Hi - I am spending four days in Tuscany in September and had originally planned to explore the Tuscan hill towns. However, a friend is offering to let us stay at her family's apartment in Ghivizzano about 1/2 hour from Lucca (which may be too good an offer to pass up). Are the hill towns still day trip options from here or too far? If not, what other areas can you suggest?

Thanks very much.

Ghivizzano is at least 45 minutes from Lucca. We like going to a restaurant in Ponte Moriano which is south of Ghivizzano and it takes at least 30 minutes to get there from Lucca. The area is lovely but you aren't going to get anywhere quickly as the roads are fairly slow. By Tuscan hill towns, do you mean places like Siena, San Gimignano and Volterra, or other ones? You could possibly see Volterra and San Gimignano if you left very early in the day. I assume you will have a car. Towns in other parts of Tuscany will be too far to reach comfortably on a daytrip from Ghivizzano.

If you're intent on seeing the Tuscan hill towns then I suggest that you pass on your friend's offer...

Hi Ken429 - I remember the drive up around Abetone as being lovely scenery.

Besides Lucca, Pisa, Florence and Montecatini are all day-trip options, I think.

Steve

I had been planning to see towns such as Sienna, Montepulciano, Pienza, but am willing to sway from those destinations if there are other equally nice areas closer Ghivizzano to explore.

Sorry, there are nice places to see within an hour of your place but not like south Tuscany---life is a compromise.