Day trips from Firenze
 

I am studying abroad in Firenze, Italy and only have about a month left. I haven't been many places in Italy besides Lucca, Viareggio, and Cinque Terre because of all of the traveling to other countries that I have been doing. I want to do a few day trips within Italy but have been told many different things about places to go. Any suggestions of where to go in Italy for a day trip? I don't want to stay the night and would prefer being able to take the train as I do not have a car here. I love the small hilltowns and such in Tuscany so any recommendations of which ones would be worth seeing would be good as well!

San Gimignano or Siena

How about Pisa? I think it's worth a day trip to see the leaning tower, touristy or not!

www.orvieto.info beautiful etruscan hill town

4.5 euro by regional train for me in May

overnite better could be done in a very long day

www.venice-tourism.com couple of hours on the FrecciaArgento

well worth it a do not miss for me...

www.sirmione.com Garda on lake beautiful 15 minutes

west of Verona by train

eurocheapo.com/florence good day trip tips

Lucca
Pisa
Arezzo
Siena
Assisi
Orvieto
Bologna
Pistoria

Fiseoli

BobTN is right on with his list. All are within an hour or so from Florence (except maybe Assisi) and all can be reached by train although Siena is faster and more convenient by bus.

My top three on that list (excluding Lucca since you visited earlier): Siena, Assisi, Bologna.

have you caught the bus up to Fiesole yet? look in the far corner of the piazza san marco [nearest the Accademia]

it makes a great 1/2 day - see the cathedral ,walk up to the monastery of san francisco, explore the roman theatre and museum, have lunch in the piazza.

siena and san gim [both by bus from the bus station next to SMN] are both good day trips. if you only have a month left, you need to get going!

Arezzo is a favorite of mine.

Volterra.

If what you like is small Tuscan hilltowns, Volterra, San Gimignano and Fiesole fit that description, as does Chiusi,

But since the days are now getting shorter and shorter, and the long lunchtime pausa is more fully observed in small Tuscan towns than in larger places like Firenze, you might consider some of the small hilltowns nearby that don't require a long bus or train ride. Fiesole is one, but you could also Google up pictures of Certaldo Alta, Montecatini Alta, Panzano in Chianti, Greve in Chianti, and San Miniato (which is having a truffle festival right now) to see if they appeal to you. Ask the tourist office for bus schedules.

Otherwise, Siena is a Tuscan city on a hill. Arezzo and Cortona are Tuscan cities about the size of Lucca set inside low foothills. Pisa is a Tuscan city in a flat valley, and Pistoia is a smaller town (near Lucca) in the same flat valley. Orvieto and Assisi are Umbrian cities, one on a tufa hill and the other in the low foothills. Bologna is a large city in the flat Emilia-Romagna. All of these places are tourist destinations because they have significant Renaissance and Medieval art and architecture, and some are mainly or partially pedestrianized. But they are not small Tuscan hilltowns.