Hi...in mid-March we will be spending a week in Tuscany, probably renting an apartment but possibly at an agriturismo. We really like a smaller city where we can walk to the town square and hang out with the locals. We've heard nothing but positive things about Lucca, and I like the fact it's on a main train line so we probably won't need to rent a car for the entire week. But what about Pistoia? Not nearly as much press but over on slowtrav.com they seem to like that town quite a bit. We will be with our two daughters aged 5 and 8. We gravitate towards simpler, less touristy areas (ie--we'd much rather spend time in Sonoma County on vacation than the Napa Valley). I'm pretty sure we would like to be in Northern Tuscany but I would consider areas to the south as well.

There are lots of places that could qualify as a home base. You have picked two that are certainly fine. In my mind, a home base has to be compatible with your mode of transportation in/out of the base. You will have to make your own decision about whether being near a train station is more important than being in a more remote small town.

I suggest you go to the trenitalia web site if you are planning to travel by train, and simply explore all the possible places you could go. Personally, I would rent a car for day trips if you plan very many; if not, stick to the train lines. Good luck.

I'm sorry, I have no help for you, but I'm topping to help you get more responses.

I'm also bookmarking, as we are considering these two places for our base for a few days this summer.

Good luck!