First trip to Tuscany - Need help planning

[gunjansinha]

Dear Members,

I am new to this forum and joined it because I thought the conversations going on here were really helpful in planning one's trip to Tuscany. Hubby and I are planning to visit Italy in September for 15 days and this is our first trip to the country. From the initial plan that I have thought of, its Tuscany where we will be spending most of our time, as I have been fascinated with Tuscany for a long time. As of now, I have planned to be in Tuscany for 6 days, 5 nights. I don't want to spend it all in Florence, though I do want to stay there atleast 2 nights. I have read and read on the forums and I am thoroughly confused as to how I could divide the trip such that I can make most of my time there and visit a fair bit of Tuscany. I have a few initial questions, which if I could get help with, will help me in drawing up a well rounded itinerary.

- Should I split a few nights in Florence and few nights in Siena? Will this give me a good base to explore Tuscany and do day trips?
- I want to visit Lucca and Pisa, and I am very interested in the Chianti region as well and want to do wine tasting tours. I have gathered that I can easily do Lucca and Pisa via train, but for Chianti would you recommend private tours or a self drive?
- I have seen some sites for agriturismo, and wanted to try it out. However, do you think a one night stay in such a farm is worth it or should I keep more time aside for this?

Look forward to hearing from you!

Thanks

Gunjan

[DonnaDenise]

Boungiorno,

As for your stay in an agriturism, most have a required length so be sure to check that out when you select your choice. My suggestion is that you should plan on a few days in an agriturism. Use Florence as your city experience, two days - maybe three if you want to train it into Lucca and Pisa.

However if you did two days in Florence, then rented a car and did 4-5 days in the countryside you would be able to do a day trip to Pisa/Lucca and Siena while enjoying the the experience of "living" the Tuscany countryside in a agriturism. Be sure to plan at least one day just relaxing at your agriturism - especially if you choose one that has a vineyard, offers cooking lessons and an authentic Tuscan meal or is within walking distance of a small town.

Buon Viaggio.