Region · 10 articles · 5 places
Between Florence and Monte Amiata lies a landscape shaped by people over the centuries, with Renaissance cities, wine estates and hill villages. If you want to enjoy it at an unhurried pace, limit yourself to a few bases and leave the car parked in the cities.
Tuscany is large and varied, yet for most travellers it begins with a triangle: Florence in the north, Siena in the middle, the Val d'Orcia in the south. In between lie Chianti with its vineyards and woods, San Gimignano with its towers and a string of hill towns that have kept their medieval or Renaissance character. Several of them are on the UNESCO World Heritage List, among them the historic centres of Florence, Siena, San Gimignano and Pienza, as well as the whole of the Val d'Orcia.
The region divides sensibly into three areas. Florence and Lucca in the north are cities you explore on foot and by train. Chianti, between Florence and Siena, is wine country with winding country roads, wine estates and small towns such as Greve, Panzano, Radda and Castellina. In the south of the province of Siena the Val d'Orcia opens out with Pienza, Montalcino and Bagno Vignoni, and Montepulciano lies on its eastern edge.
For food and wine lovers, Tuscany is above all a wine region: Chianti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano all come from here, along with olive oil, pecorino and a country cuisine built on a few good ingredients. Many farms welcome guests as an agriturismo, and at numerous wine estates you can stay overnight.
The coast with Versilia, Maremma and the islands is part of Tuscany too, but it is not the focus of this magazine. If you are looking for culture, wine and landscape, plan a week inland and combine one or two cities with two rural bases.
Places
When to go
The most pleasant months are April to June, as well as September and October. In Florence the average daytime highs are then between about 18 and 28°C. In July and August they climb above 31°C, and the cities are crowded. Winter is mild, with highs around 11°C and cold nights just above freezing; the cities are quieter then, and some rural accommodations are closed.
September and October bring the grape harvest, followed in late autumn by the olive harvest. Easter, the spring holidays and August with Ferragosto on 15 August are among the busiest times. The Best time to travel tool compares the months.
Choose a month for details.
Trip planning
Travel and regions · Tuscany
Florence, San Gimignano, Chianti, Siena and the Val d’Orcia in seven nights: a route with short stages, fixed bases and everything you should know about ZTL, parking and rental cars.
Travel and regions · Tuscany
Since 2004, the cultural landscape south of Siena has been on the World Heritage List. If you stay two or three days and spread the villages across the time of day, you will experience more than cypresses by the roadside.
Where to stay
Hotels and hideaways · Tuscany
In legal terms, an agriturismo is a working farm that takes in guests, while a boutique hotel is a small house with service. Which one suits you depends mainly on your car, the length of your stay and how you like to spend your evenings.
Agriturismo · Pienza
Organic family farm near Pienza with eight apartments, a vegetable garden, a vineyard and a weekly pici night.
Hotel · Siena
Historic palazzo in Siena's old town, a guesthouse since the 1920s, with a garden, round-the-clock reception and its own car park.
Food and wine
Food and wine · Tuscany
Sleeping where the wine is made: a holiday apartment at the edge of the vine rows and a wine resort are worlds apart. A guide to wine regions, kinds of accommodation and the questions to ask before you book.
Food and wine · Tuscany
Black rooster, three tiers, eleven place names: the label of a Chianti Classico says more than you might think. What the terms mean according to the consortium, and how to choose in the shop and on the wine list.
Food and wine
A glass before dinner with a few nibbles: how the aperitivo works, where vermouth, Spritz and Negroni come from, and what ends up in the glass in Tuscany, on Lake Garda and on the Amalfi Coast.
Wine estate · Radda in Chianti
Fortified wine village near Radda in Chianti with organically produced Chianti Classico, rooms, villas, an osteria and a cooking school.
Experiences
Experiences
Agriturismo, cooking school, private chef or market tour: which kind of class suits you, what to ask before you book, and what ends up on the table in Tuscany, on Lake Garda and on the Amalfi Coast.
Cooking school · Florence
Cooking school in Florence's Oltrarno near Palazzo Pitti: group classes for pasta, set menus, pizza and gelato, plus private lessons.
Way of life
Lifestyle and design
Ceramics from Vietri, paper from Amalfi and Lake Garda, leather and gold in Florence: where to experience workshops, how to recognise handwork and how to get your purchases home safely.
Lifestyle and design
Standing or sitting, pay first or order first, cappuccino in the afternoon: the most important habits of the Italian bar and the words that get you what you want.
Lifestyle and design · Tuscany
South of the Arno, between Santo Spirito and San Frediano, gilders, bookbinders, goldsmiths and silk weavers still work. A walk through their neighbourhood and the rules for a respectful visit.
Workshop · Florence
Leather school and workshop in the former monastery of Santa Croce, founded after the war, with a shop and courses.
The main airports are Florence and Pisa. Florence airport is in Peretola, about four kilometres from the centre; according to the regional tourism portal, tram line T2 takes around 20 minutes to Piazza dell'Unità at Santa Maria Novella station. From Pisa airport, the People Mover takes travellers to Pisa Centrale station, and the car hire stations are about 500 metres from the terminal.
For the cities you do not need a car, for the countryside you almost always do. Pick up your hire car only once you leave Florence: the old towns of Florence and Siena are traffic-restricted zones (ZTL) monitored by cameras, and if you are staying in a hotel inside the zone, your licence plate has to be reported through the accommodation. A route with short stages is described in the article Tuscany in seven days.
For Florence, Siena, Chianti and the Val d'Orcia, a week is a good frame if you limit yourself to four or five bases. With ten days there is time for Lucca, Pisa or a detour to the coast.
Not for Florence, Siena and Lucca: you can reach the cities by train or bus and explore them on foot. For Chianti and the Val d'Orcia a car is almost indispensable, because farms and villages are scattered.
Ideally both: two to three nights in a city without a car, then one or two bases in the countryside. Which type of accommodation suits you depends on the length of your stay, who is travelling with you and how you like to spend your evenings.
From November to February. Some rural accommodations are closed then and the days are short, but the museums in Florence and Siena are much emptier than in summer.
Images: AI-generated illustrative images by the editorial team. They show typical scenes, not specific houses or people.
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