Tuscany in September - recommendations please

[FormerlySpeckledyHen]

Looking to go at the end of September, probably 7 nights.

Think that Florence is a good base to travel out from?
Happy to use bus and trains to explore.

Where must we go? Scenery, great food, a bit of culture…

Any experiences and recommendations welcome.

Florence is lovely, but I wouldn't use it as a base for your whole 7 days. You'll miss so much and potentially spend a lot of travelling
I'd do 3 nights in Florence, 2 on an agroturismo somewhere quite rural (somewhere where they cook dinner for you, and you'll no doubt eat amazing food) and 2 nights in one of the smaller towns/villages. In terms of places to visit- Siena and Lucca - beautiful towns with a lot to see, Chianti, Montepulciano, San Gimignano, Vinci all come to mind off the top of my head, but there are so many stunning places - and the smaller ones can be hidden gems.

September is a great time to go. Still warm, but not oppressive.
We flew in and out of Pisa because it was way cheaper, but didn't go to Pisa itself. You can see the tower from the road, and that was good enough for me. Train connections to Florence were plentiful and quick.

We’re going in September but have cars, we’re staying In a villa in San Grimignano So that we can visit Pisa, Florence, Siena, Luca. First time for us so I hope we’ve got it right.

Thanks for all the info so far - will look into flying to Pisa.

Any votes for Bologna?

Bump! Looking at going in April and thinking about staying in Lucca or San Girmano...sorry didn't remember the spelling. Hoping that we can drive to Florence and Pisa and eat lots of yummy food!

Lucca probably better than San Gimignano as it's a bit bigger... but maybe not as well placed for visiting other places. Have you thought about staying in/near Siena?

Will you have a car - if so can send you recommendation near to Florence we have stayed in for lots of years - Near also to Siena , San Gimignano ( which I would say its a day trip ) - The place is an old monastery converted into 3 holiday cottages when we last stayed. Pool . Let me know if interested . It has been family owned for ages . BUT you will need a car for this place .

following as I’ve just booked a long weekend, as a surprise for my husbands 50th…. Although the main focus is for him to see the Tour de France grand departee. I’m tagging along for the nice food and wine: I’ve not been to Italy before so I’m looking forward to it. I’ve booked an air bnb apartment as hotels were quite stupidly priced while the TDF is on

Yes we will have a car. Will also have our teen with us, and so an indoor pool would have been a plus. That why I thought a hotel. Only going for 4/5 days so somewhere nice and we don't mind driving to places from there. Somewhere that we can get back to the hotel and have a choice of restaurants to grab a bite.

Against the grain, I'd definitely use Florence as a base. Most of the other towns are beautiful but essentially small and can be done in a day. (Pisa in a morning or afternoon) You can do Bologna from Florence for the day.
Remember that it might not be 40 degrees but it's still going to be in the high twenties.
The end of September is a great time to go as the kids are back in school so there'll be fewer Italian tourists.

Trains are great. Download the trenitalia app - you can get it in English. Lots of discounts if you sign up. Book online through the app. You can pay via PayPal as well as cards.

Florence is good as a base as you'll find lots of train connections there to other towns in Tuscany. That said, however, lots of the smaller towns will not have their own train stations. If you want to explore the smaller towns and visit wineries it's much better to rent a car after 2 or 3 nights in Florence.

@FormerlySpeckledyHen This is we stayed a few times it is lovely but self catering - not a hotel. No indoor pool. With a car there are lots of nice restaurants and places to visit within striking distance . As well as Siena , Florence and San Gimingnano , Lucca , Bologna are doable as is Pisa for a day.

But if 2 teenagers , the 4 bed cottages would mean them sharing a room.

All in all it sounds like it's not what you're after if you want a hotel to get back to , but it is nice so posting just in case

https://santandreacellole.it/

I jumped on the thread for advise. We are going in April.

Well it’s good to see my thread from 18 months ago has been revived!

We stayed in Florence in an Airbnb apartment with a rooftop view of the Duomo. A great location to walk out from to all the sights and restaurants in the evening.
A short walk to the railway station for day trips to Siena, Lucca, Bologna,Pisa and San Gimignano. Perfect.

Forgot the pic

@BasiliskStare I think you tagged me in error. Your accommodation looks stunning and I hope it helps someone on the thread.

We stayed in Pisa but agreed there were probably better places to base ourselves. We went to Luca and Florence for day trips but the best day by far was a trip to the Cinqe Terra (which someone in a museum queue in Florence told us about!) We wouldnt have gone if it wasnt for them and it ended up making the holiday! It's a must, trains connect each village and it's so beautiful.

@FormerlySpeckledyHen that looks amazing - very well placed ! Would you be able to PM me a link ?

Seeing your list of accessible towns from the station at Florence it's most definitely on my holiday list !

Take a lot of mosquito repellant would be my main recommendation

@ShinyAppleDreamingOfTheSea I’m sorry but I don’t know how to link from Airbnb but the apartment is in Via Dell’ Ocha if you can find it that way.

Thank you - will take a look .