Hello...our first trip to Italy in the fall...will be 10 days in Tuscany with our homebase being Florence. Looking for ideas on day trips...willing to overnight someplace where it makes sense. We are wanderers rather than wanting a tight itinerary. So leisurely meals, sidewalk cafes, walks, wine...Thanks
Posted by
New York, NY, USA
11294 posts
Will you have a car?
Posted by
OP
3 posts
Yes...either by hiring a driver or driving ourselves
Posted by
11676 posts
Siena, Panzano, Pienza, Montepulciano,
Volterra, Lucca all would work well and are different from each other.
Posted by
Rural Georgia
2213 posts
I hope you have a wonderful trip!
Be aware that if you stay in Florence itself that having a car will be a hindrance rather than a help. Public transportation and a tour may be your best bet.
A day trip to Lucca by train would be easy. It's 1 1/2 hours with trains leaving every 30 minutes. I also suggest taking a tour of one of the wineries in Chianti. Ideally it would be a food and wine tasting at lunch. You could also take a bus or train to Siena, also 1 1/2 hours away.
Having a car gives you more freedom to explore Tuscany. We stayed at Castillo di Verrazzano, just north of Greve. It's a wonderful winery and agriturismo. From there we drove the Chiantigiana. We also explored Siena, San Gimignano, Volterra, Radda, Castellina and of course, Florence. When we visited Florence, we took the commuter bus from Greve, which was a lot of fun. We were the only non-residents on the bus and we had a nice visit with folks heading to and from work.
You could also consider splitting your time, staying in Florence, then renting a car and staying in an agriturismo and exploring Tuscany from there.
Posted by
OP
3 posts
Wow...DougMac, thank you! Excellent!
Any thought on cinque terre?
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA ☔️
6863 posts
When driving in Florence (or any old Italian city or town - they have them elsewhere, too), be sure you know about ZTLs.
Posted by
Rural Georgia
2213 posts
Any thought on cinque terre?
We ruled out CT because of time constraints and other factors. There are others who can give more information, but from what I discovered, CT is too far from Florence to do as a day trip. From what I read, it is better explored when you can stay overnight. That way you can see it early in the morning and in the evening when the day trippers have left.
I forgot to mention to check out Fall festivals that are held all over Tuscany late September and early October. This calendar may be helpful. When we stayed at Castello di Verrazzano, we saw the drying racks in the winery. We dream of returning during harvest to see the racks full of grapes!