Hello,
My family of 6 is planning a trip to Florence and Tuscany or Tuscany and Florence for Christmas. My husband & I and 4 adult daughters.We will have a week . We walk a lot and love architecture and museums and appreciate nature and landscape . I suspect we will fly into Rome and would like to take a train to the place we wish to be based. I have a friend who stays at the same villa when he travels to Italy . It is in Certaldo. Lucca , Siena and Pisa have also been mentioned to me. I am open to your suggestions. I am stuck on where to be based , an apartment perhaps in Florence or a villa in Tuscany with a trip or two to Florence ( which more than one trip may not be practical)
Is there one town in Tuscany where there would be enough to do for 3 -4 days in winter? If we do not have to rent a car that is great!
Posted by
lexington, il
4105 posts
Look at Pistoia, "little Florence". Great train connections to Prato, Bologna, Florence, Montecatini Terme/Alto, and Lucca.
It also has access to the mountains for skiing.
More info for Christmas.
Posted by
New Orleans
1206 posts
I was in Pistoia on Dec. 26, 2017 (St. Stephen's Day), as a day trip from Lucca, and everything except some restaurants and several churches, was closed down. Even the historic hospital, which I had hoped to visit, had extremely limited visiting hours. I suggest Lucca as a base which, being larger, has more sights to see, restaurants, the lovely wall upon which to stroll, and just overall more to do on Christmas Day and St. Stephen's Day. It's also on a main train line, so opens up possibilities of Florence, Pisa, and more for other day trips.
Posted by
Vancouver, BC
367 posts
LOL -- my 19 yr old daughter was just in Cerrtaldo in early June. It's VERY tiny (but apparently the youth hostel is great!). My husband, two daughters and a boyfriend met up with my husband's family and friends in Lucca for a week, and when we left to come home to Canada, and one daughter and boyfriend went back to their home in Switzerland, everyone asked, where is Charlotte going? We said, Certaldo for a few days before her boyfriend flies to Rome. It was hilarious to watch their faces and ask "why is she going there??" So her hostel was fabulous, she learned to make pasta, and there were kittens. Maybe your friend's place in Certaldo is also awesome. But there is nothing in Certaldo.
Have you been to Italy off season before, let alone in the middle of winter? It's very different. Inside stone buildings can be colder than the outside air temperature.
The buildings are not insulated, and downright cold, so finding out your heating situation is crucial (said from experience). Unless you're staying in a regular hotel, this is key. I'd be wary of any "out of the way" places, unless they are high-end. Christmas in Italy can be magical, but at the same time it can also be glum. I'd aim to try for the magical and minimize the glum. Closer to a city, I think, will make your group happier than being stuck out in the grey, dark boonies of Italy.
I recommend Florence, Lucca or Siena. For sure, if you end up not renting a high-end villa, or a normal hotel, make sure you pack extra winter clothing ..... hats, gloves, scarves, lots of layers, winter underwear that you use for snow sports. Really good socks and footwear. But again, layers, because outside during the day it could be rather pleasant.
If you have a chance for Christmas in Tuscany, I think you should go for it with gusto-- just be prepared.