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| Joey’s Guide to Tuscany |
| Joey's Travel Guide >> Guide to Tuscany |
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If you are going in winter, you will be there at the most amazing time; There will be Christmas markets in all the cities and towns. And people will be selling treats to snack on on the street, like marrone - roasted chestnuts - yum! If you are going in the summer, you will blown away by Tuscan’y beauty; The rolling vineyards and olive groves, the perfect weather, the people and the food are to die for. I adore Italia!!!!!! Have an amazing time!! Check out this fabulous apartment some friends of mine rented for a honeymoon week recently - they raved about it. In one of my fave little towns in the world. parker villas All the Frommer's links below should have links to maps that you can print and take with you. If you do rent a car and drive, you should plan ahead and take a good driving map for driving in Tuscany. I would get an Italy road map at the bookstore so you have one with you though you can easily just follow the highway and then exit whenever you want to check out a town as they are always listed on the exit signs. Then you just follow the 'centro' signs into town which looks like a circle with a dot on it. Those always take you to the historical center of any town. But since it is your first time there you will feel better with a map and who knows how good the one at the rental car place will be.
Siena
http://www.frommers.com/destinations/siena
We loved Siena. It is very beautiful and picturesque and better than Florence because it is less touristy. Definitely go to the top of the tower in Siena. The view is so great! Tuscany
http://www.frommers.com/destinations/tuscanyandumbria
Rent a car - at least for a day in Tuscany is greatly suggested. That way you can hop in the car and drive wherever you want all day and have a great adventure. You will need cash for tolls along the highway. The highways are really nice and it is quite easy to get around. To get to the center of any town just follow the signs that say 'centro' and have a black circle on them. Those always lead you to the center of any town. Driving around in Tuscany is all tiny windy streets but it is the only way to get to see some of the lovely little towns and go to some wineries etc. In the Tuscany/Florence/Siena area here are some cool areas to visit that are within driving distance. Daniel and I spent our honeymoon in this area and are absolutely in love with it. it is beautiful and romantic. Definitely send the boys off on some adventure at least once and have a day just you and Ran can enjoy some time alone together in this area. You can send the boys on a hike or a bike trip for a day or go together on a tuscany day trip though you would probably have fun just wandering, eating gelato and hiking around the outskirts of a town - we tramped through vineyards for hours when we were there and it was a blast Chianti Wine Region
http://www.frommers.com/destinations/chianti
an amazing driving area, winding roads, hills, cypress trees, olive groves, quaint little towns everywhere, vineyards to stop and taste wine or buy wine and olive oil at, it is basically heaven - a great place to hike, have lunch in a tiny picturesque town and just take in the views (bring motion sickness pills if you get car sick - the roads are very windy and I was ill there) - Castellina, Radda and Gaiole in Chanti are all good little towns San Gimignano
http://www.frommers.com/destinations/sangimignano
A lovely ancient, walled, little hill town that is pedestrian only. you park in a lot below the town and walk up into it. there are some great cafes and shops and the famous tall old bell towers. San Gimignano is especially nice at night when the tourists leave (if you stay a night stay at La Cisterna - request the top room in the hotel which has 2 views - into the town and out into the valley). If you can go there for dinner, reserve a table on the terrace overlooking the amazing view at Le Vecchie Mura Pisa
http://www.frommers.com/destinations/pisa
Is a toss up. everyone stops to see the leaning tower and it is fun but it is kind of a hassle to get into town and park just to do that. Do it if you all really want to see the leaning tower and take the photo of you looking like you are holding it up but I would suggest a stop in Lucca over Pisa anyday. Lucca
http://www.frommers.com/destinations/lucca
I absolutely suggest a stop in Lucca. It is on the way from Cinque Terre back to Florence and is unlike any of the other town you will see, it feels more like one of the northern, more German towns. It is really nice and pretty with a wide wall around the whole old town that has parks and trails on top of it. you can rent bikes and rode around and there are tall trees and it is really nice. I hear amazing things about Assisi, Cortona, Fiesole, and Volterra which are in or near Tuscany/Siena area but I haven't gotten to any of them yet. Avoid Poggibonsi - it is an ugly industrial town Cinque Terre
http://www.frommers.com/destinations/thecinqueterre
So gorgeous! And if you like seafood you will like this place. Do at least part of the hike from town to town along the sea as the views are breathtaking. I suggest not staying in Monterosso if you can avoid it. though it has the only sandy beach and it is nice if you only see that one town, it is nothing in comparison to the quaintness of the other towns because it is the most touristy and crowded town of them all. Vernazza and Corniglia re the most picturesque and I would suggest staying in one of those if possible with Riomaggiore as the next choice. Here is a good description of the different towns: http://www.frommers.com/thecinqueterre/towns and this describes the hikes and beaches: http://www.frommers.com/thecinqueterre/beaches OK, sorry I am so longwinded. It is definitely a fault of mine. But as you can tell, I am very passionate about Italia!! Please feel free to ask any further questions and I am willing to help more in any way. Click here for a review of Rome, Florence and Venice. Have a wonderful trip!! Baci, baci, (kiss, kiss - an Italian way to say good bye to a dear friend) Joey
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