I need suggestions for "living like a local" in a Tuscan village. I am partially disabled (unable to walk very far), will not have a car, thinking about a scooter or electric bike. I am traveling alone but want a small place, no B&B, with the comforts of home. Planning on cooking most meals in the rental. Would like to walk out front door and shop for groceries, fish and the like, in the middle of town or village. Airbnb and VRBO have many rentals, just need to narrow it down to an area or village. Would also like to be close to the sea. Must be a safe village since I am a single senior woman. My trip is planned for the month of April. Thanking you in advance.
KS
Posted by
Asheville, NC
198 posts
The best place to stay in Tuscany that is walkable and close to good transportation is Florence. It's not on the sea, but you could get there in one train ride. The further out in the country you go, the harder it is to get around without a car.
Posted by
11647 posts
The majority of Tuscany is not on the sea. Take a look at Orbetello,Viarrggio and Forte deiMarmi.
Posted by
5158 posts
Clarify if you are fine with a true village or you would be okay with a city. How important are day trips to you?
I would look at Lucca.
Posted by
OP
2 posts
Day trips are not that important, I have been on an 18 day tour a few years ago where I fell in love with Tuscany. A city would be fine as long it is not crowded with tourists; that's why I thought a village would be right up my alley. I also loved the Amalfi coast but seems the cost is high as well is the accomendations. I fould a VRBO reasonably priced but there were 142 steps up to the house!!
Posted by
North Carolina
2502 posts
Second the idea of Lucca. If you wanted to get to the ocean occasionally, you could take the train to Viareggio.
Posted by
5158 posts
I really love the idea of Viareggio--that is the kind of place I would like to be solo for a month. It is not everyone's idea of a Tuscan village so read up accordingly. In Lucca, you will definitely be contending with tourists in large numbers (for a tiny place).
I loved my stay in Orbetello, but that might be a bit too confining transport-wise (like a lot of the southern Tuscan places may be). It is flat and walkable, but the old town is far from the train station. There is a language school there, if that is something you might be interested in.
I think perhaps we are focusing too much on the seaside part, but you mentioned fish too, so it caught my attention also--if you are still considering other smaller interior towns, let it be known and I'm sure the suggestions will keep flowing.
Good luck!
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
16167 posts
Living like a local in a Tuscan village that is not touristy implies having some knowledge of Italian.
Florence is a city, but some neighborhoods, especially in the Oltrarno (south of Arno river) feel more like small towns.
Otherwise Pistoia, Lucca, Arezzo are smaller cities that are pretty flat.
Siena is a good choice as a small city, but it's on a hill, so not really flat.
All other smaller towns are not as well served by public transit and are generally not flat at all.
April is not really beach weather, but if you wish to visit the sea you can go easily to Viareggio from Florence or even more so from Lucca. Siena and Arezzo are not well positioned for a day trip to the sea. There are other towns on the coast, but not easily reachable by train and the smaller ones would be pretty dead in April, unless on a warm weekend. Viareggio is a big enough city to have some life all year around, and it's flat.
Posted by
Saint Paul, Minnesota
1605 posts
Does it have to be in Tuscany and near the sea? If not, I'd suggest Treviso, Alba, Modena, Lecce, Verona, Orvieto, or Padua. Padua has the biggest, best daily market, and we thought also the most welcoming piazze (both large and small) of any town or city in Italy we've visited --- we would happily stay there for a month or a year. If Tuscany, I'd vote for Florence near the Sant'Ambrogio market and close to one of the stops for the cute little electric buses that will take you all over town.