Traveling solo in Tuscany

There's no worry about safety – just use common sense. I've almost always traveled in that area alone. The trains are safe, and easy to use – just spend a little time learning about how to use them. The RS guide books are an excellent resource for understanding sensible safety precautions, trains, buses, and other logistics.

A couple of comments on the visits you mentioned. A visit to Siena is better by bus. If possible it would be nice to do an overnight in Venice so you have a little more time to explore (depending on the weather) – maybe over the weekend with your daughter. Assisi and Ravenna are also possible as day trips from Florence and are wonderful destinations, but they'd be long days so ensure you're interested enough to make the time/effort worth it.

I can't recommend hotels since I always stay at a convent in Florence. But in November it's going to be getting cold, so I'd suggest staying in the central historical area, possibly near the Duomo or Uffizi.

Cities in Europe are general much safer than similar cities in USA. Your major concern will be "petty crime", from pickpockets or from being careless with your possessions. Keep important documents (i.e. passport) and large amounts of money hidden in a money belt or neck wallet. Do not access this in public! Keep only enough money for the day accessible, and keep your purse zipped and your hand covering it. A cross body bag or purse is ideal, as it wont slip off your shoulder or be forgotten somewhere. Stay aware of your surroundings, dont accept "gifts" (like a friendship bracelet), people trying to sell "leather jackets" from the trunk of their car or who found a "gold" ring they will sell you are scam artists, etc. Be aware, but not paranoid.

Oh, and have fun!

Hello
I have not traveled alone in Florence but I have never had any negative experiences. We usually stay in a flat on Piazza Santa Maria Novella - 3 minutes from the train station - a beautiful flat run by a great Italian family -
Homeaway Rental 11939 .
The sunsets are amazing - at least in the spring, the piazza is alive all day and evening but quiet at night and because it is Florence everything is a walk away. Grocery store nearby, local tratorias, Irish pub!
We always feel like we are home in an Italian way.
Hope this is helpful
Enjoy a fabulous city!

No worries at all in Florence! I'm a woman (60) and went with a girlfriend to also visit student kid(s) doing a semester in Florence! The above poster is correct about no violent crime. Petty crime only and nothing to be alarmed or overly cautious about -- just do use the "neck wallet" and keep 'day money' in your purse. I also carried one credit card in my purse all the time. I've never even had an attempt and I've been all over Italy, including Rome, Venice, even Sicily!

Definitely day-trip to Siena by bus! The train is much more difficult and the train station leaves you outside of the city center, requiring a taxi to get you up there.

You might also like to take a wine tour! A long day, but they're fun and include lunch and you get to see the beautiful Tuscan countryside.

We were never bored just IN Florence for the 8 days we were there -- there's so much art, history, food! With that much time you'll be able to do more than just scratch the surface!

We rented an apartment in the Santa Croce neighborhood, through VRBO. It is #68776. Because there were two women and sometimes an overnight college student or two (who REALLY appreciated some home cooking) we rented this lovely two bedroom/two bath place. If you have a friend who'd like to join you, she may really find this a great opportunity! If this apartment is too large, (and you can't talk a friend into enjoying this wonderful 'excuse' to go to Italy, you can check with Christina who owns the apartment listed above to see if she has a smaller one available, or you can check smaller ones on VRBO, but try to stay
as close to the Duomo or the University district as possible, just for convenience for you and your daughter (and friends) to be able to meet. It seems that the University was near Piazza Dante? Check this with your daughter, because it's been a few years!

Never hang your purse on the empty chair next to you. (That's also true in a lot of cities here in the U.S!). Be especially watchful at train and bus stations. AGAIN, Caution, NOT Fear! :-)) I've never even had an attempt and altogether I've spent months in Italy and Sicily, and wouldn't think twice about going totally solo! P.S. my now adult son who is a businessman in Atlanta had his briefcase stolen in plain view in a high end eatery in ATL. They got his cellphone, computer, and some documents that only had value to him. It can happen anywhere!

I visited Florence in july w 3 girlfriends.....I affirm everything said above....pisa is also a day trip by train, you need reservations ahead of time if you want to climb the tower, 30 peeps were hour get to do that. and yes, venice is just long enough by train (transfer thru Milan) that you will want to allow a weekend. perhaps a 3 day weekend if there are things you want to see in milan

Everyone has already addressed the safety question, and even though I'm not a woman, I agree - it's not a problem, as long as you take normal "precautions" like using a moneybelt, looking confident, not counting your money in public, etc.

As for your proposed daytrips, Siena is a good one by bus (train works, but as posted above it's more complicated and slower). But Venice is not as easy. The fast trains get you there in 2 hours and 5 minutes, but cost €45 each way if bought just before travel. If you can plan far enough ahead to snag discounts, and can accept non-refundable and non-exchangeable tickets (or tickets that have significant restrictions on these), tickets can be just €19 or €29 each way. You may want to save Venice for the weekend, so you and your daughter can do it as an overnight. Given the expense of getting there, you should have some more time there to enjoy it.

Better daytrips are destinations within Tuscany, like Pisa, Lucca, and Fiesole (this one is actually reachable by Florence city bus). If you want a big city that's very different from Florence, Bologna is close (although not in Tuscany).

To look at schedules for trains, use Trenitalia (English language flag on upper right): http://www.trenitalia.com/trenitalia.html. From Florence, you want to depart from Firenze Santa Maria Novella (often abbreviated S.M.N.) and for Venice you want Venezia Santa Lucia (often abbreviated Venezia S.L.).

Thank you to all who've responded to my questions. I was in Italy; Rome and the Cinque Terre region several years ago with my now adult kids and always felt safe. But we were a group of three. Thank you for the reassurance of the ease of travel in Florence and the surrounds, and for your travel suggestions.

Most people on this board will advise you against pick pockets and tell you to wear money belts. I lived in Florence for almost 30 years and I visit once or twice a year to visit friends and family. So I have been in Florence longer than anybody who posts comments on this board and I can tell you that I have never worn a money belt in Florence. In fact if I did so my friends in Florence would make so much fun of me that I would be embarrassed to even talk to them. To me the biggest danger in Florence is to step on some dog poo poo on the sidewalk. That is the most dangerous thing that has ever happened to me In Florence, a city so devoid of real crime that the Carabinieri consider an assignment there as a vacation. Therefore my advice is not to bother with keeping an eye on your valuables but rather to look down on the pavement when you walk. There are a lot of dog owners there who don't clean up after their dogs, and that is the biggest crime perpetrated in Florence.

Bologna is an easy trip from Firenze by fast train, 35 minutes roughly, and well worth a day trip.