gard

Hi

Over the past year my wife and I have been on a couple of trips to Italy. In 2003 we went to Milan and Venice (see trip report on http://gardkarlsen.com/italy_milan.htm )and in 2005 we went to Rome (see trip report on http://gardkarlsen.com/rome_italy.htm ). We have enjoyed our trips there and we have always talked about going back to visit e.g. Florence. Well, now we're planning a trip there in the end of July and hopefully we will have a bit more than a week there. I have just bought Eyewitness Guides of Florence and Tuscany online and I hope that it will give me lots of useful information when it arrives. Our initial plan is to spend a few days in Florence checking the town out, maybe getting a couple of tours to check out a wineyard or food related (I would love to get a tour where they make the Parmigiano Reggiano) etc. We were also looking at maybe renting a car for a day or two and drive around in the area. So...do you have any input? We will need a hotel of course...I hope that we can get something below 100€. Got any restaurant recommendations? Got any recommendation on what to see and do if we have a car for a day or two? Are there any recommended wine tours? Thanks in advance

Regards
Gard
http://gardkarlsen.com - trip reports and pictures

rex

A sunset dinner at Villa San Michele (in Fiesole, up on the hill looking down on the Florence "skyline&quot is likely to be pretty memorable, in my view.

Have a great trip (sweat and all... oy!Florence in late July!)

At least Fiesole is typically 10 degrees cooler (and earlier in the evening) than "in town" Florence!

Best wishes,

Rex

kfusto

Ira often recommends B&B Peterson and the price is within your budget. I have not stayed there but the location is excellent.

Hotel Cestelli is another option. Also Alorro B&B.

I will be in Florence for a week this fall and have visited about a dozen times. I love it!

I always prebook Accademia and the Uffizi as I am not fond of waiting in line for anything. I head up to Fiesole on the #7 bus and enjoy a glass of wine and the views over Florence.

This year I booked a full day wine tour with Luca of hillsandroads.com. There are 8 in my group and I am putting together a 2 week trip that includes Venice, Florence and Rome. We are all into wine and food and that is the focus of the trip.

There are many threads on great restaurants in Florence. Food is subjective so I will not recommend any.

I have rented cars on several occasions when I had business to do in areas the trains and buses did not reach. I am not a fan of driving there personally. AutoEurope had better rates and service than Hertz and Avis and the location on the Borgo Ognissanti is convenient to town.

markrosy

We have visited Tuscany many times over the past 10 years and have found Florence to be a little user unfriendly at times. The views from the hills when approaching (in particular from the car park at Piazza Michaelangelo down the Arno) are legendary. As are the museums (obviously).

However, there are down sides - the city can become VERY hot in July, is dirty, dusty and doesn't cope well with the traffic. Finally, once the cruise ships hit Livorno you will not have the place to yourself - the crowds can become frustrating.

Florence is also located in the far North of Tuscany and day trips do become a case of back tracking.

I personally think that if you miss out on evenings in towns like Pienza, San Quirico, Montipulciano etc you miss the essence of Tuscany. Basing yourself in the centre allows you to visit Florence as well as the surrounding towns. I would suggest San Gimignano - it is chaos during the day but you would be out on trips then - you would return to have the place to your self - it is beautiful.

Castello Brolio is a stunning setting for a wine tour the the Chianti is pretty solid. For the high end go to Montalcino for the Brunello which has the amongst the best (reasonable price) reds from Europe.

Most of the classic Tuscan landscapes are not in Chianti but south of Pienza (a town which has an amazing feeling).

I am sorry I have to pass on the hotels as we usually go 4 star plus. I do know that the budget may be a problem in July and you do need to act now!

Rex - that is cruel the Villa San Michele has one of the best views of any hotel in Europe and is the food is supurb but it is comparable to advising someone who is looking to buy a Mini that they should go for a Bently Continental. The $100 budget would be lost on the mini bar on the first night. However I agree a great hotel!


Finally Rex

panecott

Gard, Try the Residenza Il Villino. It is a small, welcoming, and lovely little B&B near the Duomo and the Accademia. It might be a bit above your price range, but 100 Eu in Florence in July will be tough to come by. florenceby.com/villino

Beware that Florence will be stifling in July. With more than a week, I think you are wise to divide your time between the city and the countryside. There are so many lovely little hilltowns to visit, and with a car, you can see several of them, either basing yourselves in a central location (preferable) or by moving from place to place. Cortona, Assisi, Perugia, Siena, San Gimignano, Pienza, Montepulciano, Montalcino - to name a few - are all worth seeing and you might find the countryside more enjoyable in the summer.

I love Florence but you might find that the summer heat and crowds will detract from your enjoyment. I agree with the suggestion that you book museum tours in advance. Your hotel can do it for you.

I have been to wine tastings at Castello di Brolio and Badia di Coltibuono. Both were great.

Parmigiano Reggiano is made in Parma, in the Emilia Romagna region.

rex

My proposal is only to have dinner there - - not to stay there. Many people choose a modest hotel budget, and then turn the pursestrings (a little bit) loose(r) for dining.

J62

Rex, a question for you if I may hijack.
I've made a dinner reservation at Villa San Michele. Is there a required or recommend dress code? Still debating whether to bring jacket. Tie isn't in the cards unless necessary. Trying to pack light for 4week trip.

j62. 6 days and counting.

Leely

Gard, we stayed at one of the Residenza Johannas (I think the original one, but this was a number of years ago). They are a little outside the immediate center, maybe a 15 minute walk to the Duomo, much shorter to Accademia, but I think in July that might be a good thing! Also, more like B and Bs than hotel. We got a great room and were very satisfied.

http://johanna.it

gard

Hi

Thanks for the feedback so far. Anyone got any experience with www.hotwire.com for booking hotels in Florence?

Regards
Gard
http://gardkarlsen.com - trip reports and pictures

kfusto

If hotwire is similar to Priceline in Florence, then I would not go near it. The hotels are few and not well located and they both seem to offer many of the same properties in other cities.

I have used them in Paris, London, Rome, etc but Florence has virtually no large chain hotels, except Jolly, and they are not on the list.

rex

Just look nice, J62. No jacket, no tie required.

Based on my experience in September 2001.

ira

Hi J62,

For dinner at the Villa San Michele (for which you will be paying a not inconsiderable sum), a jacket is a definite.

I'd put a tie in my pocket, just in case.

ira

Hi gard,

We very much enjoyed 11 nights at the B&B Peterson. www.bedinflorence.it

See my trip report for details of our visit to Florence:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34451044

Enjoy your trip.

markrosy

Sorry Rex missed that

I agree with the logic totally - we use that strategy often particulary in big cities where even the most expensive hotels are tired with no atmosphere eg NYC

bookchick

Hi Gard,
For a nice romantic dinner with your DW, I would recommend "Da Noi"; very nice, intimate setting with great food & service. Parma is the place for Parmesan cheese, but it should be easy to catch the train to take you there, if you are so inclined. I had great success in booking a nice hotel in a good location (Hotel Pierre) at a reduced rate by using www.lastminute.com. Pre-booking the museums is a must! For lunch or another dinner, try "Il Cavallino".

Buon Viaggio,
BC

gard

Hi

I got my guidebook yesterday...I'm quite impressed with amazon.co.uk. I bought the book online on Sunday and got it in my postbox in Norway on Wednesday I'm starting to get a certain overview now. In my head at the moment the itinerary looks something like this.
Fly into Florence and spend the first 3-4 days there. The pick up a rental car and go to Pisa to see the leaning tower and then drive to the Siena area and find a nice play to stay (I have seen some nice places on http://www.agriturismo.it/Toscana/va...tals_siena.htm ) and then use this as a base to visit the places in the area...Montalcino, San Gimignano, Pienza, Montepulciano, Chianti etc. I think our trip will be about 10 days so we just have to figure out how to split up the time between Florence and the Siena stay. Does this sound like a good plan?

Regards
Gard
http://gardkarlsen.com - trip reports and pictures

kybourbon

A list has been compiled by the tourist board of restaurants that adhere to the "typical" area cuisine. Just click on each area symbol and there will be a list by city, many with web links.
http://www.vetrina-toscana.it/Default.aspx?PageID=112

I also like the Florence tourist board hotel page (about 40 pages long) which you can search from highest to lowest stars or alphabetically. It tells you at a glance, amenities, number of rooms and highest price. They also provide a web link to the hotel (if it has one)and list the highest price the hotel can charge. They tell you to contact the hotel directly for better pricing. I'm surprised at the number of 1 star hotels with AC.
http://www.firenzeturismo.it/compone...42/lang,en_EN/

ekscrunchy

Gard I am linking my trip report which tells about a week in 2006 split between Montepulciano, Florence and Bologna with heavy emphasis on food.

I very much enjoyed reading your tales about Beijing; your report was very helpful to me during my own China trip a few months ago. I am anxiously awaiting your latest Thailand report as well!

You could visit Parma on a day trip from Florence if you really want to tour the cheese facilities. But you would be better off investigating pecorino instead as it is local to Tuscany.


http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34743272

ekscrunchy

topping for Gard Karlsen...

apirone

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