"Must Sees" in Tuscany

[kayo kruiser]

We are spending time in Tuscany prior to a Med/Greek Isles cruise this fall. Picking up a rental car in Florence and driving to a B&B near Cortona as our base for the next 3 days.

Any recommendations as to the "must see" attractions in the Tuscany area? On the final day, we plan on driving from the B&B to Rome so any stops enroute would also be appreciated.

thanks for any tips!

[CintiPam]

Almost too many to list: Florence, Siena, San Gimignano, and Lucca are just four of the places we spent many days visiting on a land trip to Italy, not to mention wineries.

I would recommend that you get a copy of Rick Steves' Florence and Tuscany 2010 book from your local library and browse through it.

[sunsetbeachgal]

Without getting out my Michelin Italy map, isn't Cortona pretty close to Assisi? If so, that is a wonderful place to visit. One of my other favorites is Volterra. On the way to Rome (on the highway) Orvieto is a great stop too. Pretty much it is all great! We love Rick Steve's guidebooks as well-he sends you to some great, off the beaten track places.

[H2Otstr]

Rick Steves also has a DVD on Tuscany. If you belong to Netflix you can rent it.

[euro cruiser]

Even with a car, remember that driving in Tuscany will take longer than you expect. I'd get a map and look at a circle around your B&B of no more than 40 miles, and choose from within that circle.

Cortona itself is interesting, as the previous poster said, Assisi isn't terribly far (although it's not in Tuscany, if that's important).

If you are interested in St. Francis, north east of Cortona is his retreat, which has been operating as a religious retreat since Francis' time.

Montepulciano is within a hour driving time from Cortona, and you could stretch it to Pienza as well, both well worth some time.

[agabbymama]

I'm not sure where Cortona is, but we enjoyed our visit to this castle when we did wine tasting in Tuscany.

http://www.castellooliveto.it/Inglese/indexinglese.html

[Hlitner]

Cortona is quite a bit further south than the part of Tuscany visited by cruise passengers. Cortona became famous because of a book (Under the Tuscan Sun) which was a bit unfortunate since it turned this delightful village into a day-tour destination visited by too many tour buses. Keep in mind that Tuscany is a very large area within Italy and cannot possibly be visited in a day or even a week (we have spent many weeks here and still haven't seen many places). Siena would be within reasonable range for a day visit as would quite a few places in Umbria. The fact that you have already selected Cortona as a base would make me think you have something in mind when you chose this particular city or why would you choose this town? By the way, we have spent a night in Cortona and did like the village, especially late in the afternoon and evening when all the day-tourist buses were long gone.

Hank

[pete_coach]

There are all the regular must sees (Accademia, Uffuzi, Ponte Vecchio, Duomo etc) but, there is a hidden gem called Officina Profumo Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella.
http://brunelleschi.imss.fi.it/itineraries/place/OfficinaProfumoFarmaceuticaSantaMariaNovella.html
http://www.italian.it/santamarianovella/smnuk.htm
A shop that has been in business since the 15th century selling scents (and cures). We were told it has been in the same family since inception. It really is a little gem of a place and worth a stop. You can buy products that have been continuously in production since the 12th or 13th century.

As for a wine and olive oil producing castle, there are too many to list. It seems every estate that had a dungeon has converted it to a wine cellar LOL. Here is one we visited near Greve in Chianti and thought was typical. http://www.castelloilpalagio.it/main_e.html

If you do make it to Greve in Chianti http://www.greve-in-chianti.com/index.htm you have to stop in a butcher shop (yea, sorry, but we stopped in the village and did a walkabout looking for a place to eat and happened upon this most interesting place). Hundreds (thousands) of prosciutto and salamis hanging from the ceilings and other things stacked on shelves or on the wall. A really unique place. http://www.falorni.it/UK/uk_galleria_interni.html

Enjoy Tuscany, you will never forget it.

[euro cruiser]

There are all the regular must sees (Accademia, Uffuzi, Ponte Vecchio, Duomo etc) but, there is a hidden gem called Officina Profumo Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella.
http://brunelleschi.imss.fi.it/itineraries/place/OfficinaProfumoFarmaceuticaSantaMariaNovella.html
http://www.italian.it/santamarianovella/smnuk.htm
A shop that has been in business since the 15th century selling scents (and cures). We were told it has been in the same family since inception. It really is a little gem of a place and worth a stop. You can buy products that have been continuously in production since the 12th or 13th century.It may not have been clear that Coach Pete was writing about Florence.

Florence is more than a 90 minute drive from Cortona, and that's not even factoring in the time to find parking and the risk of ZTL violations. If you really want to go to Florence, take the train or, better yet, just stay there.

You only have three days in Cortona. I assume you will want to spend some time in Cortona herself - you should, it's a lovely town with wonderfully friendly people. There's a good, small museum as well if you are into that.

Easy day trips from Cortona, some already mentioned, include Siena, Assisi, Arezzo, Perugia, Montepulciano and Pienza. You really couldn't fit all of them in during a three day visit, but there you are.

From Cortona to Rome is only about two and a half hours, but if you want to stop along the way the most obvious, and easiest (from the standpoint of easy off, easy on the A1 autostrada) is Orvieto.

Do you know where in Rome you will be dropping off your car?

Edited to add:

While in Cortona, if you like beautiful gifts (especially table linens) stop into Il Girasole. Alessandra, the owner, speaks nearly flawless English and is a hoot: http://www.il-girasole.com/

[CathyCruises]

[quote=pete_coach;23099080]There are all the regular must sees (Accademia, Uffuzi, Ponte Vecchio, Duomo etc) but, there is a hidden gem called Officina Profumo Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella.
http://brunelleschi.imss.fi.it/itineraries/place/OfficinaProfumoFarmaceuticaSantaMariaNovella.html
http://www.italian.it/santamarianovella/smnuk.htm
A shop that has been in business since the 15th century selling scents (and cures). We were told it has been in the same family since inception. It really is a little gem of a place and worth a stop. You can buy products that have been continuously in production since the 12th or 13th century.

I need to add here that you have to be prepared with a VERY fat wallet if you visit this 'shop'. My s-i-l told me about it and asked if I could bring her a bar of pomegranate soap. Sure I can, for $15 euros! We are talking one (1) bar of soap! It is a beautiful old place, but the help tends to be on the snooty side and most products are displayed in glass cases without any prices visible. Just giving you a heads-up! One bar of soap and I was outta there!

Oh, I have to lobby for San Gimignano--really a sight to behold especially when driving in from a distance; I just spent a month in Tuscany and can't imagine not going there. Also, Assisi is amazing. Cortona was 'okay' but we only spent about 2 hours there. Siena is a must-see as well.
Cathy

[kayo kruiser]

Thanks for all the great suggestions!

I'm hoping the weather in mid-September is nice enough to rent a convertible. I can hardly wait to be touring through the Tuscany countryside with the top down, wind blowin' - just like the movies!

Thanks again, everyone!!!

[pete_coach]

......
I need to add here that you have to be prepared with a VERY fat wallet if you visit this 'shop'. My s-i-l told me about it and asked if I could bring her a bar of pomegranate soap. Sure I can, for $15 euros! We are talking one (1) bar of soap! It is a beautiful old place, but the help tends to be on the snooty side and most products are displayed in glass cases without any prices visible. Just giving you a heads-up! One bar of soap and I was outta there!


Funny how two experiences can be so different.
We found the shop and courtyard very beautiful and the folks in the shop very proud of it and, freindly as all get out. They were more than willing to speak about it and offer all sorts of stories about the shop through the ages. It was as much a museum as a retail shop.
I will admit it can be pricey but after all, it is a Perfumerie, all products hand made, in limited production and not a cosmetic counter in a large department store. Also, in the end, you don't have to buy anything.
It was just a suggestion for a hidden gem.
Oh and yes, this shop is in Florence. Greve in Chianti, the Castello and other shop are not.

[CruiseLiz]

We like Gubbio, Pienza, Montalcino & Siena.

Also highly recommend doing a wine pairing lunch or dinner at Castello Banfi, it is excellent and was a highlight of our trip.
http://www.castellobanfi.com/

[euro cruiser]

For anyone headed to Assisi, I just read a wonderful article written by an American woman who lives in the area: http://www.slowtrav.com/rebecca/assisi_shopping.htm

[anniversay/grad trip]

We are planning a drive through Tuscany in June. Having been to Florence before, we decided to plan a route from Livorno through the Bolgheri area, but we are finding that alot of the wineries only offer tours/tastings during the week. Does anyone know of any wineries in this area that offer tours/tastings on a Saturday? We have chosen the scenic route posted on the VIAMICHELIN site. We are in port for 12 hours and are renting a car. I have mapped out a 2 hour drive ending in Cecina (which allows for alot of stopping along the way) and 2 hours back. With 4 hours of total driving I figure that will allow for a nice leisurely day.....

[anniversay/grad trip]

We are planning a drive through Tuscany in June. Having been to Florence before, we decided to plan a route from Livorno through the Bolgheri area, but we are finding that alot of the wineries only offer tours/tastings during the week. Does anyone know of any wineries in this area that offer tours/tastings on a Saturday? We have chosen the scenic route posted on the VIAMICHELIN site. We are in port for 12 hours and are renting a car. I have mapped out a 2 hour drive ending in Cecina (which allows for alot of stopping along the way) and 2 hours back. With 4 hours of total driving I figure that will allow for a nice leisurely day.....

Has no one visited wineries on a Saturday that can be recommended? I am having a really tough time finding anything....I have search several Tuscan websites and sent several emails but so far nothing???

[CathyCruises]

Don't know about wineries, but save your time in going to Cecina--there is nothing there worth seeing IMO. I was expecting a picturesque seaside town--but no. Drove all the way out there, had a coffee, and drove back. There is so much worthwhile to see in Tuscany--you may want to review your plan.

Cathy

[anniversay/grad trip]

Don't know about wineries, but save your time in going to Cecina--there is nothing there worth seeing IMO. I was expecting a picturesque seaside town--but no. Drove all the way out there, had a coffee, and drove back. There is so much worthwhile to see in Tuscany--you may want to review your plan.

Cathy

Thank you Cathy for the heads up- I am trying desperately to gather information on a picturesque route (Like you see in the movies) through Tuscany and by far this is the hardest port to plan. It seems everyone that stops in this port goes to Pisa and Florence. I am told that the route along S222 is nice, but I can't find any open wineries along this route. Any suggestions from someone who's done it?

[euro cruiser]

I am trying desperately to gather information on a picturesque route (Like you see in the movies) through Tuscany and by far this is the hardest port to plan. It seems everyone that stops in this port goes to Pisa and Florence. I am told that the route along S222 is nice, but I can't find any open wineries along this route. Any suggestions from someone who's done it?
I think you've got two problems here, complicating your planning. First, as you've found, it's difficult to find wineries open on the weekends. You may find you need to settle for tastings at an enoteca rather than a vineyard.

Second, the picturesque roads you often see in guidebooks or movies are quite a distance from the port in Livorno. Tuscany covers a large amount of ground and, unless you are willing to do a lot more driving, I'm not sure you're going to find what you're looking for. One of the most photographed areas of Tuscany, as well as a famous wine region, is the Val d'Orcia, where you find the roads lined with cypress trees, enormous, beautiful, green valleys, and wonderful brunellos. Unfortunately, it would take you at least two and a half hours to reach this area from the port in Livorno, which makes for a long day of driving.

Have you tried looking into wineries or enotecas in the San Gimignano area? There they are known particularly for a white wine, vernaccia, as well as the super tuscans. This area is only about an hour and a half from the port. The landscape is lovely, though different from the Val d'Orcia.

[SOOKIENY]

We were in Tuscany in May. We had lunch at the Torciano Winery, which was very good. Another great stop was at San Giaminagno (sp) a midevil village that was great to walk around.

[CathyCruises]

I think you've got two problems here, complicating your planning. First, as you've found, it's difficult to find wineries open on the weekends. You may find you need to settle for tastings at an enoteca rather than a vineyard.

Second, the picturesque roads you often see in guidebooks or movies are quite a distance from the port in Livorno. Tuscany covers a large amount of ground and, unless you are willing to do a lot more driving, I'm not sure you're going to find what you're looking for. One of the most photographed areas of Tuscany, as well as a famous wine region, is the Val d'Orcia, where you find the roads lined with cypress trees, enormous, beautiful, green valleys, and wonderful brunellos. Unfortunately, it would take you at least two and a half hours to reach this area from the port in Livorno, which makes for a long day of driving.

Have you tried looking into wineries or enotecas in the San Gimignano area? There they are known particularly for a white wine, vernaccia, as well as the super tuscans. This area is only about an hour and a half from the port. The landscape is lovely, though different from the Val d'Orcia.

Yes, unfortunately I got way too familiar with the lovely Vernaccia--never found anything to rival it on the rest of our trip. I was buying it in the grocery store for 4.20 a bottle. First wine in Italy to receive the very prestigious something-or-other designation. I miss it. ;)

Anniversary/grad trip, let me know where and what time you will be docking and what time you have to be back and I will pull out my maps and tell you what we enjoyed the most--we put 7,348 km on our leased car in 5 weeks, so we did a LOT of driving!

Cathy

[anniversay/grad trip]

Yes, unfortunately I got way too familiar with the lovely Vernaccia--never found anything to rival it on the rest of our trip. I was buying it in the grocery store for 4.20 a bottle. First wine in Italy to receive the very prestigious something-or-other designation. I miss it. ;)

Anniversary/grad trip, let me know where and what time you will be docking and what time you have to be back and I will pull out my maps and tell you what we enjoyed the most--we put 7,348 km on our leased car in 5 weeks, so we did a LOT of driving!

Cathy

Cathy, how very nice of you to take the time to do this.....I love this board! We will be docking in Livorno (Florence/Pisa) (aboard the Celebrity Century) on Saturday June 5th/2010 from 7am to 7pm. Any help you can offer is most appreciated....

[Fairfield Folks]

What can anyone say about travel to Tuscania and Lake Bolsena out of the Civitiveccia port--looking for ideas on wineries, restaurants, neat sites?

[iancal]

Three days is not a lot. Like the OP said, I would pick up a guidebook. That, along with your personal likes and dislikes should do it. My one piece of advice would be to no rush around in a vain attempt to see everything and eat in all of the 'best restaurants'. Pick a few places, take you time en route. Soak in the beauty. From our perspective, better to really enjoy a few places because if you rush around like some of the tours you will not remember the highlights. Be careful, watch out for the speed cameras (they are signed). If you speed, about six months after returning home you will see some high charges posted to your credit card by the car rental agency. Also, a number to cities, including Florence, Assisi, and many others in Tuscany have no go zones for those motorists who are not locals or do not have permission permits. Ignore these zones at your peril.....an unpleasant charge may appear on your credit card months later! We did this last year but stayed at a wonderful agritourism just outside of Sienna. We intend to go back, probably next year, and spend about 2-3 weeks in Tuscany.

[anniversay/grad trip]

cathy, how very nice of you to take the time to do this.....i love this board! We will be docking in livorno (florence/pisa) (aboard the celebrity century) on saturday june 5th/2010 from 7am to 7pm. Any help you can offer is most appreciated....

cathy what do you think about livorno to siena to san gimingano (sp?) is that scenic?

[anniversay/grad trip]

cathy what do you think about livorno to siena to san gimingano (sp?) is that scenic?

Has anyone done this route through Tuscany that can make a comment or suggestion? We are trying desperately to plan a route thru Tuscany that is scenic. as well as a few wineries/oil tasting but, we are having a tough time finding anything available on a Saturday.....HELP!

[fabnfortysomething]

the winery was Rocca delle Macie.our tour guide incorporated this wine tasting as part of our tour-probably on commission from the owners!
It was sufficient for our needs we just wanted to say we had tried some of the local produce,if you want a full tour of a vineyard with explanations of all the processes perhaps this wouldn't be enough

Siena and San Gimigiano are both very picturesque

Siena is larger with a cathedral and the famous sloped central area where they have an annual horse race[featured in the last Bond movie]

San Gimigiano is a walled hilltop village with lots of narrow winding streets

you probably couldn't spend a long time at either place but we wanted an overview of the area and that's what we got

we didn't go to Volterra but that will probably be on a lot of tour guides itineries now as the latest Twilight movie was filmed there-anyone with teenage daughters will probably be dragged there!

[euro cruiser]

we didn't go to Volterra but that will probably be on a lot of tour guides itineries now as the latest Twilight movie was filmed there-anyone with teenage daughters will probably be dragged there!
Actually, not. Although the story is set in Volterra, I believe the actual filming took place in Montepulciano.

[anniversay/grad trip]

the winery was Rocca delle Macie.our tour guide incorporated this wine tasting as part of our tour-probably on commission from the owners!
It was sufficient for our needs we just wanted to say we had tried some of the local produce,if you want a full tour of a vineyard with explanations of all the processes perhaps this wouldn't be enough

Siena and San Gimigiano are both very picturesque

Siena is larger with a cathedral and the famous sloped central area where they have an annual horse race[featured in the last Bond movie]

San Gimigiano is a walled hilltop village with lots of narrow winding streets

you probably couldn't spend a long time at either place but we wanted an overview of the area and that's what we got

we didn't go to Volterra but that will probably be on a lot of tour guides itineries now as the latest Twilight movie was filmed there-anyone with teenage daughters will probably be dragged there!

Funny you should say that...I have an 18 yo daughter who said the very same thing...LOL

Thanks you for the name of the winery I will email them to see if they are available for a small tour on a Saturday. Did you have lunch in the area (or winery) that you could recommend?

[nfowife]

We did a tasting at Tenuta Buonamico on a Saturday- it was a private tour/tasting for just our party. They put out a lovely spread for us and with that and the tasting it was 15 euro pp (we were 4 adults). They are located just outside of Lucca, so not very close to the other Tuscan sights you are looking at. But, wanted to pass along the info.
http://www.buonamico.it

We live in Italy and love San Gimignano. We like Cortona too, it is a bit sleepy but very cute. Also like Arezzo, Assisi (a MUST do IMO), and Perugia (famous for its chocolate and a great university town). Orvieto is also very nice and a great pit stop on your way up for a few hours- you can park right next to the basilica in the center of town, it seems weird but just do it :) .

[iancal]

It is so difficult to depend on other peoples likes and dislikes. My advice would be to get a guidebook, read through it, and then make your selections based on timeframe and your personal desires/wants.

[LDIdeals]

My husband and I will dock in Livorno on a Wed., mid Sept. this year and are wondering which would be the better option for exploring that day. We will be in port from 6 a.m. til 7 p.m. and walking would be no issue for us. Our cruise ship has an excursion to Cinque Terre for $129 pp which sounds reasonable compared to the private tour prices I've seen. Says you travel to Riomaggione and walk the "Path of Love" and then also visit Manarola & Vernazza and Monterosso al Mare.

Also, sounds like if we chose Lucca/Pisa we would be best to do on our own via the train. And, the cruise also has an excursion to San Gimi/Volterra for $149 pp including lunch at a local farmhouse.

any suggestions/recommendations? All appreciated. Lynn

[Hlitner]

Only you can decide what best fulfills your interest as there are several good options. By the way, many know I am not a big fan of tours and here is a good example. If a 4 person family (or any group of 4) takes the excursion to Cinque Terre it will cost $516. If those same 4 people rented a car their total cost would be no more then $200 (including car, entrance to Lovers Walk, trains between the villages, etc. This is not to say that everyone should rent a car in Italy, but I am just pointing out the cost differentials. Another favorite example is Civitavecchia to Rome where it generally costs about $65 - $75 per person for a bus provided from the cruise line. However, the train (actually faster then the bus) costs about $12 for a BIRG ticket which not only gets you round trip train to Rome but also includes unlimited use of all the metro and bus lines (except for the HoHo bus).

Hank

[CathyCruises]

Yes, no question that the cruise lines are making big bucks on their tours! I am always surprised when young, healthy people choose the tours over exploring on your own! I think if you are mobility-challenged or inordinately afraid of the unknown, the tours can be okay, but you are herded around in huge groups and I feel the whole experience is highly diminished. We met some great folks our age at our table on our last cruise, (mid 50's), and they had booked a ship's tour in every single port. When we gathered at night and exchanged stories, their days sounded exactly alike no matter where they went. They had to have spent more than the cost of the cruise itself for all tjhose tours, and saw Europe from behind the windows of a giant bus.

The best alternative is checking out your roll call and joining together with some like-minded folks for a private tour, which is usually much less expensive and much more rewarding.

This is MY OPINION only!!! Take it for what it's worth! I know there are people who swear by the organized excursions.

Cathy

[LDIdeals]

Thanks for the responses; I'm a bit confused because now I see that the ship has excursions from both Genoa and the Livorno port stops to Cinque Terre. I would consider ourselves healthy and adventurous but I feel a bit intimidated by some of the posts about train times back and forth to Cinque Terre from ports and only considering the ships excursion so as to not have to rack my brain about logistics and worry about getting back to ship on time.

That said, I'm leaning towards going to Cinque Terre from Genoa as it seems that I'd have places within Tuscany I may like to visit while in port at Livorno.

Any thoughts? Ship excursion is $129 pp regardless which of the 2 ports you may take the trip from. Since it is just my husband and I it seems a reasonable price versus the private tour cost. And, just an aside, I've been focusing on an ill mother for the past year who is heading towards her end days and now has hospice. So this is making me a bit weary and not as enthusiastic about trying to plan it all on our own. Other ports seem a breeze to do on own compared to this (i.e. train from Rotterdam to Amsterdam; hop on hop off buses in Oslo, Barcelona, etc.).

I truly appreciate the opinions and experiences of others.

[CathyCruises]

In which case a ship tour to CT makes sense. I have been through the issues you are going through and it is totally draining; my sincerest sympathies.

I would do CT from Genoa as there is so much else to see from Livorno. I have been to Genoa, through it actually, a couple of times. I think Portofino would be nice to visit but I am not sure about anything else you would miss.

Our favorite spot is the Blue Marlin in Vernazza. We just went there a few weeks ago and it was closed for winter--bummer! The owner is great and there are only a couple of menu choices, but last time I had an amazing pasta with homemade pesto and DH had fresh mussels marinara. I guess I will jsut have to try again.

Best of luck and enjoy your trip--you deserve it!

Cathy

[LDIdeals]

Thanks, Cathy for the prompt reply... I appreciate it:) We shall see as time goes on if I get ambitious enough to consider training from Genoa to CT on our own... still time before I have to book the excursion but will definitely do the trip from Genoa and enjoy some of Tuscany when we stop in Livorno. Lynn