My husband and I will be in Florence for 12 days in late September/early October. Our plan is to spend some time in Florence as well as taking at least one, maybe two short overnights (2 night) to do a trip or two from Florence. We are thinking about Lucca, Sienna, Montepulciano but open to other locations. Visiting Tuscany and its wineries is a definite interest so we're leaning more toward Sienna or Montepulciano. We will not have a car so not sure if that make things a bit more of a challenge (husband really does not want to drive this trip).
Thanks in advance!
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
16725 posts
Montepulciano is far and without a car is too time consuming.
Below are just some examples of locations within easy reach
Siena
Lucca
Pistoia
Pisa
Arezzo
Cortona
San Gimignano and Certaldo
Fiesole
Posted by
9058 posts
I like Roberto's list.
We visited many of these great places. The train from Florence to Siena is a Regional train and takes 1.5 hours.
There are buses that are faster. Look at the Flixbus.
Posted by
Atlanta, GA, USA
854 posts
I think I would prioritize Roberto's list in that order.....I have been to Lucca twice, and while I love it, I think a 2 night visit to Siena would be more interesting and with more things to discover.....
Posted by
Ohio
98 posts
I would add Bologna to this list - easy travel by train and plenty to see, do, (and eat!) in 2 days there.
Posted by
403 posts
I would choose Lucca only slightly over Sienna, but there are no bad choices here.
As much as I love touring wineries, I have always found a broader depth of exposure to the local wines through an afternoon at a good local wine bar. We do schedule a tour when we can find a good local guide but never drive ourselves.
Posted by
Citizen of the World
3230 posts
Another vote for Siena!
Posted by
San Diego, California, USA
1542 posts
Not shockingly I agree with Roberto's list.
In order of stays I would do overnights:
- Definitely Siena first and foremost. As much as I recommend people do it as a day trip the transit back to Florence is really too early and a spritz on il Campo as the sun sets and then wandering off to long dinner is an amazing experience that day tripping does not provide.
- Lucca provides great walking and evening experiences and way more great restaurants than a city of its size should have. Piazza dell'Anfiteatro in the evening is a great place to wander through but only Soto Soto has the respect of the locals. Pisa is close and an easy day trip from Lucca as well.
If you're only going to do one stay then Siena and see Lucca as a day trip. Arezzo can be done as a day trip but some trains are much faster than others. Bologna is another place that 30 minutes away and every different and makes a good day trip that let's you know whether you want to head back for more.
Have a great trip!
=Tod
Posted by
OP
Seattle
2 posts
Thank you to everyone for the input. Great suggestions - now on to finalizing our plans!
Susan