A few tips about timing your trip to Tuscany.
Visiting in high season? – Tips for your trip to Tuscany
Ok, you’ve decided to visit Tuscany in peak season, you’re in Florence in the Summer and it’s very hot and crowded. Go to visit the busy places, such as the most popular museum like the Uffizi as early as possible, and book in advance to avoid hours of queuing. And then choose some less known places in the Mugello or Garfagnana for example to escape the heat and balance the hectic and intense Florentine experience.
If travelling in high season the advise is to choose less-known destinations to match with the more popular ones, for example see the Leaning Tower of Pisa and then head to the hills around Pisa in search of some hidden small town to relax in.
Off-season paradise
Why not visiting Florence in November or February? It might be a bit cold, that’s true, but you have the benefit to have more peace and quiet than in high season. If you venture into some smaller town yuo’ll notice even more how the winter brings a quieter and slow rhytmh. Staying in San Gimignano for example or Cortona in the winter or even a tiny hamlet in the Chianti you’ll experience a more authentic side of Tuscany. Bring warm clothes heavy coat and you’ll be happy as a… (you might consider a warm pijama as in the country hotels is quite chilly, but it adds to the experience!).
Stay the night
It’s a good idea to consider booking a night in one of the popular day trip destination such as Siena, San Gimignano, Lucca, Volterra or one of the hilltop towns that have made Tuscany famous. Bu staying the night, you’ll be able to enjoy a relaxing dinner and experience a different side of these towns, how the atmosphere relaxes in the evening after the crowds have gone. If it’s summer life goes on in the evening with a gelato and a passeggiata al fresco, in the colder month life just quiets down.
Join a local Sagra
Sagre are the food festivals obliquous all around Tuscany thought the year. It’s a very good way to mix with the locals, and try some very local specialities at very cheap prices. Ask to your hotel or B&B for reccomandation or look online www.eventiintoscan.it (only in Italian). During the Summer there’re often some kind of small festivals or events in the evening that fill the streets with people of all ages that come out of their homes to enjoy the fresco.