Jetting off on our hols on Friday and looking for some tips from the always excellent Charlton Life travel experts.
Have a week in an apartment in Rome. Will be doing the obvious things like the Colloseum, Vatican etc. and also a day trip to Pompeii on the train. All advice gratefully received but particularly interested in any lesser known gems we should check out. Will be relying on public transport for this week. Will have my Mum and Dad and our 3 year old daughter with us.
Then we have a week at a Villa in Tuscany near Reggello which is SE of Florence. We’ll spend at least a day in Florence as Mum’s always wanted to visit some art galleries there. It’ll be Mum’s and Mrs Exiled’s birthdays while we’re there too so looking for a nice restaurant, probably in Florence. The Wife would like to do a wine tasting session/tour at a winery - has anyone done a good one or a self guided one? The only organised ones I’ve found online seem a bit overpriced. We’ll have a car for this week so any general suggestions of the best places to visit would be great.
Also quite fancy trying to get kiddo to the beach at somepoint - any good ones?
Lastly, Leaning Tower of Pisa, worth the effort of seeing it or not? I’ve read a lot of opinions it’s a bit underwhelming and the crowds look a bit off putting to me.
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Tuscany also very pretty but spent a lot of time in & around the pool of our villa so didn't see a lot of the coutryside. Sam Giaminco (sp?) was nice though.
In Florence, take the wife shopping on the Ponte Vecchio - she'll spend hours choosing what she wants and the Uffizi Gallery is the place to take your Mum.
There are two tourist bus routes around Florence - if you can, take them both. Well worth the money and a great way to see as much as Florence as you can take in. They have headphone guides in English.
There are dozens and dozens of small Vineyards around Florence where you can taste the various wines for nothing - though they are always grateful if you buy a case or two for cash. Wine choice is fairly limited to Chianti, but seeing as it's superb, that shouldn't be a problem. Look for the 'black cock' signs.
Pisa is worth it just for the square of miracles. Both the Tower and the Duomo are spectacular and should be on everyone's bucket list. Never had problems parking fairly close to the square. It will also be the nearest you get to a beach, so probably best to spend half a day in Pisa and the other half at the beach.
You will have a fantastic time - make the most of the food and wine.
Pompeii (and Ercolano) on the other hand are bonkers fascinating. Your 3-yr old won’t appreciate but they’re mind-blowing. Would suggest shelling out €100 or so for a local guide, well worth the moolah...
Tuscany is wonderful. We did a wine tour but agree it was quite pricey. Many of the wineries do advertise tastings if you just turn up.
Florence is wonderful city. The Uffizi is an amazing gallery. We took a guided tour (which we booked before we went). Two advantages; firstly they point out the important paintings and the explain what it is about; secondly get you in with minimal queuing. The Accademia is not a big deal; there is an exact replica of Michaelangelo's David just outside the Uffizi.
For restaurants I would suggest going just south of the river. These are cheaper and probably better than in core of city. We went to 3 as recommended by a local guide on first day we were there. The one that stands out in my mind was Mamma Gina (or something similar). When I say outside the core I am talking less than 100 yards from the main bridge in the city centre.
Pisa, imho, is a waste of time but Sienna is definitely worth a visit. The most amazing cathedral (whereas Florence is only worth seeing from the outside), with a floor that is stunning as well as everything else. Only downside to Sienna is parking.
In fact this is something you should be aware of at many of wonderful towns scattered around Tuscany; most are car free which is great but needs a walk (generally uphill!) from the car park.
Enjoy!
Nearby is San Clemente church, very early Christian church and no where near the crowds.
Spanish steps a tourist trap.
St Peters a must but would pass on rest of Vatican and Sistine chapel especially with a three year old.
Rome is a place to wander really. Very good resistance museum if you want unusual.
Enjoyed Pisa and Volterra and one of my highlights was Siena - the main square there is amazing.
So much to see in Tuscany - beautiful scenery and incredible sense of history.
Florence can get very busy.
They produce a very famous Tignanello and some other amazing Sangiovese.
The restaurant there is very very good too.
Lucca is great as well.
I’ll try and dig out the name of the restaurant I had my favourite ever pasta dish in Florence. Cooked in a wheel of cheese and served with grated fresh truffle. Was incredible.
My mate used to study in Siena and that’s nice, but all the little towns in Tuscany are much of a muchness in that they’re all beautiful but they’re all kind of the same.
https://tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g187899-d9592233-Reviews-I_Porci_Comodi-Pisa_Province_of_Pisa_Tuscany.html
It's not just the food, although it has a Michelin three stars plus five "knife and forks" combo making it an elite Michelin gaff. It's the truly epic wine list. The restaurant claims its wine list has around the same number of pages as the bible. Whatever, there are 4,500 different wines to select from. There are 75k bottles in the cellar (and more kept in cellars off site). Very expensive of course but a great experience.
There are plenty of inexpensive ones that I think give you a better eating experience than the touristy Michelin Star ones which you are only at because it is a Michelin Star restaurant and you want to blow £300 on a meal for two plus wine.
It would be to your advantage to read up about Pompeii in advance, also it is such a huge site it helps to join a guided tour- i did not and suffered.
I like the idea offered above of a bus tour from Rome to Pompeii.
2: Pisa is OK, (see above re: crowds) but can I suggest a day in Lucca going round the city walls instead. Hire cycles (including multibikes for you and the kids) to do the full circuit. Give yourself a couple of hours plus time for refreshment breaks. Then go in to the squares on foot after returning the bikes. We spent a week there and it is a fantastic city.