Should we stay in Florence or Tuscany?

Old Aug 19th, 2004, 06:30 AM
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Should we stay in Florence or Tuscany?

I'm planning a 16 day vacation to Italy next summer. We'll be arriving in Venice on June 26th (just secured frequent flyer miles tickets ) and then going to Florence before ending in Rome. At this point, I'm wondering if it is better to stay in Florence for 4 nights and do day trips to Tuscany, or stay in Tuscany and visit Florence from there. I'm travelling with a 10 year old. If we stay in Tuscany, any recommedations of a good location to access Florence and the surrounding areas (also villas or hotels)? If we stay in Florence, any recommendations for day trips to Tuscany? I know we could stay in Florence for a night and then move on to Tuscany but I'm trying to avoid staying 1-2 nights in any given place, and then leaving. I feel it would be too much packing and hauling luggage and not enough time to enjoy where we're at. I don't know which would be the better place to make home for those days.
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Old Aug 19th, 2004, 06:41 AM
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ira
 
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Hi Cronen,

From Florence, you can visit the following places within a 2 hr ride on public transportation:

Siena, Pisa, Lucca, Castellino in Chianti, Orvieto.
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Old Aug 19th, 2004, 06:51 AM
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HI--I think the answer to your question depends a *lot* on your 10 year old. Would he/she prefer to stroll city streets or rather stay in a more country like setting where running around in a pastoral setting and having access to a pool (many Tuscan B&Bs have them) would be possible? You will be there at the solstice and will have daylight until 10pm or later and so both options can be considered in light of this fact--pun intended. Also, will the 10 year old enjoy long bus rides? All children are different and you are in the best position for this assessment. Italian small towns have a great feeling of freedom that might feel more child-friendly, so having one as your base might make for pleasant evenings at the local gelateria.
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Old Aug 19th, 2004, 07:26 AM
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Florence is in Tuscany.
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Old Aug 19th, 2004, 08:02 AM
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personally I found Florence too much for me.Too busy,too noisy. You might stay one night in Florence,I would think a full day there with a ten year old might be enough ,unless they are really into art!Lucca would be great to stay at. Its a walled old city.You can bike ride around the walls. Very close to Pisa.Cinque Terre might be fun if you like to hike. Siena would be a stop before Rome.
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Old Aug 19th, 2004, 08:18 PM
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Hi
Thanks for all the helpful advice . A pool is a difinite plus! Also, we will be in Rome and Venice, and the countryside of Tuscany might be a welcome break.
I will definitely look into Lucca, as we want to do some biking. Any suggestions on where to stay there?
Yes, I know Florence is in Tuscany. It is similar to saying New York City vs. Queens even though they are both in NYC most people think of NYC as Manhattan. I thought I was being obvious in asking the difference between country and city.
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Old Aug 20th, 2004, 04:36 AM
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I'm not sure about your reference to Manhattan and Queens. Florence is a city but it is way smaller than NYC. It's certainly not rural or even small town but no where near as overwhelming as NYC can be to people. And it's nothing like Queens. The central area is very small, can walk from one end to the other in 30 minutes. A lot of people object to the traffic after coming from Venice, which of course is traffic free.

Most people on this board will probably say stay at a villa in the countryside so I'll give my opinion on the advantages of staying in Florence. First, the transportation to visit Siena, Lucca and Pisa are great - you have trains/buses running to those places almost hourly so advance planning is not necessary. Going from one of those towns to another would require more scheduling. Second, evenings in the summer in Florence are great - lots of people out and about listening to street music, eating gelato or pizza, just walking around looking at things. The sunsets from Piazza Michelangelo are magnificant. Also from Pont Vecchio. (If you want to see some recent photos of that go to pbase.com/annforcier - I just posted my photos from my trip in July).

It seems to me that everyone I talk to who isn't that crazy about Florence didn't spend any time there. They spent one night or did it as a day trip. Because of things my friends had told me I didn't even include Florence on my first trip to Italy but now I'm a huge fan.
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Old Aug 23rd, 2004, 08:43 PM
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In Lucca we stayed at the B&B La Romeo.In town,only 5 rooms,very big.Very nice Hosts! (who have kids)
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