Hello, you have previously helped me with your advices and following them, we chose to go to Florence after spending six nights in Sorrento this April. ( Love Sorrento and the area! ) . Here I am looking for help one more time!
We ( husband and I ) have never been to Florence , we (only) have three nights here. We like planning and exploring by ourselves but this time I'm considering taking a tour to visit some of the beautiful towns/small cities outside of Florence. I've made some homework and I know that we could easily fill up two and a half days of sightseing in Florence but I feel bad to be so close to Lucca, Siena, Montepulciano (Sp? ) San Giminiano (Sp again ) and not seeing any of them. I can be ok if we don't visit Pisa. We understand English but my husband has told me ( and it's the only thing he has asked for the whole trip! Lol) that he would enjoy the tour more if it's in Spanish so he could fully understand everything. So, I think we have three options :
A) Spend full time in Florence.
B) Go by ourselves ( train or bus, looks like it"s easy to do ) to one ( or two? ) of the towns.
C) Find a good quality tour in Spanish.
I appreciate all the information and opinions you could share with me. I know here could not be the best place to ask as everybody here prime language is English but you have proved to be full of knowledge regarding to travel so I chose to give it a try... Thank you very much!
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
16235 posts
A. With 3 nights in Florence, you actually have only 2 full days, and maybe a few hours the evening you arrive (but very few because coming from Sorrento, it's a long journey). Two days is only enough to scratch the surface of Florence, so I'd probably choose to devote the entire time in Florence, and maybe spend an afternoon/evening up in Fiesole, an ancient Etruscan town (older than Florence) on the hill overlooking Florence. There are Roman ruins there also, including an amphitheater.
B. Going to Fiesole it's an easy ride aboard citybus no. 7 or a taxi ride. If you decide to go farther these are the options:
1. Lucca+Pisa: it's an easy all day trip by train. You can do both as they are close, but I'd devote more time to Lucca. It's about 1-1.5 hours each way by train. You can do on your own, no need to spend lots of Mexican pesos for a guide.
2. Siena: same as above. But this time by bus is faster than the train (75 min each way). You can do on your own.
3. San Gimignano. It's more or less between Florence and Siena, but You need two buses. First to Poggibonsi, then a short bus ride from Poggibonsi to San Gimignano. It's a small town and can be visited in hours. It takes longer to get there than actually seeing it. But it's the most popular day trip from Florence.
4. Montepulciano. Too far from Florence unless you drive. Leave it for another trip.
C. I can't help you there, but you can probably do everything on your own. If you want to listen to a guide in Florence museums etc. just walk by a group of Spanish tourists (there are plenty of Spaniards visiting Italy) and pretend to be part of that group. I know it's tacky but that is what I used to do when I was a student visiting places in Europe (No cuesta nada).
Posted by
Cincinnati, OH, USA
769 posts
Veronica:
Florence is a wonderful city rich with world-famous galleries and, of course, the Duomo. You and your husband could spend an entire day at the Duomo, Baptistery of San Giovanni and Giotto's Campanile followed by a leisurely visit to the Uffizi (pre purchase admission). One day you might consider a tour to Siena and San Gimignano [https://www.viator.com/tours/Florence/Tuscany-Small-Group-Day-Trip-with-Chianti-Dinner-Siena-and-San-Gimignano/d519-5049CHIANTI007][1] (inquire about a Spanish speaking guide) or make a day-trip on our own (no tour) take a morning train to Siena, lunch in Siena, then a bus to San Gimignano, and a bus back to Florence, having dinner in either San Gimignano or Florence. Next day perhaps remain in Florence and visit Accademia and the Palazzo Vecchio (again, consider pre-purchase of admission). Save time for a gelato or two while you're in the city; the Gelateria Caffe delle Carrozze at the Ponte Vecchio is a good stop. Regrettably, I do not speak Spanish, I would think Lonely Planet, Rough Guide, and Rick Steves' books would be available in Spanish; any of these would be fine for Florence (and other places you may visit in the region). We visited the Uffizi and Accademia several years ago and didn't inquire about audio guides, but I would think both galleries may have them in English, Spanish, and many other languages.
Have a fine time in Florence (and maybe Siena and San Gimignano).
Posted by
Jericho, NY
79 posts
Veronica: I have been to Florence several times. On one visit, my wife, daughter and I took a 1-day tour that included stops at Siena, San Gimignano, Montepulciano as well as lunch at a winery. Normally I resist taking guided tours but I thought it might be an efficient way to visit several of the hill towns. My experience was "so-so". We drove in a small bus with maybe 8 people and it was nice not to have to worry about parking, traffic tickets, etc. On the other hand, it was frustrating not to be able to control how much time we spent in each place. Also, it seemed pretty obvious that the tour guide was going to get a portion of any sales that were made at various locations for souvenirs and the winery. A day or two later we rented a car and visited some towns on our own and found that a much more enjoyable experience.
As for a Spanish tour: on one of my trips I was accompanied by a Spanish speaking friend and she was able to converse with Italians with no problem. So, why not a tour in Italian?
Either way I am sure you will have a great trip. ENjoy!
Posted by
OP
Mexico
162 posts
Thank you VERY much for your well thought answers! It always amazes me how people can be so kind to take the time to help a complete stranger. THANK YOU!
I'm leaning towards not taking any tour .
Arriving way one between 4 and 5 pm , just time to take a stroll and have dinner, I think . The following day one museum and more sightseing and third day ( 2nd full day ) we'll see how we feel about leaving town. I love the idea of going to Fiesole!
I have this picture in (on?) my mind of a little town with a magnificent Tuscan view, enjoying a glass of wine with delicious food .Hopefully it could be fullfilled with a visit there. 😃
Probably it is because we're not that into Renaissance Art that I'm having a harder time knowing what I want to do in Florence.
I have an older version of one of Rick Steves book and I'm getting a new one for this area. I don't think they come in Spanish but fortunately my English reading comprehension is better than my writing, don't worry!
About getting a tour in Italian? I've noticed that Italians are waaaayy better at understanding us speaking Spanish that viceversa.
I can't thank you enough!
Gracias amigos viajeros!