Need a recommendation for a small town within an hour from Florence

April 16, 2013 7:10 PM

I am ready to pull my hair out planning a Month long trip in August for my 14 year old daughter and I. I have plans and lodging set for 3 of the 4 weeks. I am looking in the Tuscany area of Florence, but do not want to stay in Florence. I want a small town, charm and comfortable.

We Will be coming from Siena, having been to Lucca and Assisi. After the Florence area heading to Venice on our last leg of what I hope is a wonderful trip.

I found an ok deal on an apartment in Cortona, but having second thoughts. Thinking it would be better to not stay South of Florence as I will see several small towns around Siena and Umbria area prior to.

Cortona looks like its 4 miles from the train station up hill. There is a bus to/from the train but not consistent. I dont want to rent a car for this leg due to the expense. I want to be in a town, but dont know where to consider if I rule out Cortona. What recommendations for small town or knowledge of Cortona do people have to share.

PS, also need tips on car rental and planning my train arrival and departs- not looking forward to that research. This planning stuff is so time consuming. Thanks

posted by snztt99 to Travel & Transportation around Florence, Italy (10 answers total)

Not sure if it's a part of Tuscany, but would suggest looking into the Cinque Terre area, which starts at La Spezia (direct train from Florence- about an hour). From there, you take a local train to 5 villages, all very scenic and overlooking the sea. They're smaller towns, but big enough to walk around and all have lodging, restaurants, shops, etc. I was there for 2 days/1 night, but could have easily spent a couple days in the villages and hiking between them as that's the real beauty of the area. Or as my parents did, take a boat between them. It's one of those places you can exhaust yourself or be a bum. No car needed. Pisa can also be made on the way from Florence, but it's a 1-day thing.
I can provide more information about Cinque Terre area if interested.

Train planning: You can purchase tickets ahead of time for specific dates/times, and they actually tend to travel on time! However, I hate their website and have always purchased my train tickets that day, or maybe a couple days in advance if I'm making a lengthier trip (eg, Rome to Florence) to make sure the assigned seats are next to each other. All their main depots have at least electronic ticket machines, which are very easy to operate with Destination/Arrival & estimates times. The first time I was in Italy, I went to The Termini (Rome's main train depot) my first day and purchased all my train tickets that day; made life a lot easier and less stressful. Just act like you know what you're doing & do not accept help from random people- they will expect/demand a tip.
It's been a while so I forget the terminology, but there are Express and Slower trains. This is usually pretty clear by the Departure/Arrival time on your tickets. Eg, between Rome & Cinque Terre, it could take 4 hours for cheap$ or 1.5 hours for expensive$. This info should be clear on the electronic ticket machines before making a purchase. At that larger train depots, they have ticket agents you can ask specific questions about train fare and tickets. They understood most English, but could get tricky when trying to get specifics.
posted by jmd82 at 9:24 PM on April 16, 2013

You might try Pisa. It's a small city which I found was very pleasant when I spent a couple of weeks there on a training course a few years ago. Pisa is a reasonably short train ride from Florence and a short bus ride from the coast.
posted by monotreme at 10:38 PM on April 16, 2013

There's also Vinci, of Leonardo da Vinci fame. It's very small, not many tourists, and really wonderful for curious kids since they have all of da Vinci's models, drawings and such. I stayed there for a week several years ago, and it's both easy and pleasant to get to Florence from there. Gorgeous countryside. I've been to nearly the whole of northern Italy (I live nearby in Nice, France), and it and Torino stand out as my favorites after Florence. Pisa was nice, but quite touristy compared to Vinci.

From Florence, you take the Firenze/Pisa/Livorno train line to Empoli station, then take the Copit bus line from Empoli to Vinci (looks to be in Italian only). That bus was pretty reliable when I was there, but it was several years ago.
posted by fraula at 12:44 AM on April 17, 2013

What about Fiesole? Close enough to Florence to go in for the day and see the main sights, but with much more of a small town atmosphere.
posted by Azara at 2:21 AM on April 17, 2013 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Can Fraula give more info/description of Vinci. Small good, but are there a few shops, town center, places to eat. I assume yes, but I know some villages are basically just residential housing. I very much want a local comfortable feel with some local places.


Where is Fiesole from Florence in What direct? Is it connected by train service to Florence
posted by snztt99 at 4:00 AM on April 17, 2013

Fiesole is northeast of Florence. As the earlier link says, it's a hilltop town. You're going to have the same problem as with Cortona, Siena and any other hilly town - the train station is always at the bottom of the hill and you'll need to get a bus or taxi to get into the old town itself. There's a train station called Fiesole Caldini north of Fiesole, but the usual way to get there is the #7 bus from the main train station in Florence, for a 20 minute bus journey.
posted by Azara at 4:47 AM on April 17, 2013

Pescia, maybe? It's a bit west of Florence. A few years ago, I stayed in the country outside of Pescia and used Pescia as my train hookup point, including for a trip to Florence. Don't remember exactly how far out it was, but an hour sounds about right.

PS, also need tips on car rental

I will never, ever deal with the car rental agency Maggiore again, for one thing. Take detailed pictures of your car the second they hand you a key, and keep your guard up when you give the damned thing back to them.
posted by COBRA! at 8:20 AM on April 17, 2013

Verona!

While farther away from Florence than you would like, it's also closer to Venice. It is 100% walkable, even from the train station. Verona is the perfect place to rent a flat for a few days, enjoy an opera in the ancient Arena (bring a bottle of wine and sit in the cheap seats). Fantastic restaurants (caffe Dante), a few gorgeous Piazzas, public swimming pools and playgrounds, and above all, friendly people.

After searching for a medium/small sized town in Italy to make our primary Italy destination, we have settled on Verona and have rented there 3 times since. Love it.
posted by 0110 at 8:51 AM on April 17, 2013

I adore Tavernelle. It's not _too_ far from Florence, about an hour by bus, and the most gorgeous views of mountains and vineyards on the way.
posted by Tamanna at 8:51 AM on April 17, 2013

Fiesole is probably the best suggestion so far. If you are going further away, maybe Lucca.
posted by mumimor at 2:37 PM on April 18, 2013