We will mostly be in France, but want to go to Florence for 4-5 days. We need suggestions for side trips. I , have been to Rome 3 times, but my friend hasn't. We both are art lovers, food, wine, and history. I was thinking of Sienna and around, however in France we will be visiting many historic small towns and villages. Would it be just more of the same? Perhaps we should just go to Florence and Rome. Any suggestions would be welcome.
Posted by
Calgary
1744 posts
When we were in Siena, we almost didn't go into the cathedral there, because we'd been inside so many in Italy, already. However, it started to rain, so we decided to go in. We were so glad we did. Even though we had seen many cathedrals, each one was different, and each had its own special features. The cathedral in Siena, in particular, still stands out in our minds as one of the best and most interesting.
The main "square" (which isn't square) was lovely, too.
We also loved the views of the Tuscan countryside on the way to and from Siena.
I can't tell you whether or not it will be "more of the same," but in my experience, every place has its own charms, and if the stuff that is the same is also charming, well, that's nice, too.
Posted by
Maryland
910 posts
Siena, Volterra, San Gimignano, Luca, Pisa, Truffle hunting, MULTIPLE wineries... A driving tour of the hiil country SW of Florence... Just a few ideas.
Posted by
Irving
3277 posts
You need three nights in Florence just to see Florence. Reserve tickets for the Uffizi Gallery two months out to guarantee a reservation. For each day trip add a night to your stay. How many nights is four or five days? A good day trip from Florence is Siena. To get there take a direct bus that will drop you off in the city center (1h 15m).
Lucca is another place that makes a good day trip by direct train: https://www.trenitalia.com/en.html. You’ll need to depart from the Firenze (Florence) S.M. Novella station and takes 1h 30m. The problem is you need to get an early start so you can take a direct train.
Pisa is also doable by direct train from Florence taking 1h.
Posted by
Gulf Coast, usa
1191 posts
Last fall were five nights in Florence and never got bored. We did day trips to Lucca and Pisa one day, and Sienna is easily reached. Take the bus for that trip. Venture up to Fiesole as well. We would pick Florence over Rome any day of the week. While we have been to Rome many times, the last two times were packed with tourists and it was so overcrowded it too any enjoyment out of our visit. From Florence we took the train to Cortona, spent three nights there, and loved it. We did side trips to Montepulciano and Pienza from there (trained to Chiusi which was like 20 minutes and picked up a cheap rental car for the day), and you can easily visit Assisi from there by train as well. Then we trained down to Orvieto from Cortona (totally recommend it) and spent one night before catching the train the next morning to Rome for a two night stay before leaving. The only reason we went back to Rome this trip was because a friend was travelling with us and had never seen Rome. He had enough after a day and a half.
Depending on where you are going in France, no, the towns are not the same. We love the small towns of France and you get a definite different feel in Italy.
Have fun!