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Use our Travel forum for recommendations on everything from day trips to the best family-friendly holiday destinations.

Original poster

Tuscany trip. Any advice welcome

32 replies

Chocbuttonsandredwine · 14/03/2023 09:41

Planning 10 days in Italy. Rough intinarybas below but any thoughts would be amazing. Also any tips/suggestions/must see stuff. We are flying into Pisa and will have a car. Just DP and I… into food wine and wandering. Not massively into museums or touristy stuff… just wandering and chilling 😂

Bologna - 2 nights
Florence - 3 nights (could shorten to 2?)
Tuscan farm stay possibly San Gimignano - 5 nights.

Could shorten Florence and San G and squeeze a couple of days in Siena?

Any suggestions for farm stay would be appreciated, ideally somewhere we could walk into town so no cabin fever, although wouldn’t be a massive issue if shortened to 3 nights.

Torn between wanting to see EVERYTHING but also not feeling like we spend 10 days driving/unpacking and packing

Many thanks

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CoffeeBeansGalore · 14/03/2023 09:55

Tuscany is beautiful. Went 6 years ago and would love to go back.
Personally would avoid driving in Florence. It was a nightmare. Stay outside & get train in. Siena is lovely. Lucca worth a visit. Plenty of wineries do tours & tasting.
Nice to visit the leaning tower, but the rest of Pisa that we saw was surprisingly grotty. Lots of street "hawkers" trying to sell you tat. Just smile & keep walking. If you don't speak they don't know what language to try.

The other drivers can be frightening. Take photos of your hire car before you drive away. Proof of existing damage may be needed. Pay for the full insurance waiver. It will be worth it. Use proper car parks where possible. Road "parking" looks more like the cars have been abandoned!

Have a lovely time 😊

Littlefaeries · 14/03/2023 10:01

When we stayed in Tuscany we booked a campsite for the whole week and drove / used trains to Lucca, Siena, Florence.
I don’t think you need to be at 3 different sites .
If you’re not into museums you’ll do Florence in a day.

LIZS · 14/03/2023 10:03

Can you take in Volterra or another fortified hill town ? How about a spa town like Montecatini? There is relatively little around once you have seen San Giminiano, Siena likewise can be done in one visit. Lucca is nice and close to Pisa.

Fran92 · 14/03/2023 10:08

Siena is a must and can probably be done in a day / night, sitting on the square with a spritz and just watching is amazing!

Can you plan it to use trains / buses rather than car until you need to get out, it limits where you stay and it’s not easy a lot of the towns / cities have restriction zones during certain times and days and will fine (learnt the hard way, received two fines for two places)

Twochildrenpluspointfour · 14/03/2023 10:16

We loved Northern Tuscany, fewer tourists and the scenery is much more dramatic. That probably isn't what you wanted to hear though Grin Second Lucca, it's beautiful, and if you do venture further north, you won't find anywhere more magical than the castle at Verrucole.

Original poster
Chocbuttonsandredwine · 14/03/2023 10:18

Am looking at possibly train from Pisa airport to Bologna then to Florence then picking up a car for the last bit. Might be a bit complicated/involve dropping off at airport am picking up in Florence but you’re right would be less hassle.

Might cut Florence to 2 nights too.

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Original poster
Chocbuttonsandredwine · 14/03/2023 10:19

To be honest we are open to anything, as long as there is food wine and sunshine. Meant to add we are going early September so hopefully should be less busy

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guzzywuzzy · 14/03/2023 10:29

If you're not into museums, I would.suggest the one thing you must do in Florence is visit Michaelangelo's David - it's amazing.
Lucca is worth a visit for mooching around, eating)drinking.
If you have a car it's well worth driving to the Cinque Terre for a day or two of walking along the beautiful mountain coastline

AnnaMagnani · 14/03/2023 10:32

If you are in to food and wine then what about a food tour or wine tasting day?

I can highly recommend Curious Appetite which runs food tours in both Florence and Bologna, plus wine tasting days across Tuscany

curiousappetitetravel.com/

Original poster
Chocbuttonsandredwine · 14/03/2023 10:33

That looks amazing thanks

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BarrelOfOtters · 14/03/2023 10:34

Just following really, but there's some fantastic walking and cycling tours around that area....some very gentle ones too. www.headwater.com/holidays/walking/italy/W07ST.htm

AnnaMagnani · 14/03/2023 10:39

They were amazing! DH and I did a food tour in Florence and a wine tasting day - which got expensive after we bought loads of wine so be warned.

Key things we learned:
Don't eat anywhere in Florence that has meat in the window
Don't believe they are serving Chianina beef - there is more 'Chianina beef' sold in Florence than there are cows to provide it
Don't buy gelato from anywhere that doesn't have closed containers - avoid the shops with enormous piles of gelato in unnatural colours

On our wine tasting day we did eat some Chianina beef - but on a family farm who could show us the cow! It was tiny slivers and tasted heavenly

jackstini · 14/03/2023 11:01

Definitely second using the train if possible - cheap, on time, easy and you both get to look at the scenery. Download the Trenitalia app

Cut Florence to 2 nights and you can do leaning tower while there
Getmyguide have some great ideas - can recommend their walking tours

rioseco · 14/03/2023 11:08

Siena is fantastic- definitely go there if you can!

ScribblingPixie · 14/03/2023 11:12

Just based on my own experience: book exhibitions and restaurants in Florence, don't leave anything to chance. Don't overdo the amount of time you spend there either. Lucca is an enjoyable place to stay, v relaxing & charismatic. Staying a night in Siena & having aperitivos at the main square is just lovely.

AnnaMagnani · 14/03/2023 11:39

In Florence if you go to the Palazzo Vecchio, the tours are absolutely worthwhile. The Secret Passages tour is v well done:

musefirenze.it/en/attivita/percorsi-segreti/

The Cathedral often has massive queues as it is free but it's actually not v interesting inside. The bet bits are the Baptistery and climbing the dome which you have to book and pay for. Make sure you are fit I wasn't as the dome is v high, we did it on a warm day and at the top I just lay on the floor in a state of collapse.

Our favorite restaurants in Florence were:

Enoteca Pitti Gola e Cantina - directly outside the Pitti Palace, does a great set menu with wine tasting

Il Ricettario
Club Culinario toscano di Osvaldo

Both of these are bookable on The Fork app and may also have discounts for booking that way

And for lunch there is Alimentari Uffizi. This is on the same tiny street as Il Ricettario, just round the side of the Uffizi gallery. The family running it have their own farm and everything is gorgeous. There are very few tables and it is pretty much always busy but the cheese and charcuterie plates are so worth it.

Original poster
Chocbuttonsandredwine · 14/03/2023 15:02

That’s super helpful thank you

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GrimDamnFanjo · 14/03/2023 15:10

I'm a big fan of San Gimignano. I've holidayed there 6 times!
Make sure you visit the ice cream place in the main square!

AnnaMagnani · 14/03/2023 15:12

That's OK - we went to Florence for a fortnight (we are museum people!) and I loved it. Pretty much all the food recommendations came from our tour guide or other people on the tour.

Bologna was a long time ago and there is no way I'd find our favourite restaurant again. However if you avoid anywhere with either 'Menu Turistico' or selling 'bolognese' you will be alright.

PolkaDotMankini · 14/03/2023 15:24

I used to live in Florence - it's an absolutely beautiful place. If you're foodies then go to the Circolo Stella Rossa between Bologna and Florence. It serves some of the best Tuscan food I've ever had.

I'd advise against more than a couple of hours in Pisa. Take a photo with the tower and move on to somewhere more interesting. Lucca is nice.

Parking: as long as there isn't a double yellow line, parking is wherever you can fit your car.

AnnaMagnani · 14/03/2023 15:33

DH has been to Pisa. His version was once you had taken your selfie with the Tower, you were done.

I think I could make it longer as I am v into art history and would love to see the Baptistery but I wouldn't sacrifice a day in Florence for it.

Original poster
Chocbuttonsandredwine · 14/03/2023 19:07

Not really bothered about Pisa at all to be honest. Might catch the tower on the way back to airport

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PolkaDotMankini · 14/03/2023 21:17

If you sit on the left-hand side of the plane coming in, or the right side coming out, you'll see the tower out of the aeroplane window.

Original poster
Chocbuttonsandredwine · 14/03/2023 22:12

PolkaDotMankini · 14/03/2023 21:17

If you sit on the left-hand side of the plane coming in, or the right side coming out, you'll see the tower out of the aeroplane window.

That’ll do just fine 😂

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Summerbe · 15/03/2023 06:56

We went 4 years ago, it was lovely. We hired a car and stayed 2 nights in Pisa and visited Lucca from there. I actually enjoyed Pisa and was glad we spent some time there. We then spent one week near Grieve in Chianti and visited Florence, Sienna, San Geminianno and lots of other towns from there.

We drove to Florence twice and parked the car just outside the town.

I love Italy, Tuscany is beautiful.