Tuscany Suggestions

Posted by melissaj76 on 11/08/19 01:30 PM

Looking for some input on where to stay. We will be coming from Venice by train, and staying in Tuscany for 3-4 nights before taking the train to Rome. Family of 4 with 2 kids (11 and 14).

I wanted to break up the city stays by staying someplace outside of the city but with relatively easy access to head into Florence to explore. I would like a small-town feel, someplace quiet, with a pool.

Open to villas, b and b's, farm stays, or very small quaint resorts. Ideally, it would be someplace that we can easily catch a train or bus into Florence. We'd also look into renting a car for days that we'd like to explore the countryside more but would rather not rent the car in Florence but rather in the town where we stay? Any suggestions or am I being unrealistic? Not sure if someplace in Impruneta, Bagno a Ripoli or Fiesole would be a good option? Budgeted up to $400-500 max a night for this part of the stay.

Posted by DougMac

Rural Georgia

11/08/19 02:46 PM

2141 posts

Melissa,
What time of year are you planning to be there?
3-4 nights doesn't give you a lot of time, especially if you are planning a day trip to Florence. That's just 2-3 days. If you want to stay somewhere quaint and explore the area, you should really budget at least a week. In the high season many places have a minimum stay.
If you just have 2 days, stay in Florence and take a day trip to Tuscany. Is Florence a must see? You could train to Siena, see the town, pick up a car in the afternoon and travel to a nearby agriturismo for your two days. Then, return the car and train from Siena to Rome.

If Florence is a must see, you could do pretty much the same thing. It is possible to pick up a car in Florence and stay clear of ZTLs and traffic.

We stayed in an agriturismo just outside Greve, but we rented a car in Rome and drove up. Greve is on a bus line into Florence and we took the bus for a long day trip. From the car, we explored many great towns in Tuscany. However, we had a full week on the ground in Tuscany. I think it will be tricky to have the kind of experience you're looking for in the limited time you have.

Posted by Frank

WPB, FL & Firenze

11/08/19 03:51 PM

3112 posts

Bagno a Ripoli (specifically Gassina) would be a good choice if you plan to primarily explore Tuscan towns south of Florence (Greve, Siena, etc). Towns to the west (Pisa, Lucca, etc) would be a little less convenient from there. The #31 bus runs between Florence's Piazza San Marco and Grassina from early morning until a little before 10PM (last departure for Grassina is about an hour earlier on Sundays). Unless your lodgings were close to the bus line and the Grassina town center (for shopping, dining and such), you might want to consider having a car for your entire stay in the Florence area. There are places outside the city center where you could pick up your rental car. I don't think Fiesole would fit your requirements as it would be tricky to get there without having to deal with Florence traffic (although outside the ZTLs). Also, bus service to Imprunetta and Greve (mentioned in post above) isn't as frequent as to Grassina.

Posted by N_Kingdom

11/09/19 02:40 AM

872 posts

"We stayed in an agriturismo just outside Greve"

If you had four nights, the Greve area would be ideal for two reasons. First you could rent a car at Piazzale Roma in Venice and drive there in about three hours. On the Florence day, It's a thirty minute to the Figline Valdarno station and a short train ride to town.

With respect to Florence there is another possibility. The Ponte Amerigo Vespucci, which has been under repairs for several months, is now open northbound. That means that on the last day, on the way to Rome, you could do an early AM drive to the Garage Europa on Boggo Ognissanti without any ZTL worries [as they are to the east] and drop off a Hertz or Avis car. Then a short walk to the SM Novella and store your bags; spending the day in Florence, 1.5 hour train ride to Rome in the late afternoon.