Volterra as day trip from Florence- overun with Twilight fans?
Apr 26th, 2010, 08:05 PM
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Volterra as day trip from Florence- overun with Twilight fans?
Considering including Volterra on my list of daytrips from Florence. Would take the bus.
Will also be visiting Bologna, Pisa, Lucca on other days- thought Volterra might be worthwhile including.
Not a Twilight fan myself but have become aware that there are tours available for Twilight devotees. Has this created an influx of more tourism to the area detrimental to its ambiance?
Will also be visiting Bologna, Pisa, Lucca on other days- thought Volterra might be worthwhile including.
Not a Twilight fan myself but have become aware that there are tours available for Twilight devotees. Has this created an influx of more tourism to the area detrimental to its ambiance?
Apr 27th, 2010, 12:08 AM
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Apr 27th, 2010, 04:51 AM
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We visited Volterra late June last summer. It was not crowded at all, and aside from Bologna on a Sunday, it was the least crowded city we toured. My daughter is a big Twilight fan and did not mention spotting hoards of other Twilightees (or whatever they are called). It has a different feel than the hilltowns closer to Florence.
I would definitely make it a point to visit.
I would definitely make it a point to visit.
Apr 27th, 2010, 05:34 AM
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lavender:
Volterra is definitely worth a visit. I was there last May. I ate at Il Sacco Fiorentino (Piazza XX Settembre 18. Fodor's 2010 Guide recommends it (page 655), and they were right. Closed Wednesdays. I also bought a lovely alabaster vase, which lights up, no less (I had it shipped home), and some other lovely alabaster items. Extraordinary views of the surrounding countryside from this hilltop gem.
One caveat: If you take the bus from Florence to Volterra and back, you must change buses in the little town of Colle di Val d'Elsa. On the way to Volterra, I missed the bus at the little Colle bus stop because I was looking for a bus equivalent in size to the one I took from Florence. This little commuter bus came by, I ignored it, and only learned a few seconds later — from a very voluble native who spoke no English but still conveyed his message by hand — that it was my now disappearing bus to Volterra. (I took a taxi from Colle di Val d'Elsa to Volterra because the next bus to Volterra was hours later. An expensive mistake, though, I must say, a rather thrilling ascent to Volterra.) On the way back, the changeover bus from Colle to Florence took off from the bus stop just as we were getting off the bus from Volterra. Why the driver couldn't wait two minutes for us to cross the street to board, I'll never know. I had to wait about two hours with others for the next bus back to Florence.
You probably will not have this costly "comedy" of errors. But I just wanted to give you this heads-up.
Volterra is definitely worth a visit. I was there last May. I ate at Il Sacco Fiorentino (Piazza XX Settembre 18. Fodor's 2010 Guide recommends it (page 655), and they were right. Closed Wednesdays. I also bought a lovely alabaster vase, which lights up, no less (I had it shipped home), and some other lovely alabaster items. Extraordinary views of the surrounding countryside from this hilltop gem.
One caveat: If you take the bus from Florence to Volterra and back, you must change buses in the little town of Colle di Val d'Elsa. On the way to Volterra, I missed the bus at the little Colle bus stop because I was looking for a bus equivalent in size to the one I took from Florence. This little commuter bus came by, I ignored it, and only learned a few seconds later — from a very voluble native who spoke no English but still conveyed his message by hand — that it was my now disappearing bus to Volterra. (I took a taxi from Colle di Val d'Elsa to Volterra because the next bus to Volterra was hours later. An expensive mistake, though, I must say, a rather thrilling ascent to Volterra.) On the way back, the changeover bus from Colle to Florence took off from the bus stop just as we were getting off the bus from Volterra. Why the driver couldn't wait two minutes for us to cross the street to board, I'll never know. I had to wait about two hours with others for the next bus back to Florence.
You probably will not have this costly "comedy" of errors. But I just wanted to give you this heads-up.
Apr 28th, 2010, 04:05 AM
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Thanks again everyone for helping me with the fine tuning of my trip- the detailed information Fodorites offer is amazing- Wanderful thanks for the tips, especially re the commuter bus!! Would hate to have to catch a taxi!
Dec 28th, 2012, 11:53 AM
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For some suggestions about what to see in Volterra take a look at four new movies I just made in my November, 2012 visit: http://tourvideos.com/Tuscany-Umbria-Italy-videos.html thanks to Annie Adair and her walking tour.
