twiz

We just have two nights in Florence and were wondering if it's worth paying a guide to take us out to a vineyard/restaurant for the day. Our itinerary is Rome Florence and Venice. We were considering just Rome and then Amalfi coast, but hear it slows down a lot during late november and it perhaps is not as green and beautiful. Thanks for any advice.

dndata

Rent a car and drive into the Chianti region. It's simple once outside of Florence. In a fast day you could hit Sienna, St Gmigmagno (sp?), Monte Riggioni (cute walled village on the way to Sienna) and maybe even Chianti itself.

JeanneB

With only 2 nights you'll barely scratch the surface in Florence itself. If you prefer to see the countryside, why not stay outside Florence for those two nights?

annhig

Have to say I agree - if you want to see Florence, then stay there and do just that; if you would prefer the countryside, then stay there instead. Florence is too much hassle with driving and parking just to use it as a touring base.
If you want to stay in a town why not siena? - just as beautiful and far easier to access.

LCBoniti

However, if you really want to see some of the countryside around Florence, try a day tour with Accidental Tourist. They have several choices. We did the Cooking Class/Winery tour, which was a highlight of our entire trip.

www.accidentaltourist.com

They pick you up and drop you off in Florence. Excellent service, whole day or half day tours. I highly recommend them.

Linda

TuscanyDreamin

I agree that two days are barely enough fo Florence. How do you arrive from Rome to Florence? If you are driving, you can make it a slow day, not using the autostrada all the way, and pass through some of Tuscany.

If you want a green respit between towns, you can go up from Florence to Fiesole on a bus for 2-3 hours and have dinner up there.

Rachel,
<a href="http://www.dream-vacation-in-tuscany....com</a>

ellenem

Anopther way to get a bit of countryside . . . eat at Ristorante Omero

http://www.ristoranteomero.it/

It's in a small town on a hill overlooking Florence. You can easily take a taxi there for lunch and then walk the country roads back down into the city.

Tiff

Hi twiz, I read your thread on Capri & Florence. I think your decision to stick with R, F, & V during this time of year is a good one.

Regarding Florence or the countryside, I agree with the above, I think really it depends on your interests. It will help that you are doing your research.

I have done both and enjoyed both for different reasons.

I will top my trip report for you, maybe that will assist in your planning.

My DH and I were there last winter, Italy is so lovely, you will be thrilled no matter what. Remember there is an adjustment period, you might be jet-lagged, sometimes planning less is more.

Enjoy!

sweet_polly

One of our most fun days in Florence was the Taste of Tuscany tour, offered by Walking Tours of Florence. We crammed an awful lot into one day...two hours in San Gimignano, a visit to a wine estate in the Chianti region which included a short tour and a lovely Tuscan lunch with wine, a couple of hours in Siena in the afternoon, and then a beautiful drive back to Florence through the Tuscan countryside. Our group consisted of four couples in a 10 passenger van, with a fabulously fun and charming English-speaking guide (Michelangelo). My husband I are aren't really usually into structured tours, but we had a blast. We, too, had a short stay in Florence (4 days), and felt like we got quite a bang for the tour price of 125 Euros each (lunch included).