I am going to Florence in early October for a week with my family (6 adults and one toddler). We are staying in Settignano right outside of Florence for the week and are planning on taking day trips from there. As of now for an itinerary we plan on going into Florence, driving to Sienna/ Tuscany area, and possibly going to Cinque Terre for the day ( is Cinque Terre too much to do in a day?). Other than that we don't have anything else planned, but would love some concrete ideas of where to go and great sights to see. We also have a toddler in the mix so we don't want to overly plan, but would love some options!
Posted by
Fort Myers, FL
1849 posts
The CT in a day is possible, but a long day and you won't have a lot of time to enjoy any one village. A super long day for a toddler I suspect.
Posted by
OP
8 posts
We may possibly take a boat ride tour, which brings you to a few areas of Cinque Terre from a local family. Do you think it would be feasible that way or do you still think it would be worth it do something else?
Posted by
Colorado Mountains, USA
7840 posts
If some time on, or near, the ocean is part of your ideal itinerary, the Cinque Terra is a great area, but as stated above, I think it will be a long day. Where, and how will you have breakfast and dinner? On the road?
And I also wonder, will the boat tour return you to your departure point, or would it be one way on the water, and then you might be taking the train back to where you parked?
Posted by
Fort Myers, FL
1849 posts
One extra thing to know. The CT villages have a lot of steps. The boat tour, if the weather is good, is a great alternative. You say you have 6 adults and a toddler. Does this mean you have two cars? Were you planning to drive to CT or train? Either way it is about 2 hours one way. I always hate to discourage anyone from seeing anything, but this type of day trip has a lot of moving parts and does take some time. I would consider another day trip to another city in Tuscany like Lucca. Between Siena and Florence, you will find your week flying by.
Posted by
OP
8 posts
Thank you all for the suggestions! The toddler is very active and is used to car rides and traveling a lot, so I'm not as as worried about that. I just wanted to figure out if it's worth it or if it will end up being more stressful. Lucca sounds like a great alternative though! Any other suggestions for great places to go around Florence? Thanks!
Posted by
616 posts
Contact Elena at Florence with flair via Messenger or her website. She will organize you visits tailored to your needs and taste in Florence and Tuscany.
Florencewithflair.com
Posted by
616 posts
with a child, surely Collodi where famous Pinocchio came to life.
Fiesole
Siena
Palazzuolo sul Senio
Volterra
Cortona
Marradi
This gives you a sufficient choice of places to visit during your stay but you could stay for a month and still have plenty of other places to visit.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
15900 posts
Settignano was, in ancient times, a hill town just outside of Florence, but it is now within Florence city limits, so it is currently just a district of the city of Florence, not outside of it. Some of my richest friends had the privilege to reside there (unfortunately not I). Good choice on your part.
The most visited locations from Florence are:
SOUTH OF FLORENCE: Chianti Hills, Siena, San Gimignano, Monteriggioni. A little farther afield: Volterra, Pienza, Montepulciano, Montalcino, Arezzo, Cortona.
WEST OF FLORENCE: Lucca, Pisa, Pistoia, Vinci. Montecatini.
Cinque Terre is at least 2 hours away and it is not mandatory that you visit it. As a matter of fact, 35+ years ago no North American tourist was likely to be seen there, unless totally lost due to substance abuse intoxication. Somehow, after Rick Steves “discovered” it (like Columbus discovered America) everybody feels obliged to go there no matter what. If you belong to that group of people, please do so only if the weather forecast is favorable. October may be very wet.
Posted by
UK
6 posts
Dante's home is very beautiful and interesting!
Posted by
Folsom, California
542 posts
We stayed in Lucca and then took a day trip to CT.
I think Lucca is also a great little town for a toddler to enjoy.