Oh my, I have so many questions, but I will try to make it simple…
My husband and I will arrive in Florence by train from Venice in early April. Originally, we wanted to visit Florence for three days, then spend seven days in Central Tuscany. As it happens, our arrival falls on the Friday of Easter weekend (too crowded for our liking) so we thought we could pick up the car right away and get down to Tuscany first and visit Florence at the end of a circuit. Thoughts on this?
Day 1 Arrive train station Florence, go out to airport to rent our car (I heard it was easier to rent the car and navigate from the airport than at the train station). Drive to a town not too far in Chianti for the first night. Suggestions where? Greve? Panzano?
Day 2-4 Visit local environs in the morning (suggestions?), then drive, via Asciano, to Montepulciano for three nights (I think it might be a good hub from which to visit the area each day).
Day 5-6 Make our way to Volterra, via Siena (is stopping a few hours in Siena enough?) then San Gimignano, sleep in Volterra two nights.
Day 7—8 Make our way back towards Florence spending one more day/night somewhere (Lucca? Castelfiorentino?)
Or, should we choose one village (Pienza? or other) and visit everything from one rental for the whole of the trip? Yikes!
I have guide books and have done my homework We like local culture and food, hiking, walking, wine (budget conscious, so not many tours), cooking (might take one class).
My main issue is that there are so many choices, so many villages! Thoughts please.
Posted by
Gettysburg PA
6052 posts
Siena deserves much more than a few hours
I would base in 2 places, probably Montepulciano or Pienza ( a bit easier to drive in/out) and Siena
Lucca is a bit out of the way and also deserves a more than 1 night
Be sure you do your homework as far as ZTLs, parking, speeding, etc
All drivers must have an IDP which you can get at your local AAA
(Ooops- or the Canadian equivalent)
It’s not necessarily easier to get car at airport and will likely cost a bit more-time and money
There are many posts here describing in detail how to pick up car at train station and exit and return to Florence
We always rent with AutoEurope.com
Posted by
Rural Georgia
2111 posts
Here's what we did. We stayed at Casillo di Verrazzano as our home base for the entire time. It's just outside Greve. We preferred not moving around. All the places you mentioned are a day trip from Greve. Not having to check in/check out gave us much more time to explore.
I think Siena is worth an entire day. We then went to San Gimignano/Volterra on another day.
Check prices on rental cars. My understanding is that there is a surcharge if you rent at the airport. I believe the Hertz office is near the train station. If you just drive out and then drive in you shouldn't have any ZTL problems. Roberto di Firenze might chime in here with details. Montepulciano is the the longest distance and an hour and a half. You could possibly stay a nigh or so there before heading back to Florence.
You could also find something halfway between Greve and Siena. The would be more central.
I do highly recommend staying at an agriturismo.
Posted by
NM, USA
1 posts
Just got back from 3 weeks in Italy and visited some of the spots you're interested in (Florence, Lucca, San Gimignano, Siena). Stayed at a wonderful Agriturismo (Guardastelle) near San Gimignano for 3 nights. It was a fantastic stay. Did a full day tour in Siena - breathtaking. Stayed in Lucca two nights - beautiful. Everything was fantastic. What we learned - you never have enough time for any of the places you visit. Don't let the bounty of choices overwhelm you. There is no perfect itinerary. Plan as many tours, hikes, side trips etc. as you are comfortable with but don't forget to give yourself some down time to relax and recharge.
Posted by
OP
Vancouver,BC
45 posts
@ TomT : This is advice that I need to hear. It is overwhelming and I know that we will probably never return (age, cost, etc) which is why I am fussing so much. In the past we never planned our trips and it always turned out fine. So I'm not sure what happened that I have to investigate everything ahead of time except that people are traveling more and things book up unexpectedly. This 6 week trip was cancelled in March 2020 as the world locked down ten days before we were to leave. I'm finally getting another chance but some of the plans have shifted as well as the dates (Easter...).
I'm going to drop the Lucca idea, and spend more time in val d'Orcia. Either based in Pienza or Montepulciano. After five days in Rome and four in Venice we will probably want to slow the pace.
Posted by
Forest Grove, OR
11316 posts
DougMac, now I need to plan a week around that agirturismo! Stunning!
Posted by
Rhode Island
106 posts
I'd highly recommend staying outside of Pienza. We were there in April of this year, and stayed at the Agritourismo Bonellino Vecchio, which in our opinion was wonderful. Just 5 minutes into Pienza and equi-distant between Montepulchiano and Montelcino. Be sure to sample all the great pecorino cheeses which pair very nicely with all the wonderful wines of that region.