Hidden Gems in Central Tuscany
 

We're renting a small house near Nibbiaia (near Livorno) for 2 months this spring.

Using this as home base to travel through the immediate area and day trips. Can anyone recommend any hidden gems to not miss? Non-touristy stuff. Places to eat? Beaches? Hill towns? Walks/Hikes? Wineries? Cafe's?

Hi mjon
Try searching Livorno on the forum. There are several old posts that mention some nice places. Specifically there is one about seaside towns near Livorno and La Spezia that mentions several spots that sound worth visiting. Also posts about ferries to Corsica.

If you rephrase your post with more specific questions you might get more of a response. Alternately, you might title it "2 months in Livorno-what should we do" giving details about what you enjoy doing and what you have planned already. It sounds very exciting! I'm jealous! Btw, welcome to Fodors. I hope it is as helpful to you as it has been to me. Happy travels to you and ee.

Since you are going to be in the area for a while, maybe you would be interested in a cooking class? We have done a couple of half-day classes with Chef Paolo on the outskirts of Lucca, and have more scheduled. That would be probably about a 45 minute drive for you.

http://cucina-italiana.com/homepage

We really enjoyed both the first class, which introduces ingredients and sauces, and the pasta class. Classes start at 10:00 am; if you want to go to the market with him that costs more and you'd need to be there by 8:00 am.

We have always finished eating our accomplishments around 3:30, which would give you time to check out the historic part of Lucca for a little bit to walk off some of the great food.

The Certosa in Calci:
http://www.sbappsae-pi.beniculturali...hp?it/77/musei

On the way to Calci, you can pass through Caprona and see where Dante perhaps got some of his Divine Comedy Ideas:
http://www.internetculturale.it/open...te/eng/a8.html
If you're in the area around dinner, just at the base is a parking lot with a "Penny" supermarket...the pizzeria "Il Coyote" (open evenings only) has very good wood-oven pizza by the slice. Though the best pizza I have every had IS in Calci on Via Roma, just across from the parking lot...can't remember the real name...everyone just calls it "Walters" because that's the guy who own it!


Forte dei Marmi and a walk out on the boardwalk (Viareggio is closer to you, but Forte dei Marmi is more upscale. Viareggio does have the Carvenvale museum, however)
Osteria del Mare has great seafood dishes:
http://www.viamichelin.it/web/Ristor...i=135166_41102

I have not used this tour company, but the site lists some of the great things to see/do in the area. I really enjoyed visiting the church of San Piero a Grado (where St. Peter supposedly landed) on a Sunday morning as it is a very active congration and the youth group was singing very heartily, setting a nice tone:

http://www.guidadipisa.it/itinerari3_uk.htm

If you're into Vespas and the likes:
http://www.museopiaggio.it/en/museum.html

One Warning since you will be perhaps coming into Livorno (which has an excellent historic covered market that even people from Pisa come down to, the products are so nice)...driving is challenging with all the motorbikes. Be careful to not go into the ZTL zones AND not parking for public use (Zones A & B? -- only for permanent residents with sticker) But the people of Livorno are very friendly, making up for the hassle :)

As you can tell, every Tuscan town has a story. Since you will have a car, you can discover all the nooks and crannie on your own and come back and share them with us!

Happy Travels!