collbryan22

Hello!

My fiance and I officially booked our flight to Italy for our honeymoon and I am looking for a few suggestion for the end of our trip. We will be flying into Venice from Chicago April 29th in the afternoon and leaving from Pisa on May 9th in the afternoon. Our tentative plan is to stay in Venice 2 nights then travel to Ferarra on the 1st where my sister will be living and stay with her for a few days. After that I would like to spend the rest of the time in Tuscany visiting hill towns, vineyards, and hot springs.

I am needing help with deciding where to stay for the last 5-6 days of our trip. I am wondering what specific hill town (and possibly recommendations of peoples favorite B&Bs, agriturismos, etc) would be a good base for exploring but close enough to Pisa for our flight home. We are interested in outdoor adventure, great views, hiking, biking, and yummy food! We are looking for a unique, relaxing, romantic Italian adventure!

collbryan22

I should add we aren't opposed to getting a car for the last part of this trip but if we could swing it without one that would be preferred.

bilboburgler

biking around Ferrara is easy to do, I might stay there longer.

It is possible to do Tuscany hill towns by train but a car might be easier. Note that keeping a car in Florence is a real pain.

Paenza and the public thermal bits down there are fine or you could book into a spa/centre for a few days.

AJPeabody

You may want to add a night in venice to compensate for touring reduced by a jet lag day.

BlueRidgeboots

I agree with AJ, give Venice your attention and immerse yourself for a spell. I love driving in Italy. You can see much more as you aren't relying on bus or train schedules which could pose some unnecessary restrictions. In two weeks you can see a lot, especially if you're hill town hopping. I can't offer any suggestions on where to stay by Pisa... you could check in at Venere.com and get some ideas from other travelers. Good luck.

Lexma90

You could visit towns in the northern part of Tuscany, more in the area of Pisa.

Or you could visit towns that are further south, then stay close to Pisa on the last night of your trip. If you like Chianti wine, stay in that part of Tuscany. And if you like Brunello wines, then stay in the area of Montalcino and/or Montepulciano. If you stay more to the south, you could also visit Siena and/or San Gimignano.

And I would say that renting a car and getting around that way is much more efficient than public transportation, in that part of Italy. I also love driving in Italy, especially the beautiful rural roads.

sandralist

If you don't want to rent a car, take a look at Montecatini Terme/Montecatini Alto for hot springs, cycling in nearby Lucca and the hills, and you can probably eke out a visit to some wineries nearby, although the most famous wine country of Tuscany is in areas where you would need a car. Montecatini is not far from Pisa, and you could also stay in Lucca and just visit Monticatini for the spas. You can also easily reach Florence from these towns if you are interested.

In that area, check out the cost of a small group tour out of Pisa or Livorno to the Bolgheri wineries, home of the Super Tuscan wines. If you go with a tour, you don't have to worry about drunk driving or making appointments with wineries.

sandralist

http://easyhiker.co.uk/splendours-of-montecatini/

http://livingwithabroadintuscany.blo...-to-visit.html

http://blog.culture-routes.net/go-up...gio-and-gigia/

http://quiltville.blogspot.it/2015/0...to-mangia.html

By the way, wherever you go in Italy, you should let your hotels know that this is your honeymoon, and restaurants too if you are making reservations.

collbryan22

Thanks so much everyone this is all very helpful! The more I read and hear from people it seems like Lucca might be a good 'Base' for exploring that last portion of our trip but I am certainly interested in Montecatini as well. Does anyone have any recommendations of places to stay in the area?