Road trip in Tuscany — what is really worth to see and experience. Tips for your next spring or summer trip.
We watch films about Tuscany, read books about Tuscany and dream about Tuscany. Road trip around Tuscany is almost a must on every bucket list (probably girly bucket list). Now I can confirm — it’s worth going to Tuscany at least once in a lifetime and see these extremely beautiful sun-lit green hills.
Warm Up
As before each trip, I did a lot of research — guides, blogs, documents, to select the most interesting places I want to visit. I experienced those places and then chose for you the strongest points with icing on the cake — Elba. Some of the places might be obvious, but they really are bankers.
Florence — crowded classic
I was a bit tired and feeling asleep during my stay in Florence and it was also raining, but I found this city really pretty. However, I didn’t fell in love and I’m not sure why. So the first tip would probably be— take a good nap and then come to Florence. Avoid visiting on Mondays — most of the interesting places are closed then. If you have only 1–2 days in Florence, go for a long walks to simply feel the atmosphere of the city. Walk around Brunelleschi’s cathedral, head towards the river, watch the Vecchio bridge from the Santa Trinita bridge, go along Via dei Vellutti, watch the local craft. Eat pistachios flavor from one of the ice cream parlors — for example Gelateria Artigianale La Strega Nocciola — those bastards are divine.
The gardens of both Bardini and Boboli are also worth seeing. You have to pay for a visit — around 5–10 euros, although heading towards the Hill of Michelangelo, you will find an entry-free rose garden with a wonderful view of the city. Hide yourself from the sun in the basilica of San Miniato al Monte, and then drink a coffee in one of the local cafes.
When it comes to architectural-artistic-sculpture theme — it is not subject to discussion, those are brilliant in Florence. Museums in Florence are in the possession of exceptional works of incredible artists, although they are very expensive, and you will spend a few hours in queues — take this into account and think about whether you have enough time and money for it.
When it comes to accommodation — it is definitely better to choose accommodation on one of the hills around Florence, in the countryside. The access to the city center is very decent — it is not necessary to use a car, there is a tram which bring you exactly to the city center.
San Gimignano — skyscrapers in Italy
Manhattan in Tuscany! It’s Julia’s favorite town. Manhattan, because there are characteristic towers inside the town, like skyscrapers. Once there were 72 of them, now only dozen left. The towers were built by rich people, who were putting up higher buildings to show their society-position and wealth. Craziness, right?
San Gimignano is a little town, small, but not crowded only in the mornings.
It has an old soul, although it is slightly twisted by tourists.
You should go for a walk-tour as early as possible, then there is a chance for a small number of people disturbing around. San Gimignano can be walked around in two-three hours. It’s worth seeing Piazza del Duomo and Piazza Della Cisterna. These are the main squares where we can sit and observe beautiful surrounding. And here, again, I refer to the ice cream parlor, which this time officially wins in the World Championships for the best ice cream — Gelateria di Piazza.
It is worth to hang around the town among the medieval scenery, hide in one of the narrow streets in the cafe and drink coffee.
A walk along the city walls is also desirable —amazing views of the surrounding hills and fantastic vineyards. It’s the moment when you start to understand what for this road trip to Tuscany is.
Siena
The truth is that you have to ride around Tuscany, see a bunch of
uphill-located towns and eventually choose the one you love the most for some reason. I fell in love with Siena.
Siena is simply magical. If I could return to Tuscany today, I would go to Siena and lay down on the Piazza del Campo in the shape of a shell, even with a crowd of millions around, which does not matter anyway.
Prepare for a lively walk, because the city is closed to car traffic. It is obviously located on the hills, so you will feel it in your legs going up and then down — but relax, this is not Lisbon. The center of the town, along with the square Piazza del Campo mentioned above, has been put on the UNESCO list and it is understandable, cause it looks picturesque. I recommend to buy a piece of your favorite pizza (choose simple — be aware that Marinara and Margarita taste really different in Italy than anywhere else, because of the great quality ingredients), sit on the sun-heated concrete in Piazza del Campo and breathe calmly. Along the way, see the Duomo cathedral, and if you like vintage fashion like me, go to the wonderful vintage store Aloe & Wolf on Via del Porrione 23 — even to feed your imagination, if you do not have too much money to spend.
Once a year you can take part in awesome and famous globally event called Palio in Siena. It’s a horse race which takes place in the city center (!), also at Piazza del Campo. However during the race, there are thousands of tourists in the city, so you should plan your visit carefully in Siena rather you want to take part in it or not.
Pienza
So small, and so nice. There is no problem with parking the car nearby the village. You can leave your car in one of the many parking lots under close to the old town for a few euros and use your legs.
You just wander around and that’s what it’s all about. Walk through the walls, next to the basilica, go to the wine shop, try a glass of wine, eat a piece of cheese and repeat. Pienza is quiet and peaceful, comparing with other towns in Tuscany. It is slightly out of the main way, a bit forgotten, intimate, but charming. I met here seventy-year-old friends-painters, moaning about their artistic works, workers who set up the stage after the Pinocchio performance, and ate delicious baguette in the company of my buddies, made by my buddies. Go to Pienza and bring your own memories.
Perhaps at this point, you find this article not so detailed or specific. In Pienza, or other towns in Tuscany, it is not necessarily about the details. It’s about the mood, relaxing, walking, about wine, about coffee, about the narrow streets, about the intimacy, about the sun and shadow, about olives, tomatoes, churches and divine hills.
And you will find it all in Pienza without fear. Again — Pienza is so small that it also takes only a few hours to explore, so it’s worth combining trips to Pienza, with for example Montepulciano.
Bagni San Filippo
You will probably read all of the shit about Bagni San Filippo — do not listen about dirt and so on, just go there, preferably in May or September (it’s clear that in the middle of the holidays June-August, it will be crowded as hell, just like any other place in Tuscany).
What is Bagni San Filippo? These are natural pools with hot springs, in the middle of the forest, under the sky, subtly developed by local in the form of auxiliary ladders, stairs, stands. There is no ticket entry, there is nature and it is nice. Like Very Nice.
The higher you go, the warmer the pools will be. Do not be discouraged and reach the highest pools, they are the least crowded, but probably also the least spectacular for some. But it seems to me that sometimes we want too much. Just put your butt in warm water, in a natural calcareous pool, do not worry about insects, because they are not too interested in boiling in hot water, look at the sky, top of the trees and get excited.
Oh, I would forget to add — parking is paid, about 2 euros for a car. Take the flip-flops with you and look under your feet while going from the pool to the pool — I did not do it and I hurt myself badly in the foot. Still, I have brilliant memories from that day.
Tuscan Sunsets and Tuscan Hills
This attraction is free and for everyone. But what a beautiful attraction.
Try to return from sightseeing to your place of accommodation just at sunset time. Unforgettable views for the rest of your life. I sound like Pablo Coelho but it’s fine. The hills are full of light colors — from yellow, golden to red and orange. You pass fields, vineyards, and divine made from stone old villas. You can stop, get out of the car, sit by the road and watch — nothing seems to be happening, but there is a lot of beauty around going on.
Sleep in a traditional Tuscan house
There is probably nothing more fun than returning from your whole day to your private kingdom. But it is not about gold or glamor, but about the atmosphere. Old walls, wild green plants, heated by the sun floors, a messy garden, several chairs and friends. Oh, and wine. That’s a short list to gain happiness. Tuscany houses are mainly made of stones that are perfectly doing great in those weather conditions. They cool when necessary and heat when needed. In the network you will find a lot of such locations, I recommend AirBnb and sticking to places in the villages — the countryside is the best.
Val d’Orcia —be aware— there’s a lot going on around
So we are road-tripping. You drive a car around the area straight from the Gladiator movie and feel the mood. But at the end, I recommend not trying too much to look for the frames from the movie, because it makes no sense. Divine views and great capture shots are at every step, find your own movie moment.
We found a handsome shepherd dressed all in black, with a great shepherd dog, a herd of sheep on a hill lit, lightened by the sun with the coming stormy clouds in the background. Oh, mother, what a view.
And here again, I recommend getting out of the car and enjoying the moment, observing, sitting on the grass, possibly immortalizing the moment with the help of the camera.
Another time we go next to vineyards and olive trees plantations. Stop for a moment (it’s not paid) and take a walk. Of course I recommend local cooking courses and testing of wine and Italian delicacies under the supervision of agro-owners. But it is not necessary, because it costs money, and not everyone has money. If you have no money, turn to the tuscan nature, it is free, beautiful and rarely disappoints.
Big Surprise — go to Elba
From Piombino you will get a ferry to Elba. It is so close to Tuscany so why not to see the island. In September, Elba was unique. Green, vivid, beautiful and empty. There were no tourists. You can easily find wild beaches, for yourself, with the open sea. Beaches such as Ottonella or Norsi are wild, hidden, free and empty.
We stopped in the Rio Marina area. The best way to get around the island is by car. It is worth living close to the towns if we are going out of season, because during the day we can spend time on an empty beaches, and in the evening we enjoy pizza by the relatively empty tables, sipping red wine and listening to subtle music. Elba charmed me so much that I picked her up as a wild and intimate ground despite the quite well-developed tourism. I was in Sicily, in Montenegro, Croatia, but it was Elba that gave me love shot straight into my heart.
Returning from Elba — Pisa, Lucca and Bolognia
Returning from Elba, we hooked up to the “one and only” Pisa — if you really want to see the Leaning Tower, you can go for it, but basically I do not know if it’s worth it. I admit that I also came there just for this, but comparing Pisa with other towns, she gets lost in the crowd, she is overrated, but she is definitely neglected. I have a feeling that local authorities could do a better job. It is dirty, not so safe and full of selfie-makers. Sad story.
Lucca is nearby, where Luminaria is held once a year in September — it’s worth checking out the dates before coming here. At this time, the whole town is decorated with real lighting candles — all exhibitions, buildings, streets. A procession passes through the city, everyone is holding candles. The experience is definitely exceptional. In Lucca it is worth going for a coffee, to see the old town and take a walk, because it is an interesting place, deviating from the others.
We finished our road trip in Bologna, but it deserves a separate article and recommendations. Anyway, it’s cool even for a weekend!
To sum up, Tuscany is a nice, welcoming land, it is not overrated, because it is truly beautiful, but it is very crowded in high season. Go to Tuscan region best in May or September, the nature is really crazy then, the sunsets are one of a kind, the aura is pleasant, it is not too hot and there are not too many people. Remember to choose accommodation outside of the cities, in traditional homes or farms. Do not waste your money on stupid restaurant-food, because it is often made for tourists not for locals. In the nearest shop you can buy good cheese, tomatoes, wine, olives, bread and enjoy them at sunset on one of the hills or in front of your temporary house.
Daydream… Oh, and remember that your week in Tuscany should be as lazy as possible.
