Hi all,

I was in Firenze three summers ago and fell in love with everything about the city. So upon our return to Italy this year, it's once again on the schedule. We will be there for three nights in late June. We last stayed at the Hotel Cardinal, which I loved - perfect area and charming rooftop. I am thinking of booking it again, unless anyone else has some suggestions in this area?

When I was last there, I found the area between there and the Arno was great for shopping and had some charming bars/restaurants. From memory this was less touristy than near the Duomo and had a strip filled with locals shopping. I thought it was the Via del Croce but it could actually be the Borgo la Croce. Does anyone know if Borgo la Croce is the area I am thinking of? Also does the Via Vincenzo Gioberti have shopping there too? From memory all of this area is on the way to the Forte di Belvedere.

We will have three nights/two full days in Firenze and priorities include:
Duomo (at least climbing the Bell Tower if the Duomo lines are too long)
Exploring Forte di Belvedere and the area close to the river, from around Borgo Pinti way
Either Uffizi or Academia and/or Pitti Palace (I have been to Uffizi)
Shopping
Finding good coffee
Enjoying good authentic Florentine food!

Any helpful feedback is welcome.

Once we leave Firenze we are thinking of spending five nights in the wider Tuscan region. An idea is to go first to Lucca, spend two nights there, then head somewhere between San Gimignano and Chianti for three nights. On the way we would (if this is realistic and I don't know if it is) stop by either Pisa or Livorno. From wherever we stay it would be good to spend some time exploring San Gimignano, Siena and Chianti. We would have two full days to do this, after accounting for the travel/exploring day between Lucca and our next stop.

Is this all doable? Or is it too much moving around? Are we better off staying in one town and seeing just a couple of these sights? I know that less can be more!

Any suggestions are welcome.

Thanks,
RT

My advice for Florence is to pre book dates/times for the major sites you wish to see!

I never stayed in the area of Florence you describe but we enjoyed the quieter Oltrarno side. Check out piazza Santo Spirito if you have a chance. most recently we booked an apartment a street or two from the Duomo through Le Fate Holiday homes. HIGHLY recommend-it was beautiful, reasonable $, and we loved the location!

We really enjoyed Lucca, did a day trip to Pisa and have visited Siena. I recommend all of them. Instead of moving every few days, I would suggest a base in Tuscany that gives you the flexibility to visit several of these locations. If you have a car you can stay in a smaller Tuscan spot. If not Lucca is a charming base to keep you busy, though there is a bus to day trip to Siena from Florence.

good luck!

We thought Pienza was charming and would go back there for a longer visit in a flash. It was part of a day trip for us. We also liked Siena. I would suggest finding one spot you like as a base and then eating a car to visit some of the other areas you mention. Sorry I don’t know about the area of Florence you are referring to. I found the area around the Ponte Vecchio to be quite heavily touristed , but the Oltrarno was lovely.

I’m sure I meant getting a car.

Thanks for the tips!

I will look at the Oltarno. Would love to know if anyone knows the streets I mentioned in my original post.

We may look at staying somewhere between Lucca and Siena, so we can see both those places, San Gimignano, maybe Pisa/Livorno and definitely Montepulciano. Somewhere that has a village feel but with a good evening atmosphere for dining would be ideal!

We just got back from 10 days in Tuscany - three days in Florence and seven days here www.chianticortine.it. This is a beautiful place about halfway between Florence and Siena and about a 15 minute drive from San G. I would consider staying there for your 5 days in Tuscany and doing Lucca and Pisa as a day trip. We did that on a previous visit. I have been to Livorno as a port on a cruise. It is a nice little town but it would not make my top 20 of places to visit in Tuscany. I would rather go to Montepulciano or Montalcino. ... Our two favorite restaurants in Florence were Natalino's and Ristorante Sant Ambrogio. We stayed at Hotel Davanzati which we highly recommend.

Thanks letsgeaux, I will check out your suggestions. We could possibly have 10-12 days, but at this stage hope to spend 4 days in Lake Orta after Tuscany so that leaves us with 8, including Florence.

We just did Pisa as a day trip by train from Florence.
Cheap (appr €16 return) and several trains per hour.
May be easier than to drive there from rural Tuscany and pay for parking.

Aside from the usual suspects, we had two unexpected finds while driving in Tuscany:

1. The American Cemetery just a few kms South of Florence
https://www.abmc.gov/cemeteries-memo...y#.Wv03Cflub3g

2. The upper (historic) town of Certaldo (Certaldo Alto)
Certaldo Alto, Tuscany, Italy - What to see and do in the town of Boccaccio
Nice restaurant with a view: Antica Fontana

When driving from Florence to Siena one should avoid the motorway but rather take SR222 Via Chiantigiana.
We had to drive for a bit on the Florence-Siena motorway and that highway is no fun. Lots of trucks and potholes.

Thanks Cowboy1968. Those places look great. We were really hoping to do much of this trip unplanned - just stop where we feel is right and have the freedom to stay a day or two longer than if all booked, if we want , or conversely move on if we want. But it seems like we are going to end up booking much of it anyway! I do enjoy the planning so much though ...

Forte di Belvedere is 2 km from Borgo Pinti, across the Arno River and up a hill. Between the two you might pass through any number of shopping streets. When you say you are looking for shopping, what are you looking to purchase? You mentioned locals shopping, so for me that means food markets, hardware stores, pharmacies--the type of items someone who lives there might need.

I suspect you were in the vicinty of Sant'Ambrogio, perhaps along Via dei Pilastri and then Via dei Macci.