Where to be on my birthday...Florence or hilltown...itinerary help!

The difference between 1 and 2 depends on where you're flying out from. I'd choose whichever destination is closest to your departure city.


Use google maps (or a similar site) to see the route from Pisa to Montepulciano. If I was driving that, I'd use that day to visit places in northern Tuscany (assuming that the hilltown for Oct. 4-6 is in central or southern Tuscany).

I'd love either a hilltown or Florence for my birthday. I'm a big foodie, so the decision would be based on where I wanted to eat dinner. And of course it depends on which hilltown you'd be at.

In terms of a smooth flow, it all depends where you're flying out. And on what you want to do. If you go to Florence first, then the hilltowns, one option is to drive south from Florence through Chianti on s222. If going to Tuscany from Pisa (which is in Tuscany), you'd be more likely to take s429 through Certaldo and San Gimignano. But you could alway drive through Chianti on your way north from rural Tuscany to Florence.

Call some rental car companies for rates. We've always been happy with Auto Europe.

Thanks for your help Lexma90!

I plan on flying into Pisa because of my plan to visit CT first. As for the flight home, either Pisa or Florence would be my options. I am thinking option 2, which is visiting Tuscany and ending the trip in Florence, works the best. By ending the trip in Florence we will be near an airport as opposed to being in Tuscany and having to get to an airport the morning we leave.

The hilltowns I am considering for day trips are: Siena, San Gimignano, Pienza & Cortona (I am a fan of "Under the Tuscan Sun" and I know "it's just a movie" but that's one way I think of Tuscany and I would like to see it).

For anyone that has been to Cortona, what is this particular hilltown like? Which hilltown, Fodorites, would you like to be in for your birthday?

I think your flight plans are on target. Pisa is convenient to CT, and Florence is a good spot to finish because the airport is so close to the city.

Sorry, can't recommend a hill town. A lot of people like Siena, but I though it was just OK and a little too touristy. That doesn't mean you wouldn't like it.

Cortona is steeper than the other hill towns. It's one of my least favorites of the ones you mentioned.

I would consider flying in and out of Pisa, but it depends where you are flying from in the states. There are non-stop flights from New York to Pisa, but you would have to change somewhere in Europe if you use Florence airport. Pisa airport is easy to reach from Florence by train or bus (Terravision).

Well, I love Cortona! The view of Lago di Trasimeno from the belvedere is wonderful. It's a delightful place to wander around and the Diocesan Museum has a wonderful painting of the Annunciation by Fra Angelico. It is undeniably steep however so not good unless you're fit! There's a great restaurant called 'La Loggia(?) in the main square.

If it's within your budget consider Villa San Michele at Fiesole - http://www.villasanmichele.com/web/ovil/villa_san_michele.jsp

Another favourite which costs a lot less is Omero - http://www.ristoranteomero.it/lacucina_eng.html - so old it was frequented by Leonardo (who lived opposite) and Gallileo.

Option 1 seems to flow much more smoothly. And building on Lexma's advice, foodwise, Florence is certainly far preferable to almost every southern Tuscan hilltown (southern Tuscany is not Italy's greatest region for foodies, generally).

One detail I need to add is that my DH & I are NOT foodies. Actually we both are picky eaters. It is one thing that hinders our travels. Well I guess not hinders because it doesn't take anything out of our trips but we would be limited. For example, we went to Paris in 2008 and we ate McDonald's & a pizza place on Rue Rivoli called Pizza Momo. We did also eat crepes. It's just that neither of us eats greens, vegetables, sauces, creams, soups, etc. I know so many people go to France & other countries in Europe to eat so we must seem crazy not to try foods. Italy will allow for more options because we do eat pasta. Such as I love lasagna & spaghetti and of course pizza! One thing that puts us limited is I noticed on restaurant menus there are things such as rabbit, boar sauce and veal. I cannot imagine eating these things. Anyone else out there that is also a picky eater?

My main objective for choosing Tuscany is for the scenery!

Since you aren't a foodie, I think it doesn't matter a lot where you are on your birthday. Wherever you are you can enjoy the scenery and other non-food things. So, I would definitely go with Option 2. That will leave you in Florence and very close to the airport for your return home. In 6 trips to Italy in the past dozen years, we always end up in Florence (our favorite city) because of the ease of getting to the airport. And, Florence has fabulous food should you decide to try it.

If I was staying in a hilltown in Tuscany for my birthday, I might choose the tourist mecca of San Gimignano. Yes, it's full of tourists during the daytime, but in the evenings and early mornings, it's delightful. (If you're a morning person, take a walk around the outside of the city walls to watch the sunrise over the countryside.) It's pretty centrally located for day trips, and IMHO, easy to get in and out of in terms of parking (you park in public lots just outside the town walls). And because in San G. are several great restaurants that we like; less of a factor for you, I think.

Siena I like because it's bigger, so there's more of everything, but it's harder to get into and out of for day trips. Unless you stay outside the city, which I have never done, but lots of other people do. It's very centrally located.

We've visited Cortona twice. Once was, as I recall, right after "Under the Tuscan Sun" was published, so I think it wasn't much different. The other visit was a stop for lunch on our way to time in the Umbria regio. Cortona is smaller than Siena, but bigger (I think) than San Gimignano, but fewer restaurants choices. We've also eaten at La Loggia, which is a good but not great restaurant, but has wonderful views over the main piazza. I wouldn't choose merely because I like other places more! (And it is hillier, though that doesn't really enter into my decision-making.) Cortona is on the eastern edge of Tuscany, so it might be a little further for day trips, though probably not any further than San Gimignano. If you are drawn to the idea of Cortona, then go there!

As a foodie, I feel honor-bound to encourage you to try some foods you might not usually choose - who knows, you might find something new that you like! One thing we did when traveling in Italy with our daughter, is she and I would each get one dish, then share both. One dish would be more unusual, one less so. That way, if she didn't like something, she still had the other item to eat.

While many menus include rabbit, boar sauce and veal, you will also always see beef items, which I assume you like.

You will be relieved to learn that in Italy, it's more customary for main courses to be served alone, with no side dishes on the same plate. Side dishes, primarily vegetables, are ordered separately, and can be shared by the table or eaten by one person. Even if you don't like vegetables, consider trying the roast potatoes - sauteed in olive oil, they can be fantastic! Beans, or fagioli, are also a Tuscan specialty, and another side dish that you'll often see. Also, Italian cuisine is not big into sauces or creams on the main course meats, fish or seafood. Oh, and if by greens you mean salads, that's also not a big thing in Italy (especially in Tuscany). You'll see salads, but not as often as in the U.S.

In terms of pastas with creams and sauces, since you don't like those, Italian pastas are served with very little sauce on them, as opposed to pastas in the U.S. In Italy, the sauce is meant to coat the pasta, rather than drown it.

Enjoy your trip!

A truly honourable effort, Lexma, but I'm afraid it's bound to fail. People who "cannot imagine" to eat veal are much like people who cannot imagine to drink mineral water... I mean, veal is one of the most everyday ingredients in the world! And if they eat at McDonald's, they do eat beef... and every beef has once been a veal, right? So how can a person who eats at McDonald's be too picky to eat veal, of all things?? (Especially if they eat the junk at McDonald's, which really picky eaters wouldn't even touch with pliers.) Oh well...

Thank you so much Lexma90! The roast potatoes sound good! You were right, not liking greens mainly meant salads. I do like beef, chicken & fish. The only vegetables I eat are potatoes, corn & carrots. After Paris, DH & I talked and we would like to tread lightly and try new eats.

Adventureseeker's trip report states the following: "He kept our table filled with plates of local pecorino cheese w/ hot pepper jelly, steaming hot focaccia laced with tomatoes/basil and green olives, aged pecorino with thinly sliced pears, marinated peppers and eggplant, etc. Each “course” served with a different chianti (riserva to classico) by the glass".

I don't eat any of those things but it sounds so delicious. I know this sounds silly b/c I know it is cheese but what exactly is pecorino cheese? I would like to venture out and try the things that adventureseeker listed.

Another thing adventureseeker had to eat was pesto lasagna in Cinque Terre. What do you think is in pesto lasagna?

Another to add to my list of things I will NOT be eating is clams, mussels, sardines, anchovies, calamari, squid...I think you get the picture

Lexma90: From the details of what I will/will not eat and that I want to venture out somewhat, what would you recommend I try when I find myself in Paris again?

franco (and everyone else): I feel so embarrassed and absolutely stupid (for a lack of a better word)...when I was thinking of foods and what I won't eat, for some reason I had it embedded in my (silly) brain that veal was eel! I guess I've always thought that when someone says veal. I know I said I like fish but I was thinking that I wouldn't want to eat veal (when I thought it was eel). Something about the long black snake like quality. Anyway, I am completely embarrassed. After reading franco's most recent post, I looked up veal. I was not aware that it is in fact- cattle! Since I'm new at knowing what veal is does it taste like any other steak I have ate?
I also understand that McDonald's is junk. I am trying to portray that DH & I do not eat "fancy" foods. We don't eat many vegetables, specialty dishes, etc.
What better describes our eating habits are...chicken strips, macaroni & cheese, fast food, pizza, mashed potatoes, bbq. I think you get the idea Basically everything that is bad for you!

No, louistraveler, not all of that is bad for me: bbq can be absolutely GREAT if good meat/fish is going into it. Also pizza can be good... sometimes.
Veal is basically the same meat as beef, just that it's a baby animal in comparison, and hence it's far less tasty, lighter both in appearance and in taste, often (if the quality is not really outstanding) almost a little bland. Imagine beef that is trying to disguise as chicken.

Basically, I suggest to overcome the whole concept of "not eating" anything. If there is any person on earth that eats a certain ingredient, that's a proof that it can be eaten; everything can be eaten that is not poisonous. IMHO, it's a disdainful attitude to even think about NOT eating anything that any other people do eat. If it's good enough for them, it will be good enough for me, ok? Preparation and quality of ingredients, these are other questions, and that's where being picky is definitely a virtue. But if it comes to this kind of being picky, you must never again touch any fast food, since the meat, the potatoes and everything else is inevitably from industrial mass production and hence, as I said before, junk - if you want to be picky, then only eat animals or vegetables from local, tiny producers. There's never any particular ingredient that is disgusting, industrial mass production - and its products! - is!!

Ah yes, and pecorino is a specific type of Italian sheep cheese.

When I said "bad for you" I meant bad for a person not particularly "you".
Also when I say I don't eat those things such as the list from adventureseeker, I mean that I don't like the taste & texture of most foods. I don't have a hankering for all those types of foods. I have a simple palate

Dear Louis Traveler,
I recommend being in Florence for your birthday--you'll have many more restaurant choices.

Frankly, you should not think about stepping foot in Italy if you are unwilling to try something new. When you say you won't eat something, tell yourself that you haven't learned to like it yet--and then be open to trying it. I have learned to love octopus in Italy--and calamari and mussels--and many more foods that at one time I didn't think I would like. Fried calamari is delectable! And "pesto" is just a flavorful dressing made with pounded basil leaves, nuts, garlic and olive oil. A lasagna made with pesto will have other ingredients too. Haven't you ever had a Caprese salad with tomatoes, mozzarella and basil? If you like that, you'll love pesto.

Since you've got a lot to learn about Italian menus, I recommend that you start here and now in the US. Find good Italian restaurants to try (the Olive Garden, Carrabba's or pizzerias do NOT count) and get used to the menu terms. At each meal, order one comfortable dish and one adventurous dish. Ask the waiters about the ingredients and preparation.

Travel is an adventure--and if you don't have an adventurous spirit, you will miss out on much of the experience of being in a different country, a different culture!

Italians eat pasta in small portions, usually as a first course. A pasta dish is NOT the main event in an Italian dinner! For lunch, I usually order pasta and a salad--you may want a different side dish instead of a salad. For dinner you should definitely order a starter course (soup, pasta or "entree" which means appetizer in Italian) and a Secondo (main dish).

One travel tip: when in a restaurant overseas, ask the waiter to recommend the best dishes on the menu. He may ask if you prefer meat, fish, etcetera--and they usually will steer you to the chef's best dishes.

I think you're allowing too much time with 2-1/2 days in the Cinque Terre. These are five SMALL villages that are delightful to visit, hike between, dine in--but there's not much to do there (no museums, etcetera). Allow more time in Florence as there is so much to see and do there.

Now that you know pecorino is made of sheep's milk, don't be put off by that. It really tastes very little different from cow's milk cheese. Only much better, IMO. Especially the young cheese that is not aged very long. It's not yellow, but white, because it is younger. There are lots of cheeses in the US that are also softer and milder, and many of them have food coloring added to make them yellow.

Likewise with wild boar. It is often prepared in a kind of stew, or braise, and tastes a little like beef, only slightly stronger flavored.

You've gotten a lot of info about pecorino. It's a very common cheese in Tuscany, so you'll definitely see it on menus. It can be served aged or young. Aged, it will be more like parmesan (the kind that you buy in a block, not in the green can), though a more mild taste. The younger pecorino, which you can't really find in the U.S., is softer and more mild. Often pecorino (and other cheeses) are served with honey, or with jam. Sometimes it's listed under antipasti (appetizer course).

I'm not sure what I'd suggest for you the next time you're in Paris. French food is more often served with sides dishes on the plates, which you don't like so much. Also, the French use sauces more often, and you don't like those. One dish that may stretch your food boundaries in a comfortable way are croque monsieur. They're basically the French version of a grilled cheese sandwich (but better). Thick bakery bread, ham, gruyere (Swiss) cheese.

On the seafood side, you

Pesto lasagna. Pesto is a common item in Ligurian cuisine, and mostly you'll find it on pasta. The most common pasta served with pesto is called "trofie," and it's kind of like a macaroni noodle, but with no hole in the middle. Often pieces of potato and green beans will be included too - I originally though potato pieces with pasta would be bad, but the combination is good! So back to pesto lasagna. I would assume that's lasagna made with pesto as a layer. Maybe instead of or in addition to the cream sauce (beschamella) layer. FYI, some lasagna is made with ground beef, some with ground veal.

I know you don't like seafood, but one thing you'll see in the Cinque Terre are fresh, marinated anchovies. Nothing like the salty kind that come in cans. If you like sour tastes, you might like the anchovies.

Also, that other trip report mentioned foccaccia. That's a flatbread, often served with only olive oil and salt sprinkled on top, but sometimes also with garlic, tomato slices, etc. But it will always mostly be the bread.