Suggestions for day trips from Florence
Aug 31st, 2002, 04:16 AM
#1
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Suggestions for day trips from Florence
Hello everyone,<BR>I have enjoyed reading the posts on this site. My family and I (husband and 3 adult children) will be taking our first European trip in Nov. We will be staying 4 days in Florence. Would like to spend 2 1/2 days touring Florence and would appreciate some suggestions on possible day trips we can take either by train or car. Since our package includes hotel, we would not want to spend the night elsewhere. I appreciate any help since we are novice travelers.
Aug 31st, 2002, 05:49 AM
#4
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Hello Judy,<BR><BR>Pisa is worth half a day IMO. <BR>But it combines easily by train with the delightful town of Lucca nearby, - so together they make an excellent day-trip.<BR><BR>Siena/San Gimignano is another fine choice by bus or car.<BR><BR>Steve
Aug 31st, 2002, 05:56 AM
#5
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Author: Walter ([email protected])<BR>Date: 07/30/2002, 01:11 pm<BR>Message: danilo: I'm not a fan of bustours but they leave Florence ~2pm and are back ~7pm, with a 2hr guided tour of the Tower, Duomo, Baptistery. They can be booked thru your hotel, if you're interested. I agree with this poster's opinion on Pisa. Regards, Walter<BR>Author: ppp ([email protected])<BR>Date: 05/03/2002, 12:26 pm<BR>Message: Jim<BR>Even Pisa detractors must agree that the Campo dei Miracoli, with its green lawn and the four Pisan-Romanesque buildings, is one of the finest and unparalleled architectural ensambles of the world. Of course, there are tacky souvenir stands all around that may get on one´s nerves, but these shouldn´t prevail. But there´s much more to Campo dei Miracoli than the spendind general view (best when approaching from the west, through Porta Santa Maria). <BR>The magnificent west front façade aside, the highlights of the Duomo are it´s impressive 100 mts long interior, with its deep apse, 3-aisled transept and numerous piers; its fine Giovanni Pisano pulpit, the transept door Pisano´s Romanesque bronze panels and the Bologna´s bronze main doors.<BR>The Battistero is so perfectly built that if one talks at low tone in one side, one may be understood in the other. The masterpiece in the Battistero is Pisano´s pulpit and I the octogonal center font is lovely.<BR>IMO, though, the highlight of the Campo dei Miracoli is the Camposanto. To get the right perspective, one must have in mind that it was completely destroyed by a WW2 bomb. The restauration work done (specially regarding the frescos) is simply amazing and the result is magnificent. The cycle comprising the Triumph of Death, the Last Judgement and Hell, painted by an unknown 14C artist at the height of the black death, is simply amazing. Restauration works on tombstones should still be on. This gives the opportunity for visitors to watch it real time (and have it explained by restaurators).<BR>Did you notice that I didn´t even mentioned the Tower ... to me, it fits perfectly in the ensamble and is and outstanding example of the Pisan Romanesque architecture ... period!<BR>There´s much more to Pisa than Campo dei Miracoli. Since more than 90% of tourists restrict their visit to the Campo, I guarantee that you´ll feel like you´re just about the only tourist in town if you stroll away from it. The old town has a maze of narrow and interesting alleys. The streets of the city are geared toward locals (50,000 of them students, almost half of the entire population), not tourists. There are mane very good restaurants, from simple to elegant, in most of which you´ll hardly hear a word in English. The river, with its bridges, is lovely, as is the historic centre of Pisa, Piazza dei Cavalieri. The Santa Maria della Spina church, overlooking the Arno, is a must.<BR>In all, Pisa is IMO one of the most vibrant cities in Italy. Unfortunately you won´t have the chance to visit it by night. It has a very intense cultural life: there isn´t a single evening/night (except 2nd half of July and August) that something (theatre, music, dance, etc) isn´t going on.<BR>Pisa detractors lack something! or are so overhelmed by the desire to visit the Tower (which won´t live up to expectations) that disapointment is a certainty.<BR>
Aug 31st, 2002, 06:32 AM
#6
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Don't miss going to Lucca. It's a wonderful walled city (be sure to walk on the walls) with wonderful churches and shops and, for opera lovers, the home of Puccini. It's a "real" place and not at all touristy.<BR><BR>Siena and San Gimignano will be wonderful off season. I hope you are renting a car. it's the only way to really see the sights, and driving is very easy in Italy.
Aug 31st, 2002, 09:05 AM
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Siena, what’s there to do? Piazza del campo, one of the most beautiful and famous piazza in Italy, the seashell shaped piazza where the Palio is run. On the lower end of the campo is the town hall and tower. The Palazzo Pubblico contains many works of Sienese art; one of the more famous frescoes by Ambrogio Lorenzetti shows the effects of good and bad government. The Torre di Mangia provides a breath-taking view of the city (don’t try this if you have a weak heart or are claustrophobic). The Duomo (design most influenced by Giovanni Pisano) was built to impress and it does. Inside are an astonishing number of busts, statues, frescoes, and painting. The octagonal marble pulpit by Nicola Pisano is amazing, as are the works by Donatello, Bernini, and Michelangelo. The Libreria Piccolomini contains many illuminated books and brilliant frescoes. The floor is covered by art but unfortunately this is covered by cardboard except during floorshows (bring on the nuns – sorry). Outside the Duomo you can see the Archbishop’s palace, Spedale di Santa Marie delle Scale (1000 year old hospital contains frescoes that are huge), Museo dell’Opera del Duomo. There are palaces (palace of the Piccolomini, Logge del Papa, Loggia della Mercanzia, Palazzo Chigi-Saracini); churches (San Domenico-with the head of Saint Catherine, Basillica di San Francesco, Sant’Agostino) and enotece (the Enoteca Italia in the fortezza has more wines to try then you have time).<BR>The market (by the fortezza) is on Wednesday mornings (about three hundred vendors providing basic goods to locals. Ceramics are sold all over but especially on the street between the Campo and Duomo.<BR><BR>But with all there is to do don’t miss just strolling through a real town that looks like it hasn’t changed in hundreds of years.<BR>
Sep 1st, 2002, 11:44 AM
#16
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Judy, I agree that Pisa is a not to be missed.... if you go with the right attitude. I recommend you take the train (one hour), walk from the train station to the Leaning Tower, and really pay attention to what a delightful little University town Pisa is. To save time, you can take a bus back to the train station (and you'll see more of real life Pisa). Also, a good late afternoon get-away is Fiesole. Take the #7 bus 20 minutes up the hillside to this town with some very nice Etruscan ruins. Also, great views of Florence at sunset and a couple of good restaurants with a view of the city. <BR><BR>We took a CAF tour of the Chianti region that included a fun wine tasting and tour at a castle. You can find their website at caftours.com<BR><BR>Have fun!
Sep 2nd, 2002, 04:24 AM
#17
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Sinea Is not , imho, a good daytrip especially if you can't spend one full day there. You say that you want to spend 2 1/2 days in Florence, this leaves only one day for daytrips (I consider half a day to be "travelling time", you will need this half day to get installed in Florence, and, later, to leave it). This leaves you with too little time for both the Pisa-Lucca and the Siena thing.
