Extended Stay in Tuscany

Lucky you with the ability to speak Italian.

Will you be renting a car, or do you need a place with good public transportation for side trips (which I'd think would mean a train station, preferably not a bus ride away)?

This is in Tuscany, but maybe not the part you’re thinking of. Cecina is on the Tuscan coast, just north of the Bolgheri Super Tuscan wine region. It’s got about 29,000 population. It’s relatively flat. Staying for a few days in September/October 2021, it was a great place for bicycling (no hills), and the amount of tourists, compared to the summer, was much, much less. There’s a beach if you want it, and plenty of daytrip possibilities nearby if you don’t. Easy access by train, if you’re not driving everywhere.

Hi Cyn,
Thanks for the response. Cecina is not a location I'm familiar with. A google look leads me to believe it is a good candidate. I'm wondering what the temperatures were like when you were there. Also, is there a central business district or is the city more spread out.

What a wonderful opportunity, Steven! When you mentioned requesting a flat location, I immediately thought of Lucca, but I’m not sure if that is too large. It’s certainly not Pienza, but it would give you the history, architecture, art, restaurants and bars that you want and is a handy location for taking the train.

Steven, days were fairly warm, in the 70’s. There were some violent thunderstorms, and a bit of wind, so a rain jacket is advisable.

The biggest part of the town is inland, but shops and supermarkets are spread throughout it. A strip of development leading towards the beach, reached along Viale della Repubblica feels like a different part of town. None of it has the Renaissance look or feel of Florence, Siena, or Lucca, but again, many day trips are definite possibilities.

I’d advise against Lucca for the time frame you are looking at. September sees a lot of tourists and then in late October/early November you have Lucca Comics and Games — the largest comics festival in Europe— which throngs the historic center with crowds and festivities, makes it difficult to get a table at restaurants, and sharply drives up lodging prices during the week before and week of the festival. Of course, if comics are your thing, it’s great! But many Lucchesi I know who live in the centro storico leave town during Comics.

It's not in Tuscany, but I want to mention Reggio nell Emilia. It may have better train service than many places in Tuscany. I spent some time there on business, and really liked it. On vacation, we were able to go back to Florence for the day, for a one-day a week event we would have missed on our four-city vacation plan. We ran into a German tourist who said he'd never heard anyone else speaking English on his visits to Reggio. Superb, wonderful low-pressure Passeggiata each night, with families with children. Weekly street market.

Have not been there recently.

Thank you Jean, I had considered Lucca, again an ideal location in terms of art, history, architecture and terrain. The problem with Lucca, as stated by the "accidental southerner" is the crowds of tourists. But what a lovely city it is. A few years ago, my wife and I rented bikes and rode the city walls. A great memory.

Hi Tim,
Thanks for the suggestion. We haven't been to Reggio but have friends in Parma and Bologna. The city looks enticing. We'll have to give it some thought.