My sister and I are planning a trip to Tuscany. We have found your website thoroughly inspiring. We know that we don’t have enough time to see and do everything but will in Italy for two weeks. First week will be in Venice, Verona and Cinque Terre area. The second week we will be in Florence with plans of having a car for 3 days to drive around southern Tuscany.
Currently, we are planning to follow along SR2 visiting Colle di Val d’Elsa, Voltera, Siena, Montalcino, drive through this Chianti region and to Cortona. We are also thinking of driving to Assisi.
We have booked accommodations in Florence during these driving days with the intention of driving back every evening but am now wondering it this is too much driving and whether staying in somewhere mid point (ie. Montepulciano) would be more ideal?
Could you give us your opinion on how best to make this trip or if you have an alterante route you would recommend?
Thank you.
Florence is incredibly beautiful and makes a perfect base to explore Tuscany! It’s a town full of art treasures, a real open air museum, not to mention its wonderful shops. My mini–guide to Florence’s top sights can give a quick introduction to what to visit downtown, while here you can find my suggestions for interesting day trips to make from Florence, also very easily by public transportation.
Considering you’re spending a whole week in Tuscany, I suggest you split your stay in 2 parts, as coming back to Florence every evening is not recommended especially as if you’re going to visit southern Tuscany, so enchanting! Tuscany is a vast region and full of things to see.
While in Florence you’ll not need a car to move around, so rent it after leaving the city. Here is a post dedicated to using Florence as a home base in Tuscany.
You might then move south of Florence, in the dreaming Val d’Orcia (Montepulciano is beautiful as is Pienza!) or Cortona (considering you also wish to visit Assisi). Here are my tips to using Cortona as a base to visit both Tuscany and Umbria, while here are my suggestions for day trips from Val d’Orcia and Montepulciano in particular.
Do not hesitate to contact me again for any other suggestion,
Ciao from Florence,
Elena
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