1 Week Driving through Tuscany

thebigmorg

New member
Hello! This site has been amazingly helpful. My wife and I will be in Tuscany for the first time the last week in September. We will have a car, and will start off in the South of the region, and will be venturing out of a little town a bit north of Grosseto. So I am trying to pick a winery and places to eat near there.

What I really need help with however is the next stop. I am looking for a place to stay on a sandy beach, preferably with a ferry to one of the islands nearby and some good nightlife. The idea would be to have a full day on the beach, and another full day on the island (likely Elba). I am eyeing the Versilia area, but would love a recommendation.

Lastly we will stay in Florence before flying home from Bologna. We are big foodies, so any "can't miss" food and wine pointers would be wonderful. Also, my wife speaks French and I speak Spanish, so we aren't afraid of being in the middle of nowhere.

Thanks in advance!
 
Look at Piombino

Buongiorno,

overlooked by many - but this town not only is the gate way to Elba - but has some pretty spectacular beaches on its own plus a quaint little historic center with lots of restaurants. I just at at Trattoria Bouncompagni...and loved it. Authentic local food, nicely served and delicious.

http://www.discovertuscany.com/the-etruscan-coast/piombino.html

A nice little local beach is Perelli, with a bar and restaurant, free beaches and lounge chair rental.

Buon Viaggio,

Donna Denise
 
As foodies, you'll need to make your way to Civitella Marittima inland from Grosseto and dine at the Locanda del Cassero. I am not sure whether it is still open at lunchtime, but you will have a meal you won't forget any time soon after! Make sure to call and book - it is so good, we've gone out of our way whenever we are in the area to go back and is one of the few places we've written a special review on: https://www.discovertuscany.com/eating-and-drinking-in-tuscany/locanda-nel-cassero.html --- I will have to go back and update because I see all of our pics are gone :(
The wines from Montecucco here will surprise, so go for local!

As far as a full day on the beach, you can stop in the Gulf of Baratti outside of Piombino before embarking to Elba rather than go to Versilia. The area just to the north is also well known for wines, particularly the Bolgheri area so you might want to spend some time here if you don't make your way on to Elba.
 
Thanks!

This is super helpful. Just curious, would you suggest doing two nights in Piombino with just a day trip to Elba, or one night in Piombino and one on Elba?

I am definitely taking all of this into consideration.
 
Two nights

Hello -

if you don't mind the packing and unpacking I would suggest one night in Piombino and one night on Elba...a bit of both worlds so to speak.

Yours,

Donna Denise
 
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