Day Trip Ideas from Florence
 

I will be visiting Italy with my wife for the last 10 days of June, 2010.

We've been to Italy several times but this trip will be different as we'll be staying in Florence for the full 10 days and doing day trips for about 6 days (one or two overnights).

We will be travelling almost exclusively by train. Even buses will be few in frequency and length.

While I have ideas for the major day trips, I'm trying to plan one or two second tier (bad description) day trips that are close to Florence to be used should the need arise.

Is the combination of the towns of Empoli, Castel Fiorentino and Certaldo of interest?

We're interested in scenery and walking thru towns to see the outdoor sights.

What I have planned so far:
Arezzo/Cortona
Lucca (with a short stop in Pisa). On to Cinque Terre in the evening for the next day
San Gimignano and possibly sleep over in Siena for the next day
Prato (visit Poggio a Caiano)/Pistoia with a stop in Castello to see Villa Castello gardens and Villa La Petraia (maybe even Villa Corsini located between the last two if it's open)

Any other ideas?

Thanks.

You can't get to San Gimignano by train. You need to take a bus from Poggibonsi.

And bus is also better traveling from Siena to Florence or vice versa. The bus arrives in the center of Siena whereas the train arrives outside the walls, and you need to take a taxi to the historic center. A night in Siena is like being transported back the the middle ages, a nice experience.

You could spend half a day going up to Fiesole from Florence, also by bus. Maybe watch the sunset from there.

It's not that I don't like the train (au contraire). It's just that sometimes a bus is better. And generally buses in Europe are very modern and comfortable. Are you buying train passes?

Mimar,

Fiesole is on my list as more of a mid-afternoon to early evening sight from Florence rather than being considered a day trip.

I realize that the Siena train station is somewhat inconvenient, but that's life.

I also realize that to get to San Gimignano a bus ride is required from Poggibonsi. But that is much shorter than from Florence though more inconvenient.

Thanks.

I think I can add Montelupo Fiorentino to the trio of towns that I listed above.

Anybody spend any time in these?

Bologna is only about 45 minutes away by fast train. We've spent a leisurely day there from Florence, including a great lunch and dinner before heading back.

Montecatini Terme is also less than an hour from Florence, and I remember that the fare was incredibly cheap because it was a regional train. MT is a Belle Epoque-era thermal spa town, now a popular for outdoor activities like swimming, tennis, golf, etc. (I might not go there on a weekend in June because of its popularity.) Pretty parks and gardens and, of course, the beautiful spas. There is a small art museum and a funicular that goes up (10 minutes or so) to the fortified town of Montecatini Alto for lovely views and a quieter atmosphere. We did this as a last-minute day trip from Florence and were pleasantly surprised with the variety of things to see and do there.

Jean,

Montecatini looks interesting and could fit at the end of Prato/Pistoia.

I'll keep it in mind.

Thanks.

You can take the train from florence to siena. The train station is about a 15-20 minute walk into the centre of town, or across the street from the train station, you can catch a city bus into the center of town. quite simple.

Myer, I forgot to add that MT was a nice contrast (some would say relief) from the dark, heavy architecture of Florence.

leuk2,
Thanks. yes, i know the train to Siena stops outside of the actual town but it's not an issue getting there.

Jean,
Thanks. It's difficult to tell how fast or slow the day to Prato/Pistoia will go. It starts off with a stop in castello for some Medici villas and I'd also like to see Poggio a Caiano near Prato.

I'll research whether I should stop in Pistoia or go straight to MT if time gets tight.

Thanks again.

I think Certaldo is a nice day trip, Vinci also. You can even spend a half day visiting Certosa which is very close to Florence. The centers of Prato and Pistoia are very interesting and on the train lines.

So why are you wedded to the train when the bus is more convenient?

Mimar,

My wife suffers from motion sickness and buses are a problem. Not trains.

Myer, so does my husband. I'll be interested to read your trip report on your excursions by train.

Jean,

It will be interesting to see how the train day trips work out. All of our previous European trips have been on trains.

We have been on short bus rides that work out fine such as the end of the ride from Madrid to Toldeo during the train construction. However, the Amalfi bus ride from Sorrento to Positano didn't.

I can see a few bus rides such as from Poggibonsi to San Gimignano and Florence to Fiesole.

VIA train you can see a few of the towns you mentioned but some of the most beautiful tuscan towns are just not accesible via train. The very easiest way get to any Tuscan town (and in many places the only way to get to these towns) is via bus and I would incourage you to use the bus or hire a car for a day. Your hotel should be able to hire an inexpensive car for the day and you will see so much more. You can also contact this woman as she is pretty reasonable and can take you where you want to go.... http://www.monikairis.com.

You mention that your wife becomes ill on the bus, but the ride you mention is on the Amalfi coast. I never, never become ill in a vehicle and I almost lost it on that road. We have spend years on all the roads in Tuscany and there is not one road that remotely compares to the Amalfi coast road that you mention. (other than the road to Volterra which is quite windy).

In my mind the most beautiful places in central Tuscany are:

Siena: absolutly a must see and if you can stay a night within the wall and walk around it is even better

A day loop through Greve, Radda and Castellina.

Fiesole is great for an afternoon

Cortona is great

Certaldo Alto is charming but the lower village is just okay

Bologna or Modena are a good day trip via train

Again via train Lucca is just wonderful.

I would still consider a driver for some of the tuscany area as the country is so much more accessable with an automobile or via bus.

If you are foodies, I have a wonderful list of places to eat and beautiful drives in this part of the world, just email me.

Jeannie
vinorossoidaho.com
[email protected]

My impressions of Empoli -- which I have only passed through -- it is that is a poor town with lots of immigrant farm workers. I could be wrong, but that has been my impression.

My recollection of driving the road to San Gimignano was that it was very winding.

Have a great time in Pistoia! I enjoyed lingering there, far, far from the tourist crush. It has quite a variety of delights.

Also, if you've never seen Ravenna, check out the possibility of heading there via train. It might be too long a train ride (I've never thought of it as a day trip from Firenze), but you can actually see the stunning mosaics in a single afternoon. The town is quite compact and flat. If you go, try to include sticking your head into the church of San Francisco and look under the altar (it will cost you a euro to turn on the lights).

jnj, stepsbeyond,

Thanks for responses.

No we're not foodies. We eat meals but food is not an important part of the trip.

It's interesting that some people keep insisting that without a bus/car there's no way to see Tuscan towns while others understand the issue and come up with good ideas.

Thanks and keep them coming.

Will you not consider renting a car? That would add so many other possibilities.

If Leuk2 can walk from Siena station to the town centre in 20 minutes, they are significantly fitter and faster than I am. It is a reasonable trek, and all uphill. The buses to the centre from the station take about 5 minutes, and can be caught on the opposite side of the main road from the station itself.

I too almost got sick on the bus ride along the Amalfi coast. (Why did I want that seat on the sea side of the bus?) And that's the only time a bus has bothered me -- though I can't read on a bus and I can on a train.

So the bus along the Amalfi coast is the absolute worst sick-making ride.

A car isn't good if you're based in Florence as Myer plans. Unless you stay on the outskirts of Florence. The Centro Storico, where all the main sights are, has one-way streets and ZTL's, zones where only the locals can drive.

Myer, your planning is very good. You're finding lots to do by train. You could consider spending 2 or 3 nights away from Florence and renting a car for that part of your trip. Maybe get your wife to drive on the curvier roads.

myer,

Here is a terrific website for the area of Mugello, which is in between Bologna and Firenze. Using this website, you can see which towns have train stations, and look up the town on the website to get and overview and pictures of what there is to see in that town of historic and artistic interest, plus the opening hours and spectial events

http://www.aboutmugello.com/transpor...n-mugello.html

http://www.aboutmugello.com/how-to-reach-mugello.html

If you or your wife have any interest in the work of Galileo Chini, who is responsible for some of the amazing art deco ceramic work that adorns famous 19thc. hotels, spas and public baths in Italy, especially around the thermal areas of Toscana and northern Italy, his laboratory and a museum dedicated to him is in the Mugello area in the town of Borgo San Lorenzo.

http://www.mugellotoscana.it/EN/conoscere_musei_02.htm

And here is another website about the Mugello region in general and what it has to offer

http://www.mugellotoscana.it/EN/index.php

willit,
I didn't intend on walking from the Siena train station. A 5 minute bus is fine.

mimar,
I'm not convinced the side of the bus has anything to do with your Amalfi Coast issues. I believe that the bus drivers have only one position for each foot. Floor the gas then floor the brakes. And that's when they only have 50 yards before a hairpin turn.

A couple of years later my wife stayed in Sorrento and I went alone (I offered to hire a driver but she declined). I barely made it to Amalfi and had to wait a half hour before taking the bus up to Ravello. I walked all the way down and it was great.

oops!! Hit enter to fast.

Stepsbeyond.

Thanks. I'll check out the web sites this evening.

Caroltis,

There would have been a time when I would have jumped in to agree with you, but those were the days when people rented a car to get off-the-beaten track in Tuscany, explore, have a private adventure. Increasingly, the ONLY reason people are told to rent a car is to take a standardized tour of Tuscany -- meaning, drive from one "cute" famous hilltown to another in a very small area of farm country, shop a lot, snap some photos, find the recommended restaurant and then resume more consumer-oriented activity in as many tourist towns as you can pack in. Today, the traveler who gets onto a train to visit Pistoia or Prato or Buonconvento is the one who is going to have the eye-opening experience of being in Tuscany, surrounded by fascinating art, history and authentic food and wine-- and have the discoveries all to themselves.

Myer,

Once you are in Siena, it is only 30 minutes by train to Buonconvento, a really pleasant valley town in the heart of scenic Tuscany. No hill views, but a charming ambience, two fascinating museums, and impressive short walks and walls.

http://www.borghitalia.it/html/borgo...dice_borgo=142

http://www.borghitalia.it/html/borgo...dice_borgo=142

You might get more precise help if you talked about more about your personal interests and aspirations for this trip. If you want to see as many of the famous hilltown Tuscan destinations as possible without a car, then a bus trip to San Gimignano may be worth it despite the risk of nausea. But you will find yourself amid lots of other tourists, and maybe there is something right at hand that would fascinate you and your wife more. (Like terracotta pottery in Impruneta? Strolls in the hills above Firenze?)

You mentioned that you are only making a "brief stay" in Pisa. Is that because you've been before, or because you dread the tourist blight that rings the beautiful monuments' complex, or because you imagine the monuments aren't all that compelling? Apart from the gorgeous tower (which you needn't take time to climb), the Allied-bombed-but-partially restored cemetary (Camposanto), the gorgeous near-perfect Bapistery, the incomparable Duomo plus its small but fascinating museum are a very rewarding way to spend an afternoon if you are interested in that side of Italian life, art and history. (There is also an important fresco museum at the monuments and other museums and churches in Pisa proper).

Of course, if you prefer not to overload on art and history and museum going, there are lots of other options in the region (including a second seaside trip by train to Forte dei Marmi, now often the playground of nouveau riche Russians but with some grand old pleasures and unique ones, including the International Museum of Political Satire and Cartoons:

http://www.museosatira.it/

http://www.bestwestern.it/BW/EN/hote...local-info.htm

http://www.monocle.com/sections/edit...rte-dei-Marmi/


Anyway, with "only" 10 days, Firenze itself is likely to keep you fascinated (the Museo San Marco, the museum of the Duomo and the Capellla Brancacci are deeply rewarding to visit). The question is what else is likely to give you personally the most pleasure and satisfaction.

As someone subject to motion sickness, I do think Tuscan farm roads can be just as nausea inducing on a bus as the Amalfi roads. I don't want to discourage you from going to San Gimignano, but I'd ask some people who've done it by bus what the trip was like. Maybe the road isn't as winding as I remember it.

My husband doesn't do well on countryside bus rides of more than 10-15 minutes. It took us a few trips to figure this out because he felt worse after he got off the bus than he did during the drive. We blamed it on the food, the water, jet lag, the flu, too much sun, etc., until we decided it had to be the bus ride.

The bus to San Gimignano is on his "never again" list.

For people who don't have this problem, thank your lucky stars and stop telling others what they ought to be able to tolerate.

Our interests lie mostly in walking around towns and seeing sights. While we're not really museum goers, we've been to a fair number of the major museums and enjoyed them.

We've been to Florence twice before. Both times for a couple of days as part of trips to several destinations.

We've been to the Uffizi and the Accademia and we'll at least go back to the Accademia if not both.

I enjoy photography and my wife could spend the day shopping.

As I wrote at the start of this thread, this trip is very different from any of our others. They involved changing locations every two to five days.

This time we'll be based in Florence the whole time. That's what getting older and a few surgeries (though very well recovered) will do.

Jean,
You bring up something that I didn't consider. I know that the ride from Poggibonsi to San Gimignano is by bus. However, I was not aware that it's a challenge. I was under the impression it's tame. I don't know what made me think that.

We'll discuss it and possibly change the plan. Originally I thought we'd go to SG and some time late in the afternoon head over to Siena for the evening (sleep over) and the next day before returning to Florence.

If she decides to pass on SG I may leave her in Florence to shop one day and go myself.

Siena will either become a day trip or maybe remain a sleepover with visits to one or two other places en route. Maybe Certaldo and/or Montelupo or some other place.

Thanks for the heads up.

Well, "challenge" is subjective. For my husband, it was too much, or maybe we just got unlucky with the driver. It's only about 8 miles from Poggibonsi, but I think it took 25-30 minutes.

FWIW, although many think SG is charming, I found it more interesting viewed from a distance. Both times we visited (the second time by car), it was terribly crowded inside the town walls. We have not been there at night after the day trippers are gone. If your budget allows, you might consider a taxi back and forth from Poggibonsi.

I agree with Jean that San Gimignano is more interesting on the approach, although I was immensely take with the frescoes in the churches. (And I had a charming rustic meal at an osteria with shared tables, I Quattro Gatti.)

Myer, does your wife know that some of the biggest outlet shopping in Italy is in Barberino di Mugello? A train-plus-short bus or taxi ride would get her there. Roads are flat. Also, be aware that Arezzo is considered on of the regions best shopping towns, especially if she enjoys poking around antique stores.

Certaldo has always looked lovely to me, but to get to the prettiest parts do appear to involve walks uphill.

stepsbeyond,

Shhhhhh.

Actually my wife will spend more time in stores than actually buying. Addicted?

I don't think we'll go to Barberini di Mugello although that could change. But if she spends some time in the store in Arezzo, that's ok.

For Certaldo, there's a funicular that goes up to Certaldo Alto. I assume that makes it easier. We do get in a lot of walking on trips. We're pretty sore the first few days even though we excersize a fair amount at home.

Getting from Prato to Poggio a Caiano also involves a 20 minute bus ride. Has anybody been on that? What type of ride is it?

Okay, but just between you and me, Lucca is both a great shopping town and a great photography town. And the layout is so simple and contained inside the walls, and there are so many landmarks in town, that if you each have a watch, you can easily agree to split up and re-connect at a later time at a very easy to find place. Just be aware that Lucca does observe traditional closing hours, so your trip there should linger into the evening "passegiata", which is quite enjoyable.

I know you have said that food is not your focus, but the restaurant of Buca di Sant'Antonia is Lucca not only dishes up the finest examples of classic Lucchese cuisine (which in the wrong hands can be not all that tasty), it is done in an atmosphere of classic Italian hospitality -- not stuffy but warmly gracious and attentive. It is an all around pleasure to have a lunch here, and while the piatti may cost a few euro more, lunch is not going to break the bank.

Good to know about that funiculare. Can't help you with the Prato bus ride.

stepsbeyond,

The train from Florence to Lucca directly does nothing for us. We could go to Pisa first and then on to Lucca and arrive at the same time.

The train from Florence and to Lucca arrive/leave from St Rossoro (I think that's the name) train station which is only a few minutes walk from the Tower.

We could spend an hour or so there and go on to Lucca. We decided our focus would be Lucca and anything in Pisa would be a bonus.

At this point my plan is to leave Lucca about 6:30PM and go to Cinque Terre where we would have dinner, sleep over and spend the next day walking/visiting some of the towns. We could always stay in Lucca for dinner, skip sunset in Cinquee Terre and go there later in the evening.

Then return to Florence in the evening.

We do split up sometimes and meet later. That could happen. However, I remember our second day in Brugges when we rented bikes and rode around the outskirts of the city and stopped at the windmills. This could be another one of those days.

1. 10 days in Florence is a mistake. The place isn't that great.

2. Skip Lucca. There is really nothing there see once you've spent 10 seconds looking at the wall.

3. Pisa, at least the Field of Miracles, is great and drastically underrated.

4. Take the bus, not the train to Siena.

5. Not driving is very smart.

6. 10 days in Florence is a mistake. The place isn't that great.

Imhornet,

You obviously haven't read the earlier posts in this thread.

I wonder why most of the tourists go to the destinations that have nothing.

Probably just hype.

I'm reminded of a sight in Piazza della Segnioria (sp) in Florence on one of my two previous visits there.

A taxi pulled up in the middle of the square and stopped. A guy jumped out of the back of the taxi, took a picture, jumped back in and the taxi drove away.

"Florence ... isn't that great." "Skip Lucca ... nothing there once you've spent 10 seconds looking at the wall."

Hmmm.

Sometimes posts here just leave me speechless.

Jean, Myer, et al...may I introduce you to the HORNET's nest...if you have ever read any of his/her posts you would realize that he is always itching for a fight by filling up the hypodermic with vitriol and then injecting it into the heart of the forum.

Best to ignore...he/she has written many derogatory posts about many places (Toronto, Lucca and Florence are just three)...difference of opinion is most welcome..but he/she carries it to the lowest level. His/her latest is a nasty rant regarding the "arrogance and snobbery" of Fodorites who prefer to "do their own thing rather than hire a guide"...this bitterness must be a barrel of laughs at home.

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...e-172275-2.cfm

Hornet, I told you to buzz off once before..need I repeat it!

We stayed in Verona separately, but it's easily do-able as a day trip from Florence. We also really enjoyed a day trip from Florence to Arezzo. We took a local train there & back.

Myer, i enjoyed reading your plan. i, too, am going to return to florence in April and spend my time there using it as a base. i also plan on using the trains. i lived in florence as a college student for a year but i realized that there were some places nearby that i didnt get to see. i am also going to Lucca and i am going to do a day trip to Bologna. how about Montalcino and Montepulciano? i do want to go through the Chianti region. Have you done that? i know at the hotel i am staying, they said they can arrange a car to take us there. i was also thinking about San Gimingnano but it seems to be a little more work getting there. As for the person who said there is nothing in Florence?? i love that city !! i spent a whole year there just taking in everything that is wonderful about it!! Hope you have a nice trip?
while i am posting, i am trying to find a decent hotel in Parma, in the center. i know people like hotel torino and the button- they looked a little dingy on the websites?? someone else mentioned a little b and b called la pilotta? looks cozy. any ideas? i was thinking about spending under 125euro.

Myer:

One of the side trips you might want to consider is Volterra. I stayed in Florence and went there by bus and very much enjoyed it. (I look at my photos from that day and enjoy it all over again.)

Hi Myer-
I am also staying in Florence for 10 days but in May.
I signed up for a tour of Castello di Verrazzano. It's a winery not far from Florence. Just wondering if you or anyone else reading this has been there.