Flying in to Florence and have 21 nights to spend.

Leeper

New member
Hi all, My wife and I want to immerse ourselves in Tuscany so we have 21 days we can spend in the region. We will rent a car but our only must do, besides touristy things, is taking a cooking class anywhere recommended in the region. Are we spending too much time for just Tuscany? Willing to stay in B&B's or Airbnb's so could move around but would prefer to end up back near Florence airport. Any comments of suggestions would be deeply appreciated! Thanks.
 
I can't really help you with what you must do but there's no such thing as "too much time in Tuiscany".

I guess the answer you need is it depends on what your interests are and when you travel. From my last trip I would include Siena and specifically timed to be there when Palio di Siena takes place.

Just outside of Tuscany, but easy to reach (especially by train) is the Cinque Terre - lovely walks, quiant villages, coastal scenery, etc...

In my opinion, San Gimignano is a must - go and see the medieval equivalent of my d... is bigger than yours :)

But Floroence, Bologna, Arezzo, Siena, Pisa (of course) all great places to go for a trip.
 
21 days - I love it!!

Buongiorno,

I suggest you divide Tuscany into three even four sections.

Hold off on getting the car right away and start your time in the city center - take a few days to enjoy Florence/Museums/Monuments and Churches. This will give you a chance to get over a bit of jet lag and travel fatigue before getting behind the wheel. And it will give you lots of time to get organized and get the lay of the land.

Areas that I would definitely check out:

Chianti
San Gimignano (Volterra!! and the surrounding countryside is awesome)

Val d'Orcia - take the time to go south and look for Pitigliano and the area, not only great wines but some beautiful landscapes, towns, and recipes.

If you really want a bit off the beaten track then
Arezzo / Cortona & Casentino

All of these areas have dedicated sections on the website, and I encourage you to have a read through the many articles. The authors are all on-site in Tuscany, and we write what we know about ... so you will get some good solid local info.

As for a cooking lesson - there are so many places that offer that now with the B&B or agriturismo service, you really should plan on more than one or two.

Browse through this link for some ideas:

http://www.tuscanyaccommodation.com/for-foodies/


some of my favorites:

https://www.tuscanyaccommodation.com/borgo-argenina.html

https://www.tuscanyaccommodation.com/casolare-di-libbiano.html


Buon Viaggio,

Donna Denise
 
One of my favorite towns is Lucca -inside the walls. I like to walk and it has many pedestrian only areas. Great restaurants and a fantastic location to start day trips. The buses are accessible inside the walls and the trains are an easy walk or quick taxi ride. There is a cooking school run by Giuseppe Marzocchi - I can't remember the name of his school but I will try to come back and edit. You start with a group meeting and proceed to go to local stores to buy all the ingredients for the class, giving a taste of the local establishments, and proceed back to a Grand palace to prepare the meal.
For accommodations in Lucca I recommend contacting Abita Lucca, Antonella can get you some of the best prices. I found prices for the same accommodations to be all over the map and because she is local her prices were often 1/3 of the big air kind of sites...

HTH

Bill
EDIT Giuseppe school is call Extra Virgin Cooking Classes-
 
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