We are planning on renting a car for the Tuscany part of our trip. Is the landscape more colorful in the spring or the fall? I'm thinking that there will be more flowers and such in bloom during the spring and maybe the grape vineyards having more color in the fall. We would like to get a feel on what we might expect. Any thoughts are welcome!!! Thanks again :-) Jim
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA
7737 posts
One tip I've learned is that you can use flickr.com to look at photos of any particular location, and you can filter it by time of year. That way you could look at photos taken in Tuscany between April 1 and May 30, 2012. Use the Advanced Search feature.
Posted by
Monterey County, CA (formerly Verbania Italy-Lago Maggiore)
1626 posts
I've only been in Tuscany during September, but the similarities in climate to Wine Country in California would most likely hold. In the fall you will find trees, vineyards to be very green, but the grassy hillsides will be dry/brown. We also saw alot of fields plowed over, so not sure if vineyards were being replanted or what. In the spring, the grassy hillsides will be green from the winter rains, and depending on how early you go, the vineyards may be coming out of their winter dormency. You will likely see more hillside wildflowers in the Spring. If you go in September, you may come across some vineyard/winery crush activity going on. I personaly love the smell of crush and fresh picked grapes. IMO both times are equally beautiful, just different.
Since Oregon is very green, except in the winter, you may like the contrast with Tuscany has to offer in September.
Posted by
Huntsville, AL, USA
8176 posts
From April to October, Tuscany's plenty green. Fall is when the farmers are in the middle of their harvest, and it's an especially interesting time to be in the area.
Stay in an agriturismo and you might could even take part in the harvest.