Best of Tuscany Tour - Suggestions For Free Time

Posted by Paul (California) on 05/31/25 07:24 PM

This Fall we will take our third RS Tour. The last two were City focused (Paris and Barcelona / Madrid). Given that there is more travel to different cities and villages, it will be different from our planning for past tours.

The Best of Tuscany tour is relatively new and looks like the itinerary has changed (used to go to Elba). We looked at past reviews and “Wow Moments” which were mostly tour scheduled items. We don’t plan every minute realizing that a stop for gelato or enjoying a glass of wine on a square can offer the best moments.

Hoping that some past travelers might share particularly memorable activities you scheduled or happened upon on your free time. Cities on Tour : Florence (including + 2 on our own); Chianti Countryside (location not specific yet); Sovana; Maremma; Lucca; Arezzo (Planned as extra day on our own.)

Posted by Marie

Byron, IL, USA

06/28/25 08:24 PM

7 posts

It is a lovely tour. In Florence we walked about and went in the Basilica of San Lorenzo. It has an amazing museum attached to it. At night, we walked down to Palazzo Vecchio and it was fun to window shop and eat and drink. We also wandered acrossed the Ponte Vecchio. I would have liked to have done the gardens near there but my husband was done. Sovana is very small, we walked the town and popped into an old church and stopped at a tufa studio (by our hotel). We also also had ice cream on the square. We actually spent a bit of time talking to a local man who ran a small art gallery. I liked the smallness of this place. Maremma, I know some of our group hit the outdoor pool. We didn't have a lot of down time there. We did a wine tasting and watched the cowboys rope the cattle. I think the next day, we took an unscheduled trip to Castiglione della Pescaia- a lovely seaside town. Some people went swimming, some of us walked the beach and had drinks seaside after climbing all over the town. Lucca, the wall walk is interesting, shopping for luxury items interested some people and we wandered around and went in a few churches and cafes. It is a nice tour. It is probably a little slower pace but I felt like it was a good slice of Italy.

Posted by marnamc2

07/01/25 04:43 PM

34 posts

I thoroughly enjoyed a marbled paper making class in Florence - and was the only student!

Posted by Paul OP

California

07/01/25 09:14 PM

7 posts

Thanks @Marie for the overview. Somehow a seaside excursion was not a part of any of the pieces we were thinking about. That could be a bonus. Slower pace to just enjoy new places sounds terrific.

@marnamc2 Thanks for the unique suggestion. With all of the art in Florence what a wonderful way to create something and learn at the same time. I was just wondering if you found out about the “marbled paper making” from your guide as an optional group activity, or did you schedule on your own? My search on-line found a couple of places that had paper making experiences. If you had a specific place you liked I am happy to have a name as an option.