2 weeks in Tuscany in October

AnnetteJ

New member
My husband & I are planning our first trip to Italy & we need it to be relatively restful. We'd prefer to say in one place for at least a week & do day trips from there. Cities aren't big on our list right now but we are interested in seeing Cinque Terre.
We'd prefer farmhouse type of setting and were very interested in food, wine & walking. I really don't know where to start!
 
Tuscany in October

Buongiorno,

If Cinque Terre is high on your list of "must-sees" and you prefer not to travel too much, then you may want to look at staying in an area which will give you (in a manner of speaking) easy access to visiting these coastal towns.

Perhaps looking around Lucca or Pisa. Both of these locations will give you easy access to main roads, beautiful scenery - vineyards, olive groves, and more - as well as small towns, great food & wine and many local traditions, food festivals and a bit of history.

Check out these two articles, though both were written with the objective to give guets an idea of what they can see nearby Lucca and Pisa:

https://www.discovertuscany.com/lucca/easy-one-day-itineraries-around-lucca.html

https://www.discovertuscany.com/pisa/day-trips-and-tours-from-pisa.html

Buon Viaggio,

Donna Denise
 
I would give a second vote for Lucca. It is charming, and very relaxing. I would also say it is quieter than Pisa. Traffic in the town is calm, so walking &/or bicycling are easy and enjoyable. Some hotels have bicycles, or they could be rented. There are good restaurants. It is relatively close to Cinque Terra and could give easy access for a day trip there. I wish I was there now...
 
Hi Annette,

If you're going to stay for more than a week, you could consider to divide your holiday in two parts: you can stay in a place near the Cinque Terre (as the others suggested) and then move in a place close to nature, food, wine and walking. For example, you could consider the little and quiet hill top village of Sovicille, which is ideal for resting and relaxing. Plus, it's approximately 30 km far from Chianti, where you can visit wonderful places with beautiful sceneries, you can eat excellent food and also try some wine tastings. Last but no least, around Sovicille there are plenty of farmhouses and holiday homes, you can find a list of them on: http://www.prolocosovicille.it/home.html.

Hope I've been helpful. Have a good time in our beautiful country! :)
 
I also agree Lucca would be a good place for a week, then suggest you stay in Siena or around Siena as a second base for your second week. While Siena is a larger town, the historical center maintains its small town charm and character -- and in October, lots of the masses of tourists in the main squares will have reduced in number. The same goes for smaller towns across the region, October is a great month for exploring! Take a look at https://www.tuscanyaccommodation.com to search for the farmhouses (there are both B&Bs and self-catering apartment options) in those areas - the site has reviews and then links to the official properties websites so that you can book directly.
 
My husband & I are planning our first trip to Italy & we need it to be relatively restful. We'd prefer to say in one place for at least a week & do day trips from there. Cities aren't big on our list right now but we are interested in seeing Cinque Terre.
We'd prefer farmhouse type of setting and were very interested in food, wine & walking. I really don't know where to start!

Hi Annette, My wife and I, along with a couple of good friends, will be in Tuscany the last twelve-days of September, and the first ten-days of October. This will be our fourth trip. So far, I've not found a bad place to be in Tuscany! The Cinque Terre is just beautiful, and train transportation is quite easy. Florence is beautiful, as are Pisa and Lucca. But the real Tuscan gems are the hill towns. My favorite is Volterra, with San Gimignano a very close second. Check out Vacation Rentals by Owners (VRBO)on Google; the breadth of selection is amazing and covers the entire spectrum from comfortably frugal to extravagant. The people, food, wine, and scenery are all amazing in Tuscany. I believe that I cannot have anything less than an amazing time there. I live in a small town in the California mountains, but whenever I make reservations for Tuscany I start wearing this silly grin all day long. EdB from Tehachapi.
 
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