Planning a Trip to Tuscany Region

Much has been said about the beauty of Florence. I'll add nothing to that because it just IS really beautiful. Try not to go in the summer though. Tuscan summers are very hot, and walking around in a city in the blistering heat is not your ideal vacation. Springtime is the best time to go.

best time to visit is feb-march.Plenty to see so be prepared to do some walking. one of the few places in italy worth seeing and easy to get around in this city.3 days is enough to see this city and well worth while.

Steep streets, but well worth the effort..... just have your nice flats with you!! Best time to travel..... anytime!!! Check out the mist and sunrises if you come in April..... the burnt amber fields after the end of July..... and the food and wine anytime of year!!!

The best time to go is for Il Palio, the famous medival areback horse racing festival, is a neat atmosphere and very fun day but make sure you arrive in the square 5-6 hours prior to the race starting to get the best spot to watch! Is a long hot afternoon in the sun but well worth the wait! Make sure you take plenty of water, sunscreen and a hat.

Hit the museums either very early or in the late afternoon, when hoards of tourists have cleared out. Unless you prefer to wait in long lines outside the museum, it's best to be creative about times when visiting!

Fiesole has some nice Roman sites that you can walk around and visit. There is a Roman amphitheater, Roman bathhouses, Roman toilets, Roman pools, remnants of the Etruscan walls, and a Museum with other Roman and Etruscan artifacts. Also, an amazing view overlooking Florence.

La Residenza del Proconsolo Booking online allowed me to avail of a discount of nearly 75% on the standard room rate, for an amazing room, on the front of this 15th Century house. My window looked out on Il Duomo!

Yes, it can be noisy, as in any city centre, but once you keep the windows closed, and your air conditioning on for the hotter days, the sounds of the city should not distrub you.

Roberto and his staff were charming, friendly, informative and genuinely interested in ensuring their guests had a fabulous trip to Florence. In particular, his recommendation of places to eat were superb - and very reasonably priced in comparison to tourist eateries.

The house is located a few minutes walk from the Santa Maria Novelli train station, and all the major attractions seemed to be just around the corner!

One of the bonuses of the room, was a wonderful jacuzzi bath, to ease away the aches and pains of a day spent walking around the sights and sounds of Florence.

Breakfast is served in your room - a novel touch for anybody who is more used to staying in larger hotels. However, I found this to be a wonderful personal touch. And the coffee was divine!

All rooms are en-suite and most are non-smoking. My room not only had a jacuzzi bath, but a four poster bed, mini-bar, air-con, tv, telephone and a fireplace you could nearly stand into!

If you like your accommodation glitzy and new, and bright, this is not the place for you. However, if you want to experience a little bit of history and culture, and meet some wonderful people, then you couldn't choose a better spot.

Would not be suitable for wheelchair access.

Go to Web Wine to use the internet, drink espresso, eat food, or get amazing hot chocolate! Walk around as much as possible- there are lots of neat shops, excellent gelaterias, Roman, Etruscan, and Medieval ruins, and a bus stop where you can catch a bus to other great Italian destinations!

You can't just rock up to the leaning tower, get in line, and climb to the top. You have to book a time slot when you get there, so if you arrive in the afternoon you may not get up there until 8pm. It is worth looking up on the internet, as I am not sure if you can book in advance via telephone or email, we did it when we got there.

Archo Rossi (Red Arch) is a decent hostel in Florence, not far from the train station. Staff friendliness is generally okay, though varies, and there's no A/C. But free breakfast and free Internet so overall it was decent. I was very happy with the experience, but my biggest source of joy was that I was going by hop-on-hop-off bus (Busabout) and their accomodation at Florence is a horrendously far campsite that required a fifteen minute hike just to get to the bus stop!

If you're daytripping in Tuscany anywhere near Voltera, you're likely to see signs on the roads for the Coop (15 K away in Pomerance). Pomerance was just 10 minutes from where we stayed in Montecastelli Pisano, and was the home of the only "Supermercato" in the area. So if you're enjoying Tuscany like a local, you may find yourself at the Coop Supermercato to buy some things to cook yourself a Tuscan dinner that you can eat al fresco under a pergola like the one where stayed... Pomerance ("Pom-a-rancha") also features the only 5-day-a-week post office in the area and has an ATM machine. It was also the home to some Olympic village housing that we tried to find by following the signs but never really located... At any rate, if you see Pomerance from the main drag you might think it's just a quasi-modern little town in Tuscany. But you'd be missing out. Turn down the street that goes by the Coop (it's the one with the traffic light) and find a place to park. Take a hike behind the ATM and you'll find the old part of town with quaint, pristine streets (like all of the small towns of Toscana). There was a very good restaurant located at a small hotel there that offered outside patio seating with a view. I will have to dig up the name, but it was a nice place to stop for lunch.

One of the most beautiful places i went to, and i want to go back there. The shopping is fantastic as is the lovely architecture. You can get your caricature drawn by one of the many artists along the street, take photos of 'David', and also walk the infamous bridge laden with shops of gold - once the shops of butchers meat!! There are many designer stores and many crepe stands, but don't forget to leave without picking up a real piece of genuine leather garment from florence! Don't miss also the 'Space Discoteca' night club!! Don't worry if you hurt yourself in Florence, hospital help is great in florence (if you can speak italian- although all doctors speak english)

I accidentally got caught up in the horse shinannigans...great photo opportunities and the biggest parking ticket every received while travelling. If you're familiar with painting, the colour Burnt Sienna gets it's name from the colour of the surrounding countryside in Summer...

the pisa tower! great photos guaranteed

Don't lean to take a photo

A photography tip: Once you have hit all the obvious spots in Florence, take a car, taxi or bus up the hill to the small town of Fiesole. The view over Florence is second-to-none.

Florence Italy, famous for it's leather and for their cathedrals. Here you will find the traditional squares or Piazzas with lots of stalls selling souvenirs and couture shopping mixed. Beware the stall vendors- they like to sell imitation name-brands which happens to be VERY illegal in Italy. Never EVER buy imitation Italian brands because it is punishable by law in Italy and you could potentially be found out when passing through Customs at the airport! If a police officer catches you buying a fake- you could be fined thousands of dollars! For a pair of faux Gucci glasses!! So stick with the real stores and try not to be sucked into buying from street vendors.
While in Florence, try to stop by the store Mizzuri. Here they have lots of unique leather items- purses, gloves, coin wallet- as well as other beautiful things such as umbrellas. I bought my most unique and beautiful souvenir from here. You will find nice things to bring home for your friends and family as well as to keep for yourself. They also engrave for free! If you purchase a leather item, they will brand your initals into the leather free of charge.
And of course, do not forget to see the cathedrals- especially Il Duomo. Absolutley beautiful. And make sure you stop by to see the Ponte Vecchio which means "Old Bridge", as it happens to be THE oldest bridge of it's kind in Europe!

Be sure to stop by Cinque Terre on the way to Pisa because you can just fly by and not notice these really cool little towns on the way. Great beaches and really picturesque places to walk/ take pictures or whatever.

The art and culture of millenarian times in one place

firenze is superb! You really have to visit it once in your life. All the art and the little streets, just marvellous!

The best views of the city are to be had from the Boboli gardens. Spend at least a half a day here to enjoy the views. Don't miss the rose garden. The views from the top of the Duomo are also well worth the steps.

I had the best Italian food ever in Forte dei Marmi. Don't go to the tourist traps though. If you go down some of the sidestreets in town and try out a local restaurant that even looks a bit shabby, you will get the best food ever; and the prices are much more reasonable too.