Tuscany
Ah, the sweetness of an Italian summer in Tuscany! Even if you haven't been there, you have a warm, sunny mental image of the sweeping landscapes, the luscious foods, the easy, cafe pace of life - one cappuccino at a time.
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We rented a BnB Casa, in the hills above Lucca, for 31 days this past summer (it went too fast) and used it as a home base for discovering the Tuscany of our dreams. For the month of June we walked, drove, rode trains, ate, and drank our way from coast to coast (the east coast is not technically Tuscany but we wanted to go see) and, of course, hung around the casa pool on our days off from exploring.
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On this page I have described the places we visited and the things we enjoyed about them.
Background
Tuscany is renowned for its landscapes, unique food and wine, as the birthplace of the Italian language, and famously for the explosive flowering of the renaissance movement.
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Smack dab at the crossroads of traffic between Rome and northern Europe, Tuscany was hostess to travelers along the Via Francigena, the Pilgrims’ Route, during the medieval period. These pilgrims brought with them coinage to pay for food and shelter along the route, fueling the growth of communities around churches, inns, and taverns.
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In medieval times political power was retained in small city-states, and competition amongst these led to development of protective walls and embattlements around communities, large (like Sienna) and small (like Certaldo). These medieval structures are in existence still today, a quaint yet evocative reminder of times when life was more of a struggle.
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As Florence became the powerful center of trade and finance in the region in the 15th century, wealthy Florentine families were the benefactors of the artists and architects that enriched this part of the world with new ways to see reality through humanism, a departure from the world of the Catholic Church.
Florence is so studded with aging and carefully maintained vestiges of the renaissance that one need only walk through the streets to fulfill one’s photographic quota.
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The Florentine writer, Dante, is credited with popularizing the Florentine language through distribution of his writings far and wide. Eventually, the dialect of Florence became Italian, the official language of Italy.
How to book:
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This is Europe! English is spoken. Everything is modern. You will find hidden delights almost everywhere you look, so do some exploring on your own. Book your arrangements yourself online and leave some flex time to follow your passions. You will meet people and discover new things.
Climate:
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Tuscany has a mediterranean climate with hot dry summers and mild winters. In summer the temperature can go up to 90F and in the winter it can get as cool as 50F.
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Although the mediterranean climate is assumed to have long periods without rain in the warmer months, it does rain on occasion and having rain gear is advised. Late fall is when it rains the most, and can dump as much as 4” in a month.
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In the summer, the wind comes in from Africa and there might be climatic events called Sahara Dust, with the skies filling with fine dust and turning interesting shades of beige. Horizontal surfaces will get covered with this beige dust and the sunniness is anemic.
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Accompanying lovely warm summer days are the throngs of tourists which make the hot sticky weather even more intolerable. A typical day in Florence in the summer will see thousands of people unloading from tour buses and crowding the streets, museums, gardens, and restaurants. Although the weather might still be chilly in April, it is more likely to be less crowded.
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Currency:
- Italy is in the Eurozone. Most places will accept credit but it is nice to have some Euros on hand if you are touring some out of the way places. You can get cash at ATMs or a few bills at the airport, so no need to panic about changing your money beforehand.
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Language:
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Italy became a unified country in 1861, and Italian became the unifying language. However it wasn’t until 2007 that Italian was officially declared the language of Italy. Understandably, many regions in Italy still use the local dialect.
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Since modern Italian is derived from the Florentine dialect, the two are closely aligned. Italian is a reliably phonetic language, and If you spend some time studying Italian with a language app such as Duolingo and learning pronunciation, you will find it extremely helpful for reading signs and menus, asking questions, and generally getting around.
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Transportation​
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Italy has a very good rail system, including bullet trains between major cities. We took trains to Florence and to Viareggio whenever we went to those places. Unless you plan to spend a lot of time on the train, a rail pass is not economical.
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Flying into (and especially out of) smaller airports can be an exercise in frustration. When things go wrong, and they often do, there is no sense of urgency to solve the problem. Americans expect the airport process to go smoothly, so can become impatient with the more relaxed way of life in southern Europe. If you are not carting around a great deal of luggage, it might be best to fly into Rome and take the bullet train to Florence.
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We did not find Uber in Tuscany, and taxis are not plentiful. Furthermore, the streets in Tuscan towns are narrow and often closed to vehicles in the historic centers. Visitors must be patient and understand that taking a taxi will not be the same experience that it is in New York City. We actually had a taxi driver refuse to take us to our BnB outside of the city.
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Many locals ride bicycles to get around town. They are easier to park and to negotiate narrow streets. You will find bikes leaning against many a building or fence. Bikes are rentable and although they may not be in tip top condition you can have fun touring around local sites.
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Cars can be rented for long periods and this is advisable if you have plans to visit far-flung destinations. Be aware that gasoline is extremely expensive.
Lodging and popular destinations
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Everything fills up at the more popular times and locations, so you should try to book 6 months in advance in order to acquire the type of lodging you are comfortable with. Happily, this can be done online with a minimum of fuss.
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Make sure you know where you are going when you get off the train as the taxi drivers may not know your destination and places do not necessarily have an “address.” More like, as the British used to call it, “directions.”
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You will need to get tickets to popular destinations ahead of time as most are time slot scheduled. This can be done online in English, and keep your tickets in your Wallet app.
To help you make decisions about your trip
Recommendations
Lucca
This picturesque city is famous for it's medieval fortification wall and buttresses. It is a sizable town with all the necessary amenities, such as nice restaurants, gelateria, tourist shops and museums, and quaint narrow streets to explore. Not as much a bustling mob-scene as Florence, it is nonetheless on the map, as it sponsors an annual music festival in the summer with big-name celebrities.
You can walk or bike on top of the wall for an elevated view of the surroundings and some of the architecture within the walls is medieval in age and style. There are even some remnants of Roman architecture to gawk at and photograph.
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The piazzas are punctuated by fountains or statues and cafes and gelaterias line the streets. There are usually buskers set up in places where people congregate, to heighten the Tuscan-ness of your afternoon.
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Some of the old Palazzi are open to the public, and a walk up into a tower is a treat, with views of the valley and mountains.​
We rented a BnB casa in the hills south of the city, in a green, leafy forest with a pool and lawn, fruit trees, and donkeys, and an occasional wild boar (cinghiale). The view across the valley and up into the mountains to the north was breathtaking. For an exciting time, the drive up to the hills from Lucca and back was winding, bordered with rock walls, and at times no wider than 4" on either side of our car's side mirrors. ​
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Pisa and Viareggio
Easy to access regionally from Lucca and worth the trip are Pisa, well known for the tower but there is more to see, and Viareggio, a typical seaside town for summer fun at the beach.
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In Pisa one must brave the tidal wave of vendors hawking tourist junk to get to the Piazza Miracoli with the cathedral, the tower, camposanto, and museum, etc. Good insta opps! The harbor is also an opportunity to see interesting architecture and scenic views, although the parking is madness in summer, so park once and walk.
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Viareggio is a short 20 minute train ride from Lucca. There is also a non-stop bus to take you there. A typical sesaside Italian town, the Main drag along the beach sports haut couture shops and sidewalk cafes. The beaches are mostly privately owned and you must rent an umbrella and chaise for the admission to the expanse of beachy waterfront. The mediterranean is not a warm bathtub as some might imagine - coming from California this was a small disappointment to us, but the water is a delightful refreshing respite from the heat and humidity of summer.
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Pisa and Viareggio
In the region of Lucca we visited Pisa, of the famous leaning tower, and Viareggio, a seaside town, both about a half hour train ride west.
One must brave the tidal wave of vendors hawking tourist junk to get to the Piazza Miracoli, where the cathedral, tower, camposanto, museum etc can be found. Lots of insta opps there! The harbor is also a good destination for sightseeing, but parking in summer is madness so park once and walk.
Viareggio is a typical European seaside town, with the main drag that parallels the coast lined with restaurants, haute couture retailers, and tourist gift shops. The food venues vary from hole in the wall pizza joints to sit down street cafes. We sometimes packed a lunch for our day at the beach but also caved to grabbing a quick snack after sunning all morning.
The beaches are mostly privately owned, so you will need find a parcel of beach resort in your preferred location and “rent” an umbrella and chaise. The mediterranean is an actual sea, not a warm placid lagoon - the water can be chilly (reminiscent of San Diego summer ocean temps) but refreshing after baking in the heat and humidity of a typical Tuscan summer day. Don’t forget to bring your towel!
Via Francigena
The Via Francigena, the pilgrims’ route from Canterbury to Rome, still exists in it’s entirety in Tuscany although it has been “modernized” along with the progress of the ages, and some of it continues along major roadways (not as scenic as the routes along dirt roads in the countryside).
Hiking along this pathway brings the visitor through picturesque towns, villages, farms and fields, and gives the walker a great view of the diversity of the Tuscan landscape, both urban and rural.
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Our first encounter with this route was near Lucca, in the Serchio river valley with views of the Apuan Alps to the north. We chanced upon a church in the town of Capannori that was celebrating a Saint day -congregants were gathered in the courtyard to make a mural out of flowers and pieces of bark. Further on we scaled the hillside at the Torreta di Porcari, among olive groves and mulberry trees, for a view up and down the valley, and found a Pasticceria with excellent breads and pastries and affordable cappucinno (1.4 Euro).
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Our second encounter was in the region where hilltowns are thick on the ground. We walked from Gambassi Terme to Montepulciano, through farmland and olive groves, with fabulous views of the hills and houses framed with Italian cypresses in phalanx formation.
Our third trek was in the hills above Carrara surrounded by vineyards and old villas, with views of the Apuan Alps and Carrara marble quarries towering over the town.
Venezia (Venice)
Although not located in the region called Tuscany, who can travel to Italy and not see Venice? The history of this city is fascinating, built on the salt trade and later trade of other goods through maritime routes, this city developed fabulous wealth and power in the region - reflected in the spectacular, ostentatious palazzi lining the canals and walkways. In this automobile-free environment, one can be a proud pedestrian and walk your soles off. Wayfinding is a challenge, though, as there is no "grid" here.
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The collection of islands, originally built to provide isolation and security from marauding armies, are perched atop wooden columns driven into the mud of the lagoon and clustered together to create a platform. The city’s structure suffers from the onslaught of the occasional high water tides, the wakes caused by very large tourist vessels, and the gradual sinking due to the tremendous weight of stone architecture. And now it will have to deal with climate change and rising sea level. I'm sure you've seen pictures of Saint Mark's Square under 2 feet of water despite the sophisticated drainage system.
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The halcyon days of Venice’s domination of the maritime trade ebbed long ago, and today it exists mostly as a monument to a bygone glory. Many of the ornate, overstuffed palazzi have been turned into museums or headquarters of one organization or other. And many lie vacant and crumbling. Nevertheless Venice is a thriving place, buttressed by the tourist coinage.
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You will find Venice swamped (sorry for the pun) with tourists in the summer months and lodging there is extremely expensive and rare if you wait too long to book.
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You will want to visit the usual sights, such as Saint Mark’s square, Doges Palace, the island of Murano, the old Jewish Ghetto, Rialto, and the Grand Canal because they are super cool, but take time to wander the paving-stone pedestrian ways and over the bridges that wind around and through the islands.
Firenze
Florence. The word is reminiscent of a bouquet of flowers, or a spinach omelette. The Italian name, on the other hand, is sharp and aggressive, as was the city state in it’s power-wielding heyday. Once the center of the regional trade network, the riches that passed through the city accumulated greatly in the hands of a single wealthy and influential family - the Medici.
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Massive buildings were endowed by this family, extant and imposing, today housing art and artifacts of that era. The Uffizi Gallery and the Pitti Palace are among the sites worth visiting, as well as the vast and scenic Bobolli Gardens. We visited an out of the way museum called the National Archaeological Museum, at the time exhibiting a large haul of Etruscan artifacts. Very interesting, if you are enamored of the past, and not at all crowded!
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Most famous in Florence is the Duomo, the cathedral complex at the heart of the city. It was enough for us to walk around the outside of this collection of extravagant green and white marble topped with terra cotta and gold. But you can pay to go inside and up into the dome.
Get your tickets ahead of time!
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Of course there is shopping to be done. I’m not one for the haute couture shops, especially when these can be found anywhere in the world. But things that are uniquely Italian, I’m all over it! I bought three splendid leather items at the Florence Leather shop.
Hill Towns
What was originally intended to provide a protective enclave during the middle ages, hill town fortresses with narrow winding streets and stone buildings crowded together, piling up toward the top of the hill like a lego structure, now appear as quaint and dreamy to us north Americans used to urban towers and suburban sprawl. And they speak of a time when life was circumscribed by those walls, when people lived in a “community,” and one’s future was set according to tradition and “the way things are done.”
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These little gems are sprinkled around the Tuscan countryside. You can string together 4 or 5 for a day long road trip, but you shouldn’t miss the largest hill town, Sienna, and it will take a day just to visit all the notable sights in that one municipality. We wandered the streets in Sienna and came upon a group of young men practicing their drumming - it was one of the serendipitous moments that freeform wandering can reveal.
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People still live in those hill towns but certainly not in the way folks did when they were built. The major historic features, like castles, churches, manors, and Piazze are preserved and picturesque. But now there are, in the smaller towns, cafes and restaurants, inns and gift shops, check to jowl with history. And in the larger towns like San Gimignano, an air of Disneyland and major coin being dropped. The narrow streets are crowded with modernized store fronts, Gelaterie and white tablecloth trattorie, and all the retail outlets found in any place where people spend a lot of money.
You will pay for parking at places like San Gimignano as well as for the honor of accessing the toilet rooms. And you will wait on long lines for the more popular purchases, such as The World’s Most Famous Gelato. We refused to concede to such an embarrassment until a rainstorm chased everyone away and we went right on in and ordered!
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I picked up some unique items at some of towns we visited, such as hand painted dish towels, ceramic art, and carved rolling pins.
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Of course there are lots of opportunities to sample the excellent wine from Tuscany. The Montalcino, Montepulciano, and Chianti regions are world famous for their notable wines made largely of Sangiovese grapes. The history of wine culture in this region dates back to the 8th century BCE as evidenced by amphora found in Etruscan archaeological sites. You can book yourself a guided tour and spend the day visiting different locales and tasting their wines, or you can stumble upon a wine cave with outdoor tables sporting magnificent views, as we did at San Gimignano. Might as well try them all - you really can’t go wrong.​
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Cinque Terra and Carrara
Have you seen pictures of pastel-colored edifices clinging like candy barnacles to the steep cliff faces while the waves crash below? Yeah, that’s Cinque Terra. Literally the five earth, it is a collection of five fishing villages strung along the palisades above the Gulf of Genoa that are picturesque for their actual coloration as well as their improbable existence on this rocky coast. The area has been made into a national park to protect its unique and lovely nature.
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Hiking trails bring intrepid walkers through the five towns with great views along the way. Caution, this is a long trek with quite a bit of elevation gain and loss and cannot be done in one day if you also wish to spend a bit of time in the towns themselves, which is - let’s face it - the reason you are going to begin with. You must get a permit to hike these trails - they won't let you onto the trail without your certificate.
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There is a ferry that docks at 4 of the five, leaving from port in La Spezia to the east around the Porto Venere peninsula, except during rough seas when it does not run at all which is why we ended up taking the train. There is a tourist train that stops at all five towns and then continues north up the coast.
I imagine that April would be a fine time to visit this fairytale place, when the crowds would be thinner and the heat less oppressive, but we were there in June and it was a throng scene.
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Everybody wants to see Cinque Terra it seems, and it is really worth bearing the trip and the wall to wall tourist milieu.
I remember learning about Carrara marble many long years ago in art history, so long ago that my synapses can barely find the memory pathway, but we all know that Carrara marble is a synonym for purity writ in stone. That milky white substance free of blemishes and impurities had inspired the greatest of the renaissance sculptors to carve perfection in form from perfection in the medium.
The Appuan Alps are literally a mountain range made of marble. It is not all pure white and most of the rock quarried these days is shades of grey, but still beautiful. These quarries have been in operation for over 2,000 years with the Romans being the first humans to figure out how to hack the rock out of the mountain and tumble it downhill to the port in Carrara. It is estimated that a staggering five million tons of marble are taken from these mountains every year. It is a highly regulated process.
There is an interesting homegrown museum and gift shop up the mountain where tours are booked. We visited two different operations - one on the surface further up the mountain and the other a cave quarry deep into the heart of the mountain.
If you are going to Cinque Terra you might as well stop here to check out the breath-taking view from the observation point above the active quarrying activities - you will be heart-stopingly transported there in an open jeep bumping along a rough and VERY steep road that switchbacks several thousand feet above the town of Carrara. White marble chips and dust will be coating your entire being when you are through with this tour.
Aside from the awesomeness of the immensity of the whole quarry thing, it is interesting to know how difficult it is and was to get this stone back to civilization and all the many uses of marble, now and in the past. Follow up this visit with a trip to a museum to see exquisite sculptures by the renaissance masters and put two and two together.
Food
No blog about Italy would be complete without some comment on food. So, I gained a few pounds in the month we were there! What can you expect when you eat pasta and gelato everyday? It’s just so irresistible! And we justified it as “research.”
I’ve been to Italy several times and I have to say that the quality of gelato that we experienced this year in the major tourists spots has been what I call “Americanized” in that it tastes more like ice cream than like gelato, which has a more intense flavor and interesting essences. So if you desire real Italian gelato that transports your tastebuds, you will need to step off the beaten track and find a Gelateria in a small town that caters to locals.​​
Up a mountain road from our home in the hills south of Lucca on a Sunday afternoon, we found a trattoria called Quatro Venti (4 Winds) with excellent dishes and copious wine. They did not speak English and my Italian was trained by Duolingo, so when they asked us questions, undoubtedly about what we wanted and how much, we just nodded and said Si! We ended up with a little of everything and a lot of wine. Delicious food just kept coming out of the kitchen and ending up on our plates, and so naturally we ate too much. The place was jammed with locals who probably make a trip to this place a Sunday routine (and then go home and lie down!). We had to walk back down the mountain, helping our digestion along the way.
We cooked at home, mostly, and did our shopping at the Esselunga supermarket down the hill. I believe we shopped there everyday in order to have fresh food for three meals for 5 people. The thrill of finding new and interesting food substances to take home and try was like a siren song. And the wine section held our attention just as long. We went home with several very affordable bottles of wine each trip. Wine accompanies each meal, that is just how it’s done. We found that sipping wine with food changes the flavor of the food. Who knew? The market has a cafe inside so a couple of cappuccino each became part of our shopping experience!
Pizza in Italy is not like pizza in the States. It is baked in a wood oven and the toppings combinations stretch the imagination. Back home we call these things “designer pizza” because they are boutique compared with the standard American Pizza Joint fare. The best pizza I’ve ever had was in a little dockside trattoria in Pisa - amazing flavor without drowning in sauce.
We were in Tuscany in June and it was hot and humid, so we supplemented our water bottles with electrolytes from Lemon Soda - like lemonade with fizz (pure and simple). You can purchase a six pack of two liter bottles for a very affordable price. Highly recommend this for warm day excursions!
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Your trip to Tuscany must include a tour of a vineyard and olive farm. We visited a lovely organic compound in the Serchio valley, Colle di Bordocheo, that produces organic wines and olive oils. The visit began with a tour of the vineyards and olive groves and a discussion detailing their organic farming methods. The tasting portion soaked our gullets in olive oils and focaccia in preparation for the onslaught of 7 different kinds of white, zinfandel, and red wines. I, for one, had a challenging time getting back to the car, but I'm an alcohol lightweight. Needless to say, we spent the rest of that day lounging by the pool back at the casa!
Six years ago Kelton and I attended a one week food tour in central Italy (Ciociaria region). In the mornings we prepared the Chef’s grandma’s best recipes and in the afternoons we visited places where the comestibles were made, such as a cottage sausage farm, a buffalo cheese factory, a winery, and a coffee roasting place. Invariably we were treated to four course meals, which in my opinion is two courses too many. We joke that we were force fed, but really this is how people gain weight when they stay too long in Italy (remember Eat Pray Love?).
On a rainy day this summer we conducted a focaccia taste test tour, sampling offerings from 12 panaderie in the Serchio valley and ranked them (it was raining! what else could we do?) according to best focaccia features. We ate a lot of focaccia that day and felt slightly sick, but we are now focaccia experts! Each place baked the bread differently, and each region has it’s own recipe and style. Focaccia is the staff of life in Tuscany!
