Depending on what you enjoy seeing, there is a wonderful Etruscan museum, the Museo Diocesano with works by Lucca Signorelli and many beautiful Duomos and piazzas.
Posted by
New York, NY, USA
11294 posts
Buses will go to many more towns than trains do; if you insist on trains only, that will indeed limit your options.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
16240 posts
Based on your requirements (town on hill, reachable by train from Florence) I would say that only Cortona and/or Arezzo fit the bill. You can probably do both in a day.
Just leave early and do the farther town, Cortona, first. Haven't checked the train schedule, but Arezzo is a provincial capital city, so trains back to Florence are available until late in the evening. Do Cortona in the morning and lunchtime, then stop in Arezzo for the afternoon and maybe dinner.
Posted by
Chicago
2124 posts
If you only have time for a half-daytrip, a good choice to see a hilltown in this situation would be Fiesole, a few km into the Tuscan hills north of Florence. You can catch the #7 bus at Piazza San Marco, but make sure you buy a round-trip (instead of one-way) ticket at any tabacchi shop in Florence, costs no more than 3-4 Euro each way. About a half-hour ride. Or, for more gracious travel, a private taxi will cost you about 25 Euro each way.
Great views, spectacular scenery. Ristorante La Reggia degli Etruschi for lunch or dinner is a very, very nice option.
Posted by
616 posts
From Florence, just take the bus to San Gimignano:
Visit website: www.tiemmespa.it.
The main bus station in Florence is down the staircase of Santa Maria Novella train station.
Posted by
616 posts
Yes if you have less Time, Fiesole is really a must and it is not very far from Florence. Do not miss the Fra Angelico Paintings!