PIck your preferred location first---Tuscany is quite large.
I suggest near Siena--look at Fattoria Tregole.

Thank you!

I like southern Tuscany around Pienza/Montalcino/Montepulciano (better scenery and wines), but wouldn't be convenient to Pisa.

Also choose your landscapes to the north of Siena is Chianti : vineyards, green but can be thundery in summer as it gets the moisture from Lake Tresimeno.

South of Siena the rock is chalk and the landscapes are wheat fields dotted with Cypress trees. There are huge areas here which are very quiet and passed over by most tourists.

Florence is a day trip from most areas.

thank you all!

In my opinion the most charming Tuscany is the less unknown one. If you are planning to have day trip in Florence, Pisa and, let me suggest, Lucca, a smart choice is to choose a city as Montecatini, near to everything and art city in turn. Earlier '900 it was the main Art Nouveau centre, so many building are true-to-life artworks as hotel www.ercoliniesavi.it . If you want to experience art but even relax you will really enjoy Montecatini thermal baths.

Sounds great. thanks!

You do not want to drive in central Florence or Pisa. They are dense cities with ZTLs, locals-only driving zones. If you drive in one of these by mistake -- as many tourists have -- a camera photographs your license plate, the car rental company outs you (charging you for this) and you get an expensive ticket in the mail months later. Also parking inside these cities is expensive.

You can park in the outskirts and take a bus in. Or you can stay near a town that has a bus or a train into Florence and/or Pisa.

Last summer we stayed as a family near Tavarnelle val di Pesa at:

http://www.letorri.net/

An excellent stay + highly recommended. The people were lovely. We did day trips to Volterra, San Gimignano, along the Chianti wine road. The bonus is that you are 5 minutes from the town of Tavarnelle val di Pesa which has a supermarket, some other shops, a great coffee place and some nice dining options. You are also 10 minutes from Barberino val d'Elsa which has some nice dining options as well. We loved every minute of it.

Siena is about 50 minutes away and Lucca a little over an hour. Pisa is a 90 minute drive. All approximate.

We did end up driving into Florence but parked at the Piazzale Michaelangelo and had no problems. You do have to be careful where you go and I couldn't figure out the ZTL signs even after having spent months studying and preparing for the trip!

Have a wonderful time. I wish I could go back!

Thank you so much. That is extremely helpful!

Click on my name to read our trip report when we stayed in Tuscany last fall. We stayed at the Frances Lodge outside of Siena and loved the lodge, plus found it convenient for day trips in all directions. We got a lot of great advice from the innkeepers to supplement what I had already planned. We had a car but left it at the airport when we went to Florence and on to the Cinque Terre.