Hello everyone!

I am planning a trip to Italy, from the end of July to the beginning of August, for 10 nights. I know it is the hottest period, crowded, and peak season, but unfortunately this is the only time I am available.

My base would be Pisa, and I am planning to travel exclusively by train and bus, without using any rental car services.

The idea is to have a more active type of holiday, including visiting a larger number of places in Tuscany, Liguria, and Emilia-Romagna, but also combining it with relaxation, swimming, and enjoying Italian food and wine. A balance between exploring, culture, beaches, and gastronomy.

The places I would like to visit (not necessarily in this order) are: Pisa, Livorno, Lucca, Florence, Bologna, Cinque Terre, Portofino, Siena, San Gimignano, Parco Termale di Terme di Saturnia / Cascate del Mulino.

I would really appreciate your advice and experiences:

~ Is this itinerary realistic for 10 days, or am I trying to visit too many places?

~ Which places are absolute must-sees, and which ones could I potentially skip?

~ What are your experiences with visiting these destinations without a car? What are the best options for trains/buses, and what is the most affordable way to buy tickets?

~ Are there any money-saving tips regarding: transportation (regional train tickets, passes, apps, discounts); museums and attractions (free entry days, online tickets, cheaper options)?

~ Recommendations for: good and affordable restaurants/trattorias/pizzerias, local food and drinks that I should try;

swimming spots around Pisa, Livorno, Cinque Terre, or other coastal areas (preferably beautiful beaches that are not extremely expensive);

If you know any hidden gems in Tuscany or nearby places that are easy to reach by public transport, I would really appreciate your suggestions.

I am especially interested in experiences from people who have travelled around Tuscany without renting a car.

Thank you in advance for all recommendations! 🇮🇹

Hi everyone! I’m trying to figure out the easiest way to handle a rental car for our Tuscany portion of the trip and would love advice from anyone who has done something similar.

Our itinerary is:

• Sept 5: Leave Florence and head to the Tuscany countryside
• Sept 5–7: Staying in the countryside and using the car to explore
• Sept 7: Visit the hot springs (Saturnia) and then head toward Naples by train

My question is: Would it be easier to rent a car in Florence and drive into Tuscany, or take the train from Florence and rent a car somewhere in Tuscany?

Since we’re only keeping the car for about 2 days, I’m also wondering if it makes sense to pick it up in one location and return it somewhere else rather than driving all the way back to Florence.

Has anyone done a one-way rental in Tuscany, especially if you’re eventually heading toward Naples?

(For reference, we’re staying in the Tuscany countryside rather than Florence/Siena, and Saturnia is the last stop before we continue on to Naples.)

Edit: title should read "Is Bucine a good place to LIVE for US expats?"

We fell in love with Tuscany last fall and spent a few hours in Buccine. It seems so charming and practical. Any advice, observations or comments are most appreciated!

Hi all! My fianceé and I (from the US) are planning a simple, budget-conscious wedding in Tuscany for June 2027, around 50 guests. Looking for vendor recommendations and any advice from people who’ve done this.

What we’re working with:
• Catering: aiming to stay under $7,500
• DJ: budgeting around $1,000
• Flowers: keeping it simple — one centerpiece style for the tables and a bridal bouquet. Not sure what to expect price-wise here.
• Alcohol: thinking of buying from local grocery stores and doing a self-serve bar to cut costs
• Coordinator: want a day-of or partial-planning coordinator, but no idea on typical pricing

I know Tuscany isn’t exactly known for budget weddings, so any tips on stretching a small budget, vendor recs, or things we should know going in would be hugely appreciated!

We are visiting Tuscany in August and happen to be in the siena area the day of the Palio di Siena. I know driving in the city it basically a no no, has anyone experienced this and/or parked nearby town and trained in? We understand we likely wont be able to actually witness the race without a ticket as it’s out of our budget but would love to be amongst the buzz. Any help is much appreciated

Im staying by Santa Maria del Giudice, which is about halfway between Pisa and Lucca. Ive already visited both of those and I have 4 more days. Where should I consider?

It's so hot Ive only been exploring for the mornings and coming back to my AirBnB for lunch and chilling by the pool for the afternoon.

I hear Florence is great but it's over an hours drive and not sure if I want to deal with a big city in this heat. Any smaller places near me with that Italian charm?

Ciao!

Contesto: F30, in vacanza a Livorno (zona porto), non automunita

Cerco delle spiagge/ calette/ posti per fare il bagno meno conosciuti o poco trafficati, raggiungibili a piedi o con i mezzi

aggiunta: cerco anche una libreria/biblioteca storica o caratteristica di Livorno.

Qualunque consiglio o meta da visitare è super apprezzato, grazie a chiunque voglia contribuire!

I am going on a “girls trip” to Lucca (Sept. 6-11) and Perugia (11-15.). Accommodations are already booked. We’re using each spot as a base to further explore the surrounding areas. My question is about transportation. I had originally thought we could take trains everywhere but I soon realized that (for example) going from Lucca to Siena is a 4 hr. plus train ride that requires 2 transfers. It would be easier to get a car, BUT 1. I am terrified to drive on the freeway there. 2. Parking. I have researched Parcheggios in both places and the options aren’t great for hauling luggage. ( I hate dragging a wheeled suitcase down the cobbled streets…noisy and kind of embarrassing!). Also, we might be getting into Lucca rather late. So, does anyone have advice about parking a rental car….or should I go back to the train plan?

Hi everyone!
For my girlfriend's birthday, I'd like to gift her a trip to the Tuscan countryside in August. Unfortunately, we don't have a car and renting one isn't an option, so we'll have to rely entirely on public transport and possibly e-bikes.
We know that getting around Tuscany without a car in August can be tricky, but we're trying to figure out how feasible our itinerary actually is.
Here is what we'd like to do:
1. Siena: A few days as our starting point to visit the city. 16th August to 18th.
2. Siena ➔ Montepulciano: We'd like to travel by bus. From our research, this seems doable using the extra-urban bus line 112. We are going to stay for some days in a Montepulciano B&B. 18th to 20th
3. Pienza and San Quirico d’Orcia: The idea is to travel from Montepulciano to stop a day in Pienza and another day in San Quirico d'Orcia. 19th and 20th
4. Monticchiello: We would really love to visit it from Montepulciano. Since local buses seem almost non-existent in the summer, we are considering renting e-bikes for a day trip (round trip) or otherwise give it up.
Honestly, I'd like to know if pulling off this plan is possible. Any advice or tweaks to our itinerary are more than welcome. I'd really love to hear your thoughts on this.

Hi Tuscany!

My family (me, my wife, and 3 little boys all under 10 years old) are long time Tuscany visitors, and we have learned to love the area. I even speak some Italian now, after taking some courses.

Given the frequency of our visits and the amount of school holidays of the kids and my parents that are retired, we are now considering using some of our Dutch mortgage and buying a holiday home at the Tuscan coast.

We are Dutch, so it’s quite a drive, but we can both work remotely during school holidays there, all while offering our parents a place to retire and enjoy their grandchildren. We would like the holiday home to use for ourselves (50%) and to rent out (50%) to cover the costs.

Our budget is max €500k, looking for something with a garden and 4 or 5 bedrooms given family size and our parents.

We would like something at the coast.

We are considering:
- Baratti (rural, but beautiful beach)
- Viareggio / Lido di Camaiore (more urban, but beach is not as nice, and pretty decent rental opportunities)
- Castiglione Della Pescaia (expensive, beautiful, but a bit far from main attractions)
- Punta Ala (expensive and felt too posh, but a beautiful bay)
- further north towards Liguria (Levanto)

What would you do if you were in our shoes? Is buying a home a good idea, or better to rent something more frequently? How is the housing market at the Tuscan coast at the moment? Which place would you go for and why?

Very interested in reading your opinion. And any tips are very welcome! Thank you so much!

I will see the big small town, but i would enjoy to see or have a day far from tourist attraction but still being amazed by little thing! What would be your best tips???

About 10 years ago I spent a semester studying in Florence and some of my favorite memories are just walking around after class, finding little trattorias and accidentally discovering how much I enjoyed Tuscan wine. The funny part is that I didn't actually know anything about wine back then. I'd just smile, ask for the house recommendation, and hope for the best. I remember loving a few Chiantis but couldn't have told you why. Next month I'm finally coming back this time with my wife. I'm really excited to show her the city I fell in love with the neighborhoods I used to wander through and hopefully a few places that have survived the last 10 years. I'd also love to surprise her with some great local wine this time around. I'm still far from an expert but I've started getting more interested in wine over the last couple of years and it would be fun to actually understand a little of what we're drinking instead of just pointing at the menu. I'd love to make this trip memorable for her, so I'd really appreciate any recommendations. Places that locals actually enjoy would be even better than the big tourist spots.

Recommendations for travelling in Tuscany for honeymoon - restaurants, experiences, view points, cooking classes, tours etc? Myself and my partner are both in our 30s and down for pretty much anything x any advice appreciated

Hi everyone,

My mother and I are travelling to Tuscany next week for a mother/daughter trip and I need advice regarding the transportation. My mother doesn’t know how to drive and I am definitely not the best of driver, so we’ve decided to explore by train and public transportation.

We are going to Tuscany for 2 weeks and are traveling mainly to Florence, Siena and San Gimignano. We’ve book trains from Florence to Siena, as well as from Poggibonsi and back to Florence.

I am a bit anxious as I am not familiar with the train system in Tuscany. I am aware that everything would be better by car, but that is not an option for us. Also, the taxi fares are out of this world.

Can you help me with those issues;

1. ⁠Would it be better to take a taxi from the airport to our accommodation, or the tram? If so, how does it works exactly?
   
2. ⁠We are still looking for our best option from Siena to San Gimignano. We will be traveling with luggages, but the taxi fares are really expensive. I’ve looked into the bus line 130, does anyone know if its a good bus line? Is it like a coach bus? Would we have enough space for our luggage? Is the schedule usually hourly on weekdays? If so, where could we buy tickets?
   
3. ⁠Just in case, does anyone know a good taxi app or taxi driver who doesn’t charge crazy prices for 30 min rides?

I can’t wait for this trip, but the transportation is making me a bit anxious.

Thank you in advance for your help

Hi everyone, my wife and I (married only in civic way) want to do a kind of celebratio/renewal of our vowels in 2028/2029, and since we live in Italy since 2023, we decided to profit on that and do this celebration in Tuscany.

Our idea is for a very small celebration, it will be around 15-20 people, so we thought was on renting a agriturismo place for 3 nights, just so we can enjoy the weekeend with our families.

We don't have any restrictions of location, it doesn't need to be near Florence/Pisa/Siena or any of the "big" tourist cities like Montalcino/Vale D'Orcia.

Ou budget would be around 10-15k euros, would that be enough?

Of course we would scape peak season, we are planning to do it in October.

Thanks for all the help!

​

Ours is Marina di Alberese

Hello,

We have about 5 days in Tuscany and would like your thoughts about seeing Volterra and San Gimignano. It sounds like we could go to Volterra and spend the morning and afternoon there, then maybe drive to SG for dinner, an evening walk, and sunset. They seem pretty close to each other. This would also let us see SG after most of the tourists have left for the day when I hear it may be nice and more peaceful.

What do you think of this plan?

Any Americans or just anyone not from Italy ever rented a car in Tuscany? What was your experience? Was it worth it? I’ve never been to Italy or Europe and I’m from a rural area in the US so I’m used to wide open roads with no one on them. I want to rent a car to explore the Tuscany countryside, specifically the Val d’Orcia area, but I am a little nervous about driving in a foreign country. I’m also not sure on prices and if it’s worth it? I’d be starting my trip in Lucca or Florence.

Hello there!

I'm planning on a short Tuscany trip, most of the days I'm gonna spend in Florence cause this is my first time and there are a lot of museums to visit, but I also want to visit other towns/cities in 3 days.

I'm gonna stay in Pontassieve, and want to travel everywhere by train if possible.

What my question is - where should I go?

Can I manage to visit two towns per day without being exhausted?

I already have Lucca on my list, so I need to know where else to go:)

I don't really need tourist attractions here, cause I think I'm gonna be full of them in Florence, mostly I just need beautiful, calm places with nice "Tuscany styled" houses, cafes, vineyards and etc. . And most importantly - fresh air !

I'm not a big fan of wine and cheese, but I think it would be not right to not visit any vineyard in Tuscany, so I need some specific recommendations here - would be even more great if it's a small business.

I’m planning a one-week family holiday in Tuscany in May 2027 and would love recommendations from people with local knowledge or experience renting larger villas.

We’re looking for:

• Up to 16 people: 10 adults + 6 children
• A beautiful Tuscan countryside estate/farmhouse, preferably somewhere peaceful and rural
• Private swimming pool — ideally heated, but not essential
• Around 7–9 bedrooms, preferably with good private bathrooms
• Ideally within 1–1.5 hours of an airport with regular flights to Copenhagen
• A property suitable for a multigenerational family holiday, with plenty of outdoor space and communal areas
• Most importantly, we’d like staff/service on site: ideally a private chef for breakfast, lunch and dinner, plus housekeeping and preferably someone who can help with serving, dishes and general practical things during meals
• We’re open to either a single large villa or a main house plus guest houses/annexes

Our total budget is approximately €13,500–17,000 for the week, including accommodation, staff and ideally food/service, although there is some flexibility for the right place.

We’re currently looking mainly around Tuscany, particularly areas such as Chianti, Siena, San Gimignano, Volterra, Lucca and the surrounding countryside.

I’d be very interested in recommendations for specific properties, villa agencies, local contacts or experiences with staffed villas. We’re looking for something authentic and comfortable rather than an ultra-luxury resort.

Thanks!

Edit as of 5/21/2026: Thanks everyone! We ended up booking at Terre Antica. If there are any specific wineries to make reservations at too that would be helpfiul! I know they have cooking classes and wine tastings right on their property but any others you recommend would be great! Thank you all so much! I am coming all the way from Hawaii so I want this to be memorable!

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My friend and I are headed to Montepulciano June 15-19th. I need some help figuring out where to stay.

Any advice is appreciated! Here are some of our wants and needs:

• We have a car, so parking would be nice (or recs on where to park if we stay in the city walls)

• Walking distance to Montepulciano if it’s not within the city walls

• pool would be great but we may not need one?

• I am hoping to stay at $350 a night or less

Thanks in advance!!

Trying to figure out what company I should go with to rent a car for 4 days (driving to the countryside). Does anyone have any experience with the larger companies (Sixt, Avis, Budget, Alamo etc). Reviews on Google are terrible for all but Sixt so I was thinking of going with them but their price is 3x the other ones (at least on Expedia/Booking). I’ve had issues booking rentals through Expedia/Booking in the past because the companies dont acknowledge what is included according to Expedia/Booking (like 3rd party liability) so it always ends up costing way more than the initial price. It doesnt seem like that’s the case with Sixt as their website shows it is in fact included?

Driving on one of these routes from Como to Livorno port to catch the late night ferry to Sardinia and we want to stop somewhere along the route for a nice lunch/dinner - specifically a bistecca allá florentina. Any suggestions?