My Aunt (70), son (13), and myself will be in Florence for 4 days early June. I have heard many suggestions on day trips to take. My question is what town do you prefer to visit for a day. Or are there two towns close? Unique cool local spots to hit? And how do you suggest getting there? We are not tour bus people and I am not intimidated by driving in Italy. Thanks in advance!
Posted by
Rural Georgia
2213 posts
Gosh, it is hard to recommend something that would appeal to both your aunt and your son. How spry is your aunt? I know some 70 year olds who have mobility problems and some who have walked the entire Camino de Santiago!
You could consider driving the famous SR222, the Chiantigiana. This would take you to a series of charming small towns connected by lovely countryside. Each town can be explored in a fairly short period of time.
The first town you'll hit is Greve. It has a charming square. It has no ZTL and there's a convenient public parking lot. From there you'll continue south and take a quick side trip to Radda. Radda is a teeny walled town on the top of a hill. It is ZTL, but there's plenty of parking all around the wall on the outside.
From Radda drive east to Castellina, another charming town, then head back north on SR222 to Florence. The nice thing about this trip is you can head home whenever you feel like it. Castellina is 1 1/2 hours from Florence by car.
Have you driven in Italy before? I'm sure you'll do fine, just get your IDP and learn the rules of the road. That includes strict adherence to speeding, Panzano and Greve have automated speed checks. Outside of Florence, ZTL's on this trip are well marked and easily avoided.
Posted by
Ontario, Canada
5653 posts
Doug Mac gave you a good plan for a driving day. Siena is another frequent choice as a day trip. Easiest transportation will be by bus. OR, if you want a short train trip, Pisa and/or Lucca can make for an interesting day.
Posted by
Oakland, CA
124 posts
I would second the trip to Lucca and Pisa as they are easy and may interest both your aunt and your son. If you walk the walls in Lucca (your son could rent a bike if he wanted), there are plenty of benches to stop (if your aunt needs that) and the town itself is quite easy to navigate. While Pisa is not for everyone, the leaning tower is quite iconic. I was skeptical about a visit (haven't we all seen the leaning tower a hundred times in photos), but in fact I was quite moved to actually experience it. Such a day trip is easily done by train.
Enjoy!