Around Florence
There are many other things to see and do within a few hours of Florence. Here are some of our favorites, and more ideas from other websites.Below you'll find our most recent articles in "Around Florence"
I had a chance to take a walk in a field in the hills around Florence up near Settignano this afternoon:
We spent a relaxing winter weekend in Sillico recently - a small hamlet of about 100 people in the region known as the Garfangana (just about a 2 hour drive from Florence). The Garfangana is up the Serchio river valley north of Lucca, and lies between the Alpi Apuane (famous for Carrara marble) and the Apennines. We stayed in a lovely little apartment that is part of a triplex just below (100 meters down the road) the town - there are two rental units, and the owners live in the third. You can find more about the house here (we highly recommend it!). There is also an excellent restaurant in Sillico, Belvedere, with regional cuisine, home made pastas, and a friendly and warm staff. We really enjoyed the dinner we had there, especially the copious antipasti (don't miss it if you get the chance) and local wine (€6 a bottle!).
The Garfangana in general is known for its chestnuts - and surrounding Sillico there are numerous marked walking trails through the forests and hills. Most of the pictures below are from the house and the walk we took in the immediate area. Sorry but I have yet to identify the names of the mountain peaks!
Vinci is a small village about an hour from Florence by car (see map below), and most famous as the birthplace of Leonardo da Vinci. The town is surrounded by hills with the typical Tsucan landscape of vineyards and olive groves that are much the same as in Leonardo's time.
There is a little piazza with an installation by Italian artist Mimmo Paladino which we thought was interesting the day we visited.
We found a new course (new to us at least) on the web the other day, the Montelupo Golf Club. It looks pretty good for a nine hole - the par is 36 so you get to take the big clubs out of the bag on several holes. The best part is the twilight fee of 20 euros. I will be playing a round here soon I hope and post more about it when I do.
- Florence Golf Club Ugolino One of the most famous courses in the region, in a great location heading down towards Greve on the 222 (the Via Chiantigiana). We have only heard good things about this course, but I am afraid to say that we have not had the chance to play it. Their website (in English) is comprehensive, including directions, rates, and contact details.
- Poggio dei Medici Golf & Country Club This is another excellent looking golf course we would like to play! Located about 25 kilometers north of Florence, in the Mugello region. It is a newer course, opened in 1995, but has quickly built a strong international reputation and is host to several major golf events. Their website is in English and has complete details.
- Golf Club Le Pavoniere This course is just outside of Prato, about 20 kilometers west of Florence. Their website (unfortunately for us English speakers) is only in Italian, but this is a full 18 hole course with the usual amenities.
Poggio a Caiano is a former Medici villa at the foot of the Albano hills. It is on record as being the only surviving architectural structure commissioned by Lorenzo the Magnificent, and became a favorite of his that was used by the family dynasty for centuries. It was also one of the favored summer residences of the grand duchess of Tuscany Elisa Baciocchi Buonaparte, Napoleon's sister, and the possible site of her affair with Nicolò Paganini, who gave concerts in the Villa's theater. It was eventually a summer residence of King Victor Emmanuele II before being turned over to the state.
I take the Eurostar train from Rome to Florence (only one hour and 40 minutes), then change to a slower regional train to Empoli. A caffe latte later and I'm on an even slower two-carriage train with no glass in its windows, to Poggibonsi in the heart of Tuscany. From there a bus to San Gimignano. Within an hour I'll be sharing vino, laughs and tales of the story so far with my friends.
Inside the ancient stone gates of San Gimignano, siesta is over and the place is jumping. The passeggiata (evening walk) has begun and the tiny walled village with its numerous stone towers -- the Manhattan of medieval times -- hums with tourists buying, locals strolling, kids playing. Gelati are being slurped, aperativi tossed back, loud conversations hurled about. The streets are as small, hot and narrow as I remember, but there's an energy here that's exhilarating."
We had a great visit with our friends Jane, Ken and Casey on Saturday in Greve. They live on the property at Fattoria Viticcio, a noted winery and agriturismo. More to come about the day soon -
Just came across this good but a little outdated (the prices are given in Lira) list of restaurants that are outside of Florence, with mini-reviews. Most are in the Chianti area, but there a few from other towns.
The Certosa del Galluzzo is a hill top monastery just outside of Florence - a short drive (out the Porta Romana and follow the Via Senese), or accessible by bus or taxi. The 37 bus used to service this route, but that route seems to have disappeared from the ATAF website - the 36 looks like the one to take now. You will have to walk up the hill (here is a large image of the route).
The monastery has a few monks left and tours are conducted about every half an hour. The collection includes some important works by Pontormo who came here to escape the plague in 1522. Closed for lunch from 11:30 to 3, and in the winter open only afternoons - it is probably best to call ahead for a visit: 055 204 9226
Bagno Vignoni, known for its thermal baths and spas, is a hamlet in the rolling hills southwest of Siena in the quintessential Tuscan countryside of post cards and movies. Like a lot of small towns in this country it has been brought back to post-war life and is fully set up to exploit the tourism trade with ample parking, hotels (Albergo Le Terme, Hotel Posta Marcucci), and fancy places to eat (Osteria del Leone). Even so, it still retains a lot of charm and is one of those places you eventually have to see, especially for the large pool in the center of the town that has been used since Roman times. The film Nostalghia by Andrei Tarkovsky features the pool prominently, although when it was in a much worse state of repair (the film was shot in 1983). Here is a good map of the village, and this page has some additional information too.
North of Lucca, in the area known as the Garfagnana, is the Grotta del Vento - one of the most accessible (and highly commercialized!) caves in Tuscany. As a day trip from Florence with kids, it is pushing the limit - we followed the directions on the official website, which had us getting off the main highway much earlier than Lucca, and it was slow and tedious going trying to stay on the correct roads. I would suggest you stay on the A11 until Lucca and then get on the SS12 heading north up the Serchio River Valley.
The trip is nearly two hours, but once you are past Lucca and start heading up the valley, it is really quite picturesque. You also pass the Devil's Bridge at Borgo a Mozzano which is an amazing example of medieval engineering. Either before or after a visit to the cave, you can also stop in Barga (barganews.com is a good website), a beautiful and ancient hill town with the ruins of a Roman aqueduct among it's sights.
The picture is of our daughter Alice in the cave.
Sant'Alessandro a Giogoli is a very interesting looking Romanesque church (12C) on the way from Florence to Montespertoli. It is just off of the SP4 (Strada Provinciale) or Via Volterrana and is surrounded by olive groves. The sign on the front says there is a Ghirlandaio inside, but the church was closed both in the morning and in the afternoon on my way back and forth from Montespertoli to visit a friend. Hopefully I will return soon and try a little harder to get inside.
Fiesole is just outside and above Florence. It is an ancient little town and great for a day trip (the ATAF #7 runs to Fiesole): nice walks, lunch in the Piazza Mino da Fiesole (try Perseus), roman ruins, churches - it has it all - plus amazing views on the Arno River valley and Florence. Unfortunately a giant public works project has had the piazza ripped up for years. The last time we were there, things were still looking pretty rough. Today we took a drive up for a walk and lunch with the kids since they were off from school, and the piazza now seems to be at least half way done - the construction walls are down for the most part, and you can see the statue of Garibaldi and Vittorio Emmanuel II (the link is to an old photo) having their famous handshake again. And the piazza will now be public space and not a car park as it used to be.
This was Thanksgiving week for all U.S. transplants, and we took advantage of that by doing too much traveling and too much eating. Sandwiched around two turkey dinners, one in Montespertoli on Thursday and one here in Florence on Saturday, we took a day trip Friday to Rome to visit with some family who was there and to see the new Ara Pacis Museum. Firstly - Rome as a day trip from Florence with kids can be a little too much - it is only 1.5 to 2 hours on the train (if there are no delays!), but there is the getting to the station and back, the walking around while there, and the cost of the tickets. We seem to have gone for much less in the past, but this trip set us back 44 € a head - which at today's exchange is pretty steep for a one day excursion (we flew to Paris last spring for less). Next time, we will spend at least a couple of days there and squeeze some more in. There are so many things to see in Rome, and the Ara Pacis Museum is one of the newest. I was interested in both the altar itself and to see the new building by Richard Meier that has caused such a fuss in the Eternal City. I found the Ara Pacis amazingly inspiring. It is such an enormous and beautiful piece of antiquity - a truly stunning piece of history and art. So, I came back from Rome and started up a new website for it - please check it out when you get a chance: Ara Pacis Museum
Another of the big summer events in Tuscany is the Palio in Siena. We were there for it in 1998. This is an ancient horse race in the piazza and is quite a site - there is a great new article about the Palio here.
I took a day trip the other day with my friend Aki through Chianti. Our main destination was the Macelleria Tozzetti in Mercatale Val di Pesa (more on that later). It was a really beautiful day and after a couple of quick stops we ended up at the Osteria Le Panzanelle for lunch. This is a little road side place on the way to Radda (if you are coming from the north). Lunch was outside, with the breeze blowing and the sound of the small river running close by. We had an excellent bottle of local Chianti, and I had the Scottaditi for my secondo, which was very good. If you are in the area, give this place a try.
My brother emailed and said he has a friend who's taking the train from Rome to Florence for the day. She was looking for suggestions about the best way to spend one day in Florence, where to go, where to eat, etc. Here's what I said:
It's hard to give advice to someone I don't know because I don't know what type of traveller they are, but if it was me I would:
1) take the 5 minute walk from the train station to the Duomo. Here you could: a) go into the cathedral (Santa Maria del Fiore), b) climb to the top of the Dome, c) climb to the top of the Campanile or d) go into the Baptistry --- my choice would be to go into the Baptistry which is just beautiful with bronze doors by Lorenzo Ghiberti.
