We will be traveling to Italy in March, with time planned in Milan, Venice, and Rome, as well as 4-5 days in Tuscany. I am recovering from foot/ankle surgery now and should be walking well by March, but cobblestone streets and steep hill climbs may still be challenging. Does anyone knoww what Tuscan towns are easier to maneuver? We have been to Venice and Rome before, so know what to plan for there. Any ideas or suggestions are appreciated!
I think this topic was recently discussed fairly extensively on another thread. You might search it up. I seem to recall Arezzo was mentioned but the other suggestions elude me.
Janet - I read this forum every day, and I don't recall a thread about accessible Tuscan towns. Could you provide us with a link?
Pienza and Lucca are mostly flat
Avoid Siena and Montepulciano
Bevagna, in nearby Umbria is flat.
In Tuscany, Lucca, Castellina, Radda, lower part of Panzano.
Definitely Lucca. Pisa too.
I agree with Christine - Lucca and Pienza would be my suggestions as well.
In Lucca you might consider renting a bike to explore the town and to do the circuit of the city walls (about 2.5 miles as I recall) - would save wear and tear on your feet and legs, plus it's just a great way to get around.
Re Siena: a workaround to the climb up to the Campo would be to take a taxi from the train or bus station. Costs less than 15 Euros and they'll drop you less than a block away from what's probably the prettiest town square in Italy. Once up there it's pretty level walking - shouldn't be an issue for you.
Estimated Prophet, here is one link. https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/suggestions-for-a-tuscan-base
As I remember, one distinguishing characteristic of Castellina in Chianti is that the (limited, free) parking is at precisely the same elevation as the entire (small) town. It's not worth a special detour, but Castiglione del Lago is pretty flat. I was told it has good restaurants, but we had reservations elsewhere that day. They have a public beach on their big lake.
Sant'Angelo in Colle is quite compact, and you need a car to get there (you didn't say ... ) but has wonderful views. Greve might be quite flat.
Thank you for the specific tips and suggestions! We may have a car just for the Tuscany portion of trip, once we narrow in on specific places to see, incorporating the tips here. If we use a bus, for example to Siena, do buses go into the town or is the drop outside the walls? I did try searching the forum but didn’t see a thread specific to Tuscan towns’ accessibility. But perhaps I overlooked it (poor vision is another handicap!). Again, your help is much appreciated!
The bus drops you in town, if coming from Florence the bus is actually preferable to train
If you haven’t yet do get RS Tuscany guide( or the Italy guide)
He includes info for connections to and from all the locations he covers.
Buonconvento, Pienza, San Gimignano, among the villages, are not too hard on the knees.
Among the cities, Florence, Arezzo, Pistoia, Pisa, Grosseto, are all pretty flat.