i am planning next summer's trip.i have done the big cities,this year i went to venice,florence and stayed in an apartment in pienza for 3 days.i am thinking of either staying somewhere in tuscany for a week,that is central..in the country,and driving around from there.or,i have never been to sicily,and wondered if i should consider a similar thing there.any suggestions would be welcome

If in May or early June I would favor Sicily---see my trip report here---but after that it will get hot that far south.

Hi. I agree with Bob that you should go to Sicily. But I'll add that we were there in July (05) and didn't find it all that hot. Sure it was warm, but after Sicily we went to Switzerland for a week and it was hotter up there. So no guarantee that Tuscany would be cooler. Given where you have already been I'd vote for Sicily.

it would be early june..and i live in south florida,heat doesn't bother me,cold does!i was cold in tuscany this past june

OOOpps !
Here is the report:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...ator&fid=2

A week is not a long time to give to Sicily. What did you want to see there?

Are you kidding??? Is there anything more beautiful and varied than Tuscay???? IMHO Tuscany wins out!!!

i guess i need to give some background..the trip i took this year was planned with my 78 year old mother.i went to school in florence and have done the rome,venice thing a few times.she always wanted to go to italy with me.we planned it for 2006.a friend of mine wanted to go,too.a few months before the trip,my mother injured her kneee and had to have a knee replacement and could not go.i was stuck with my boring,not so adventurous friend,who has never traveled.my mother is spunky,adventurous,has been to the galopagas,africa,etc.
i did not have a good time with my friend,and i felt short changed in tuscany when i had to do all the driving,she wouldn't stop anywhere(nothing looked "warm and fuzzy&quothad 1 glass of wine a day and would eat nothing new..we basically stayed in pienza,which i loved,but did nothing.my mother feels she will be bale to go in 2007.she said lets just stay in an agrituriso for a week and travel around,and she wants to see venice.she would be happy with whatever i planned.i guess i would like a better tuscany experience,too.so any suggestions now that i have poured my heart out?

poysine,
It sounds like you have already decided and want confirmation. Go to Tuscany, stay in an agriturismo, enjoy the experience with someone you love and appreciates the culture.

I don't believe there is any place cenral to see all of Tuscany. Decide what you want to see and pick a place in the middle of most of your 'wants'. Feel free to e-mail if you have questions.

Henry

Yes, it sounds to me like Tuscany is already set in your mind, and it would be hard to enjoy Sicily as much with that mindset.

Shar, I'm curious. Have you spent time in Sicily for a comparison?

And for the record, my favorite part of Sicily is probably the Aeolian islands. But I love all of Sicily -- perhaps as much as Tuscany -- maybe more.

yes,i guess its tuscany.someday i will do sicily.any suggestions for a quaint,rural place to stay?i did love the area around pienza.just didn't get to go anywhere when i was there.i stayed in the center of the town,now i want something in the countryside

poysine,
My favorite is La Crociona http://lacrociona.com/ outside of Montalcino but there are many great places in southern Tuscany and enough great places to see to keep you busy for weeks.

Henry

poysine,

Since you have sufficient time to plan, why not use it to think outside the box about a trip to Italy? If your mother wants to see Venezia, but also wants to be in agriturismo, that opens up all of the Veneto as one possibilty. The Veneto offers you Verona and Lago di Garda. That is a lot of adventure.

It also opens up the possibility of Emiglia Romagna and Le Marche. One possibility is: Fly to Venezia, see the city, rent a car and head for Ravenna, but after that, stay in an agriturismo near Urbino. That area of Le Marche offers a wealth of small towns for exploring, and fantastic food. (And probably cooler weather than you will find elsewhere in Italy in the summer.)

But if you want to give Tuscany another another cahnce, the region is more than what has become known as "Chiantishire" because of all the English speaking tourists there. You can consider Etruscan area of the Maremma, which has fabulously interesting hilltowns and food, plus cooling seaside breezes. You can consider the area that is nearest to Liguria and the Italian alps, which offers you extraordinary seaside and/or mountain scenery (plus Lucca in the middle!) Again, the mountains and beaches offer a cool escape from Italy's summer heat. Or you can simply find a beautiful spot plunk in the middle of the Firenze/Siena/Chianti corridor and explore the area on your own agenda.

Or gee -- how about Umbria, Tuscany's next door neighbor, with the possibility of visiting grand scenery and grand art and eating great food? There is Perugia, Assisi, the Piano Grande, Orvieto, Bevagna, etc. etc.

Along with Fodor's, www.slowtravel.com is a great resource for trip reports and advice. Start investigating the offerings in La Maremma, the Garfagana (near Lucca), and Umbria, as well as "central" Tuscany (Chianti, etc.)

Hope you come up with the right spot! I think Sicily is best for people who enjoy driving and history, and are willing to trade creature comforts for new experiences and adventure. Tuscany is deeply civilized and relaxing, although if you choose wisely, you will still find plenty of cultural adventure. The other provinces of Italy -- the Veneto, Emilia-Romagna, Le Marche -- have more than enough to keep you fascinated and satiated.

Buon viaggio!