Have a look at:
MUST-SEE TOWNS OF TUSCANY and
HIDDEN CHARMING SPOTS OF TUSCANY plus food and wine
before planning
What are the MUST SEE TOWNS OF TUSCANY?
Remember to think about your time and schedule. If you have just 2/3 days in the region don’t miss Florence, Chianti and Siena. If you have more days, go to Lucca and Volterra, add a stop for shopping at the main Fashion Malls and explore the Southern region, focussing on tiny villages like Pienza, Montisi, Monticchiello, Petroio and their countryside.
Have a taste of the superb local red wines.
First of all , I’ll refer to some budget ranges with 3 different options:
– low budget
– happy budget
– top star budget
– Low budget means simply low budget, for the cost of lodging and services in Tuscany – which are on the average very expencive -. I’ll moslty mention places, and rarely hotels cause they are easy to find on booking and internet. I want you to know of some cheaper options, because less known, not central or not on everybody’s guidebook.
– Happy budget is actually what I usually travel like and I’m happy with. I don’t travel business class– although I find it very pleasant – I like to stay at cosy inns, to eat very well and to enjoy the place as much as I can, meeting the locals and trying to understand their lifestyle and habits. I love the top star budget options but my wallet does not allow it!.
– Top star budget is mentioning 5 stars and luxurious services, the best of the very best.
Remember, it’s you planning and puzzling things together. Get an idea here and get an idea there. Customize your trip as you wish. You can go for a couple of days low budget and then treat yourself with a luxurious evening, why not?
Once done, if you need some help, tips, advices regarding logistics and services, contact me.
You will be the only real dealer and planner of your vacation, putting it together your own way. No responsability can be attributed to www.sienatourguide.com for any incovenince, lack of service or problems you might have during your joureny. I’m not a travel agent. A proper travel agency service is available too and I’ll be happy to introduce you some great trusted travel professionals based in US or Tuscany.
MUST SEE TOWNS OF TUSCANY
Florence
You want to go to Florence to see what Renaissance art means, to explore the 14 and 15 hundred people lifestyle, to eat well and to see and buy good fashion clothes.
My suggestions are:
– stay in town
– don’t miss the statue of the David of Michelangelo at the museum of the Accademia (and reserve/buy your tickets in advance at http://www.uffizi.firenze.it/en/musei/?m=accademia)
– hire a native English speaking tour guide like Lisa that lives in Florence since 1975 and knows all its best secrets: liseapatoff@msn.com
– have a skyline view of the centre from San Miniato al Monte. – It’s one of the most ancient churches in town, on the top of a hill. You can get there by taxi or better – if you don’t mind uphill and stairs – walking from San Niccolo’ area. It’s a pleasant 40 minutes walk –
– Walk through via Tornabuoni, the Ponte Vecchio – old bridge – see the Cathedral, shop!
– Snack here and there at : Procacci. Via Tornabuoni (the fashion street). Truffle scented butter little sandwiches… fois gras, local fine food and a great glas of wine, in a simple but elegant spot. The traditional and ancient snack meeting point. Via dei Tavolini – a little alley of the main street via del Calzaioli) has the FORNO, of Verrazzano. Get in and get to the bar tender of the end of the shop: nice facaccia (jummy bread and olive oil stuffed with various ingredients) and nice wines!
At the mercato (street market) of San Lorenzo, get a panino – sandwich with the local food… I’m not going to say what that is… try it without knowing the ingredients! It’s lot better! J Stop for lunch at the Cibreino, via dei Macci, not too far from the Synagoge. You should be there around 12.30 to get a table but it’s a great way to taste glorious food of one of the best restaurants in town, Cibreo, at a lower price, being the service a lot more basic. For the evening check the program of the Teatro del Sale, it’s a unique experience. A performing art show and a great dinner served in the meanwhile. Try it!
– If you can find a way to book in advance for it, don’t miss the Cappella Brancacci. It shows the first Renaissance frescos painted by Masaccio… Beautiful! http://museicivicifiorentini.comune.fi.it/en/brancacci/informazioni.htm
If you have some time left get a bus to the MALL, it’s a fashion outlet for the most famous fashion brands, with good sale prices. Sometime you get very good deals, sometimes you find lots of tourist groups there, but a quick tour might be worth. There are two different ones. One is close by a little village named LECCio, 5 km after the exit INCISA val d’Arno, south of Florence (Via Europa, 8 – Leccio Reggello Firenze tel: 055 865 7775), the other one is a little more South, in Levane (Montevarchi) it’s called SPACE, you’ll find there mostly Prada and Miu Miu stuff. Loc. Levanella Montevarchi Arezzo tel. 055 919 6528
– For low budget options you can stay in one of the close by villages and get to Florence in the morning by train. Montecatini Terme is an example for that, cause it has plenty of hotels and a nice little centre to walk around. In the high season it might be full of tourists. A more authentic option can be Certaldo or Montelupo Fiorentino and San Miniato.
– For happy budget check the rates of the Beacci Tornabuoni. It’s central, it’s ancient. It’s not 4 stars, don’t forget. But it has its own charme. Pricewise you can even use the AC by Porta al Prato, but… you could be anywhere else in the world… it’s a chain with good rates.
– For top star solutions have a look at the Lungarno Suites, JK Palace, Saint Regis. Out of town, Villa La Massa.
Aprrox time needed: 2 days.
Siena. A great place where to stay…
Siena is my home town and … you’ll simply love it!
Siena is an authentic, friendly Medieval centre of about 50.000 inhabitants that have not – jet – abandoned ancient buildings and ancient habits.
Have a walk around with me or with a native Sienese. Go and visit the museum of a Contrada, try to understand the Palio and its roots. Enter the Duomo, explore its incredible floor. Let somebody help you finding the Archive and see, for free, one of the most unique collections of art.
For a few hours or a couple of days, make sure you have the chance “to enter into” Siena, see private properties and private collections… The best of Siena it’s “inside”…
You can always Google when and who built this and that, but just a local and native guide will find the keys to show you unexpected treasures. A walk with a friend is the best to know about Siena and Italy, today.
Along the main street you’ll find students, business men out of the office for a coffee break and some old ladies with their pearls and their high hills on, just to go and buy a piece of fresh bread. Husbands are usually on the other side of the square, in little groups where the sun is shining, gossiping about who is passing by and speaking about politics. There is always, daily, an issue to talk about the Italian politics!
The main square is the main meeting spot, for different people at different times of the day. A friend of mine says: it’s exactly like a Nativity setting! All characters performe their roles over and over again. Just an example: 99% of the time if you sit on the briks – in the middle of the square – you are a foreigner. Mom has always said “Don’t do that!” , it’s dirty and full of pigeons. Foreigners say though it’s the best place to flirt!!! Simply opening your book and reading, waiting for somebody to talk to! –
If you sit at the outside coffee bar tables in the morning or between 3 pm and 6.30 you are a tourist 100%. That’s not the time locals go out. If you are there early in the morning instead, having breakfast in the sun on Sundays you might be a “senese”, as well as if there at lunch or by 8-8.30 pm for a drink with friends. In that case people rarely change their spot… Like characters in a Nativity scene they always go to the very same place… Why so? It’s a tourist place and it’s expencive. If you are an everyday client, they will charge you a lot less.
Mh…not mentioned jet the main event! The Palio… We need a separate paragraph for that!!!
How long? What to do?
If you can stay in the area one or 2 days, stay in town, stay in town at night when the crowd is gone, go for a day trip to the South of the region. You’ll relax and receive very good energy.
For me it’s almoust a spiritual destination.
The town is famous for its art, the Cathedral, the incredible well preserved Medieval centre, and all the stuff you can find in any guidebook. Siena is at the top of the list of the Italian cities for the best life quality so.. you can even decide to simply live like a local for a few hours (and we don’t visit museums every day!). Talk to people, ask, see, observe.
See if you can take part to a cooking class that night (www.scuoladicucinadilella.net), see if a tour guide is available for a tour in town exploring places usually closed to the public like the museum of Contrada – on my opinion it’s a real must if you are in Siena – . The museum of a Contrada is the only way you have to picture the energy, passion and feelings of the horse-race PALIO we have twice a year (July 2nd, August 16th). Each team – Contrada – has its own museum – accesible just if previously booked by a guide – where they keep their throphies, the church where they bless the horse and the area where all members meet.
It has an entrance fee of a few euros but it’s worth! Go for it. Don’t miss the Cathedral (and its museum), don’t miss the museum of the Town Hall – Palazzo Pubblico – if you like frescos is the best! -.
If around on a weekday go for free to the ancient archive in via Banchi di Sotto – just ouside of the square – get the elevator to the 4th floor and see the collection of “covers” for the ancient budget files. It’s unique! I know it doesn’t sound interesting or familiar but it is so unique! You can even have a great view of the square from their spectacular terrace overlooking Campo Square. Go Go Go!
If you like old stuff go to Santa Maria della Scala – an interesting and huge museum of archeological items of the Roman and Etruscan age. Do you know why Tuscany is named that way? Cause of the Etruscans (locally named “tusci” and pronunced like tushy!!!), living there in the 7th century BC.
Churches? We have plenty of them: San Domenico (for Saint Catherine’s head and finger), Santa Maria dei Servi, Santa Caterina, Provenzano.
Check on different tour itineraries for further suggestions.
Pisa and Lucca day trip
If you are using trains Pisa and Lucca are two towns easy to reach for a day excursion out of Florence.
As far as in Lucca all shops are closed at lunch time, I’d suggest you to go first to Lucca and walk around the pedestrian centre (the train ride won’t be longer than one hour). It’s very very charming, full of authentic little shops, elegant and unique. Churches are extremely well preserved and you can’t miss San Michele and the Duomo. If you decide to stay for lunch Buca di Sant’Antonio is the place to go.
Walk to the train station (outside of the walls) and catch a train to Pisa. If you go there just for the lining tower than get on a taxi and go for the picture, but in a good weather day you can simply decide to have the 40 minutes walk (out of the train station go straight and keep going through the pedestrian area. Cross the river, walk through Borgo Stretto and when arches end on your left, take the left, pass by Piazza dei Cavalieri and further on to the tower.
Have a look at the round shaped building too… it’s the Baptistery and its’ not standing straight at all!!
Authentic Tuscan Cuisine in Pisa: Osteria dei Cavalieri
Lucca
Ancient churches and interesting museums, elegant shops, backeries, fashion boutiques and so on, for a real and rich, little town of Italy.
The centre is surronded by thick protective walls and it’s all pedestrian. It’s flat and easy to walk around, with plenty of biking options (you can rent your bicycle for an hour or more).
Keep in mind that it’s touristy but all shops close at lunch time (between 1 pm and 3.30 pm when some churches might be closed too.) so… plan to go there in the morning or after 3.30 pm.
Start if you can from Piazza Verdi, stop at the church of San Michele, an amazing example of Romanesque architecture, get lost around little streets and alleys, on the way to Via Fillungo, the main street. Walk the whole way to the Anphiteatre square, which based on a roman anphiteatre shape is now an unique square with café’s.
For a snack go back to a simple backery and get a slice of Focaccia or Cecina (chick peas, water, salt, rosemary).
As a restaurant Buca di Sant’ Antonio is good but pricy.
Simple and full of locals is Trattoria da Leo, because of its reasonable prices and home made dishes. It’s all right, but don’t expect too much.
Approx time needed: half a day or more.
Pisa
Leaing tower, what else? The most commont thing is to go to Pisa just for an hour or so, time to park or walk from the train station to the tower and get a picture.
Let me tell you that, yes, being one of the most popular monuments of the country, it’s nice to be right there, learn and understand how in the last few years they have tried to stop its progressive sinking movement and bla bla bla.- In the blog we’ll talk about that sooner or later – By now though let me tell you that the real charme is something to experience just in the low season when few groups of tourists are around and when you can peacefully lay down on the grass observing some of the rich decorations of the buildings, the church and the baptistery. (By the way, have a look at all of them, in different degrees all buildings there are leaning)!
If you arrived by taxi and you want to go back to the train station (or if you want to explore a little more how Pisa is like) a pleasant walk is:
If you stand close to the tower, with your shoulders at the curch, baptistery and walls, take the street on your right, the wide one, where some horses and buggies are usually parked, Via Santa Maria. Take then the first to the left and get to PIazza dei Cavalieri, where there is the most important University of the town the so called, Scuola Normale. The facade of its large building is very interesting and decorated with something we could call “graffiti”. Have a look. It’s beautiful. From there keep going on and you’ll find yourself along Borgo Stretto, the main shopping street.
Pisa was bombed during the war and some homes there were destroied.
If you make a right and follow streight, you’ll get to the river and crossing the bridge, still further on, you’ll get to the train station in about 20 minutes.
It’s pleasant, I like it, I studied there. There are lots of street venders though and you might find it not so clean as other cities in Tuscany. Just something different.
You won’t need there more than 2 hours plus stops and chill out time.
For a snack my favourite place is SALZA, a pastry shop you find right on the main street. To have lunch or dinner, Osteria dei Cavalieri, non that far from Piazza dei Cavalieri just mentioned.
San Gimignano
Let me tell you, it’s not so easy to talk about San Gimignano. It’s possibly the only very place of Tuscany somebody might complaint about. What’s the issue then?
San Gimignano – very hard to say! – is the best preserved village of the 12 and 13 hundred bearing its 14 watch towers and authentic buildings. It seems like coming out of a Medieval tale, it’s a perfect movie setting spot.
The point is that tourism is the main business there and it’s plenty of souvenirs shops. In the high season is a terrible crowed little centre, where to be on a cue waiting for your turn to get a shot and a postcard like view for your picture. In other words, although being “real” in such a contest runs the risk o
f looking very very “fake”…
So… if you want to appreciate it, try to skip the “rush hours” in between 11 am and 5 pm. Get there early in the morning or late in the evening. If you are there in the summer, have the chance to get there by 6.30 or so and have dinner. At that time of the day just locals and few other people will be around, it’s magic. It’s worth.
Once there:
- have a look at the interior of the Collegiata, the main church, overwhelmed with frescos
- have a Gelato at the Gelateria di Piazza – DONDOLI – the little store with people in line and no table outside by the Piazza della Cisterna.
- Have a glass of the local white wine Vernaccia and a jummy bruschetta – snack – at Locanda di Sant’ Agostino in piazza sant’ Agostino
- Get to the fortezza, up up up the hill behind the church, taking the street on the right, to get to the top of one of the towers for gorgeous views and pictures
- Don’t take just the main tourist street but try to get lost a bit and see the hidden alleys
Aprrox time needed: 2 hours plus stops and snacks.
Staying…
Few people stay in San Gimignano, but it’s a nice idea. Right in town there are very few hotel options and all just 3 stars. La Cisterna has possibly the best view and a good restaurant.
Out of town you can find high level hotels and some good Agriturismo, like La Torraccia di Chiusi – hard to be found and very much at the end of a dirt road – , it’s pleasant and a kind of peaceful oasis. Simple rooms and nice atmosphere with a very friendly service.
A little more sophisticated instead, just a few yards from there, la Fortezza de’ Cortesi, possibly even a little too elegant for the location, but nice.
Eating:
For a snack: Locanda di san’ Agostino in piazza sant’ Agostino. Great location. Happy/low budget
For a meal: Le terrazze, within the hotel La Cisterna. Great views at not too unexpencive price.
For a meal anytime of the day: Chiribiri. Just at the entrance of the village, pass the arch, get a few steps up, to the left. Happy budget, very tiny tiny room…
Chianti
You want to spell Chianti with a K, not like China.
Chianti is a lovely and picturesque area in the centre of Tuscany, south of Florence and north of Siena. Its hills are mostly covered in dense forests of oaks and vineyards.
Somebody might remember still the low quality wine coming from Tuscany in the past and called Chianti, coming in a big bottle with straw, named Fiasco.
Since then wine-makers changed extremely their wine making process, if farmers first, became sophisticated and mutiple master degree level professionals, who know can sell their labels at almoust 100 US$.
The region, badly bombed during world war II, once dotted with farm houses having no running water, power or lovely gardens, has been nicely restored and rebuilt mainteining the ancient materials and shapes like the trendy Tuscan architecture of bricks and stones.
A villa there now, won’t cost you less than 2 milions…
That said, it’s nice to spend a day or a week visiting the little hilltop villages like Panzano, Radda in Chianti, Castellina and San Donato in Poggio. You won’t need to long each time you stop, just a few minutes or just a few hours, if you decide to sit, take an espresso cup of coffee and start talking to the people. Village life is very relaxing, friendly and welcoming.
Hard to give suggestions about where to go and what do to..
First of all you need a car to get there and enjoy it, second you have not to mind winding roads and not to easily get car-sick. No streight ways there!!!
A classic tour of Chianti takes you to little villages and stops at at least at a winery. If you are not interested in that it’s still worth to go. The beauty of the countryside is breathtaking, plus a visit to an olive-oil mill and an extra vergin olive oil taste can be a nice alternative.
A possible itinerary will be (do it reverse if you start from the south. Most of people stay in Florence so I’m assuming they will start from north):
If you have a full day, go to Impruneta – south of Florence – and once in the square of the centre, facing the church, take the little downhill street you see on your right. Keep the left and go down down down till you’ll see a sign for Terracotte Marianion the left.
There are two different producer with the same name, careful. My suggestion is to go to the first, entering the gate sharp left (you can visit the other one too but they make pottery in the common industrial way, using a mold).
Ask for Mario Mariani, he is working by himself and he makes the huge terracotta vases you’ll see outside, just by hand!!!! He is possibly one of the 3 people still alive that does it as done in the past by his father and grandfather. It’s a truly unique experience… Go and see how he shapes the “row” soft clay – he says like flower and water making bread – , how he stacks “the rings” one on the other and how he burns them once every other month. He builds his oven every time! (Don’t forget he does not speak English so… it would be better to have a guide with you or somebody speaking English).
From there you can go to Panzano in Chianti and have a little stop at the famous butcher shop, Cecchini (he is organizing interesting lunches and dinners based on his meat. Keep in mind that you’ll be served JUST meat… so… it’s better if you like beef! You’ll taste all parts and all kinds of it).
The drive is very scenic and in the vally close by there is house – Vignamaggio – where possibly Leonardo met the Monnalisa…
For a winetasting in the area you can go to Verrazzano or to Cennatoio (on the gravel road to Volpaia). The first is a beautiful estate, very famous and very busy, the other one is a family owned and run winery with a completely different setting.
In any case, I’d suggest you to take the gravel road (dusty in the summer!) that goes from Panzano – right from the butcher shop – to Volpaia, a charming and authentic village of the Middle Ages where everything was bought by a big brand producing Volpaia wine, but a couple of flats, where two sisters are still living and run the two most interesting spots for a snack or lunch: Paola and Carla.
Paola is usually speaking loud and looking tired… she is a character. She runs the coffee bar in the middle of the square, with wooden tables outside.
The sister Carla is running the restaurant with a lovely garden called La Bottega di Volpaia.
Jummy home made ravioli and home made prosciutto. Good veggies and a good dish of wildboar. Lovely setting in the garden on a sunny and hot day under the linden trees.
Proceed your day towards Castellina in Chianti, get lost looking for the Etruscan tumbs, taste a great gelato. On your way back don’t take the winding road SS222 but drive down to Monteriggioni, have a look at the interesting fortress and take the 4 lanes fast way back to Florence.
Other possible wineries to go and visit are: Brancaia (nice spot and very good wines), Fonterutoli, Monsanto, Volpaia itself, Montefioralle, Dievole.