2 Weeks in Tuscany - Advice for Itinerary

[Lala16]

Hi , sorry never have posted on a Forum and not sure if this is the right place . This forum is a WEALTH of information and has helped so much but I have a few questions if someone can offer their opinions. My husband and I and another couple will be arriving in Florence in April . We are looking to stay in Tuscany area 35 mins or so outside of Florence ,in Chanti or Siena area. We are looking to do wine tours and see the country side and make a couple day trips to Florence . We will be in this area for 8 days and are planning on renting a car . I will be looking for wine tours and the sights we should see by looking in the forums , have done a lot of research but it's all very overwhelming ! After this , not much else is planned but my husband and friends really want to see Cinque de terre villages. We are looking at staying in La Spezia for the remainder of our trip , so we can see the villages and the surrounding areas And Pisa . Ok , now for questions ... Does this sound like we are making the best use of our time ? Or should we stay in the first accommodation and make day trips to Cinque de terre and Pisa ? We were thinking of staying in La Spezia just so we are closer and not spending hours each day driving . Should we keep our car and drive to La Spezia or take the train and rent another car there or do we need a car there at all? My husband and I have been to Venice and Rome before but our friends have not , is it possible to do a day trip ( by train ) to Rome and another day to Venice ? Or is that to much ? And if we did , is it better to do that out of Florenece than Pisa ? We fly out of Florence at the end of our trip. Ekkkk hope this isn't too much and appreciate any suggestions !

[Pro Loco Sovicille]

Buongiorno!

Here are some suggestions / ideas;

- it is probably better to rent a car for the entire period, so you'll have the possibility to drive around and to see also smaller places that are not well connected and not easy to reach by train or by bus.

- if all together you have two weeks, you could consider the following itinerary (of course there are a lot of other possibilities....there are so many things to see in Tuscany but also in Liguria (where La Spezia and Cinque Terre are located...)

Arrival in Florence - drive to your base (that could be a typical tuscan village, like f.ex. Sovicille at 13 kms from Siena) and from here you can organise your day trips:
- Day 1: Siena, wonderful medieval town with a lot of sightseeings
- Day 2: Monteriggioni, Colle Val d'Elsa and San Gimignano
- Day 3: the Chianti area and your wine tour (there are a lot of wonderful wineries in Chianti)
- Day 4: the Val d'Orcia area and another wine tour (here the famous "Brunello" wine is produced)
- Day 5 and 6: Florence (probably this wonderful town needs at least 2 days)
- Day 7: Tour of the countryside and visit of the old castles, churches and abbies of the Val di Merse
- Day 8: Pisa
- Day 9: Rome (there is a good bus connection from Siena to Rome but consider that you'll need three hours to get there).

You could consider the rest of your holiday for the Region Liguria but it is probably better to moove and choose another base.

If you need more details, get in touch: info@prolovocovicille.it
Have a nice holiday!

[DonnaDenise]

Buongiorno,

It is totally possible to do day trips to both Rome and Venice via train, leaving from Florence. I suggest that you take your eight days in Tuscany and divide it 4 and 4 - four days in the city center of Florence where you can dedicate one or one and a half days to Florence. And then have easy access to the trains for an early departure to both Rome and on another day Venice. That way when you come back you can go straight to your hotel and recup no extra driving or trying to navigate the roads when you are tired after a long day of touring.

You can even plan a half day train trip out to Pisa to see the Square of Miracles. Remember to book ahead if you want to climb to the top of the tower because you will need a ticket and they are not always available onsite.

Then take the second 4 days to tour the Tuscany countryside - a stay like suggested by Pro Loco Sovicille will definitely give you ample opportunities to explore the southern part of Tuscany with ease. Have a look here for some suggestions where you can rent direct from the owners: http://www.tuscanyaccommodation.com/val-d-orcia/

You mentioned the "remainder" of your trip you wanted to dedicate to CT, in this case spend the last few days in La Spezia and use the train to enter into CT.

Buon Viaggio,

Donna Denise

[Lala16]

Wow this is great and really gives us an idea how to spend our time . We will be looking into staying in Liguria region for the remaining 6 days . Visiting the villages , small hikes and boat tours etc . Thank you so much for the info !

[Lourdes]

For the Liguria part: you don't need a car if you stay in one of the 5 villages, but do keep the car if you stay out of them for day trips in the area out of the CT. You can take the train into the Cinque Terre and move around with the train in between them, as well as hike in between/take ferry.

Enjoy!

[Lala16]

For the Liguria part: you don't need a car if you stay in one of the 5 villages, but do keep the car if you stay out of them for day trips in the area out of the CT. You can take the train into the Cinque Terre and move around with the train in between them, as well as hike in between/take ferry.

Enjoy!

Thanks Lourdes that is what we have decided to do . I have read a lot of your advice on the other forums and it's been a great help !