Weekend Trips from Florence!!!
 

Hi...I will be based in Florence for about 3 months and was wondering about weekend trips that I could take around Italy (or beyond???). <BR><BR>I've already got the usual covered as part of the program I'm participating in: Venice, Rome, Pisa, Siena, San G., Perugia, and Assisi. (the last 5 towns i think will be day trips--so if one or more particularly intrigue me, I might go back on my own.)<BR><BR>Any other suggestions? So far, I'm thinking of Cinque Terre, Lake Como, Orvieto, Pistoia/Montecatini(day trip ok?), Bologna, or Verona. But, I just have 5 weekends to spare, thus 5 places.<BR><BR>any help, critiques, suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!!

forgot to add...this will be between September and November.<BR><BR>THANK YOU!!! THANK YOU!!!

Between Pisa and the coast is Carrera. I saw a Rick Steves show where he had a tour of a marble harvesting operation. As a HUGE fan of Michaelangelo, I would be very interested in seeing that. I also have a burning desire to have an actual chunk of marble for my coffee table; not carved, with its secret still captured within it.

Carrara sounds good...i'm a michelangelo fan myself. Carrara's a short distance from Firenze, I think, is it accessible by bus or train? but, i confess, besides the marble, I don't know much about it...maybe I could do a montecatini, pistoia, lucca, carrara weekend (basing myself on one town, oc)

Another thing I would like to do is take a weekend trip (would need a car I think) exploring Etruscan Ruins. Bella Tuscany, Francis Mayes' second book, details some great weekend trips they made.

Hi craisin,<BR> You might want to take the #7 bus (starts at the SMN station) to Fiesole to see the Etruscan ruins, as well as the view of Florence.

You simply can not leave that region without doing cinque terre. I was there in Nov 02. It's beautiful, but shhh...there aren't too many hidden treasures left.

Near Carrara we drove a spectacular loop through the mountains past several quarries. This was unforgettable. The mountains appear to be snow covered, but it is the marble gleaming in the sun. The town of Carrara held no particular interest, if I remember. This was over ten years ago, though.

topping for more input, please!

Lucca is a good and easy day trip.

The Cinque Terre will be busy on the weekends; nevertheless it makes for a nice weekend outside Florence.<BR><BR>Since you'll be in Florence and seeing all the wonderful art works ~ it's interesting to see where the marble is harvested (Carrara). This is best done if you'll have access to a car. Actually what was more interesting than the town of Carrara is this tiny little village up in the mountains, &quot;Colonnata&quot;. And I recently came across this article in the Washington Post about Colonnata describing its' unique culinary specialty. Yes, I tasted it when I was there; despite how it sounds and your initial reaction, it was good.<BR><BR>To view entire article, go to <BR>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A54371-2003Jan28.html<BR> <BR> In Colonnata -- Betting On the Fat of the Land by Daniel Williams<BR> COLONNATA, Italy ~ The plump American tourist warily put the sliver of <BR>pinkish lard in her mouth, made little smacking sounds, smiled and said it <BR>was really delicious. ....<BR><BR>

Lucca is worth a weekend, IMO - one of my favorite cities in Tuscany, and easy to get to via bus (or train, but the bus gets you all the way into town.)<BR><BR>Orvieto is also easy as a daytrip or for weekend - travel by train if you're without a car. <BR><BR>As previously mentioned, Fiesole is worth an afternoon and can be reached from central Florence via city bus.<BR><BR>Be sure to explore the Oltrarno and the hills beyond, including the church of San Minato al Monte, the views from Piazalle Michelangelo, and Forte Belvedere. (There is a good thread here that describes this area and methods of accessing it in great detail: http://fodors.com/forums/pgMessages.jsp?fid=2&amp;tid=34407311)<BR><BR>If you're interested in Etruscan stuff, Volterra is a good stop, but it's difficult to reach without a car and probabably less worth a weekend than some of your other choices.<BR><BR>Bologna is on my list for next time! <BR><BR>Enjoy; I must admit I'm envious of your having three months to spend in one of my favorite places on earth...

Hi Craisin. I love Cinque Terre -- especially Vernazza -- and couldn't recommend it enough. Although some people feel it's &quot;overrun&quot; with tourists, I suspect it will be less so during the time you'll be in Florence.<BR><BR>A place you could visit during a daytrip, which I'd highly recommend, would be Volterra.

Without exaggerating, Italy probably contains at least a year's worth of weekend trips. Without dismissing the suggestions you've already received, I suggest you wait until you get to Florence before making an firm decisions for any number of reasons, including:<BR>1. Once there, you'll certainly get a much better feel for where you want to go.<BR>2. If you're lucky, you'll make friends who'll take you to some of these places.<BR>3. You'll find out the best ways of getting to the various sites, and part of your final decisions will probably be based on ease and convenience of getting to the sites.

i just revisited this old post and wanted to thank you for ALL the add'l input.<BR><BR>HowardR, that is so true! I'm the type of person who loves to plan everything but at the same time, I'll be the first one to break those plans if something else piques my interest!<BR><BR>

craisin, No way to know if your 3 months have begun but here are my reactions to some of your suggestions.<BR>Bologna is well worth visiting with mcu to see in a weekend. I've used it as a hub to visit Ferrara and Ravenna, both nearby. Great food, nice university town, good walking under portici.<BR>I love Verona--again it has plenty to see in a weekend, and is also close to Padova, Vicenza, and Mantova should you need out-of-town excursions. Many wine bars to enjoy.

Take &quot;The Chianti Road&quot; S222 to Siena instead of the Autostrada. It curves through several charming towns and has tons of winery's to stop and tour.