If you’ve been to Tuscany once before, you’ve probably already hit up Florence and posed with the Leaning Tower of Pisa. So…what’s else is there to do in the region? The answer is plenty! Tuscany is filled with beautiful villages clustered atop rolling hills that are just waiting to explored. Here’s some of my top tips to check out in the region, when you want to explore further than Florence and Pisa.
Stay a couple of nights in Siena
Siena is a great place to base yourself for a stay in Tuscany.
Siena was one of the most important cities in medieval Europe and as result, is filled with wonderful historical architecture.
The main town square, the shell-shaped Piazza del Campo, is a UNESCO Heritage Site and is beautiful spot to spend an evening drinking and dining.
It is not an exaggeration to say that few churches in Italy can beat the Duomo di Siena for wow factor. Not only is its exterior and interior design intricate and stunning, but it also houses artworks by Michelangelo, Bernini and Donatello.
The car-free streets of sprawling medieval Siena are safe, scenic and filled with atmosphere.
You can spend hours wandering around and enjoying the vistas that peek out behind covered alleyways and squares and statues that appear out of nowhere.
When I visited, I stayed in an Airbnb, where the host was there with us and gave us tips for exploring the surrounding area.
This was a great way to get some local tips and advice.
Rent a car and visit the hilltop towns of San Gimignano and Montepulciano
The small hilltop towns of Tuscany are picture perfect and filled with history, cute shops and great food.
Stop in at a cafe, explore a hillside vineyard, check out a local museum or two and sample a local wine or three.
We stopped at San Gimignano and I highly enjoyed sauntering the streets and checking out the torture museum. We also stopped in at Montepulciano. Parking is plentiful in carparks on the outskirts of all towns.
Swim in Natural Baths
Italy is famous for it’s natural baths, the most famous of which is probably Saturnia hot springs. This was a little too far out of our base in Siena to make it worth a day trip, so we instead headed to the local (and free!) Bagni San Filippo, which has been bathed in by Italians since Roman times.
The pools range from warm to cool in temperature and the area was very uncrowded when we visited – we only had to share one pool and welcomed the company. The rock formations surrounding the baths were interesting as well.
Even though it was pleasant, it wasn’t a ‘luxurious experience’.
If you’re after some pampering, I’d recommend visiting one of the commercial baths in the area that require payment on entry and are more like resorts than natural rivers.
Let yourself get a little lost and indulge in Tuscan food, wine and scenery
Stop in villages without knowing their name.
Drink local Chianti wine at a outdoor cafe.
Eat delicious Bistecca Alla Fiorentina a.k.a Florentine Steak cooked fresh just for you.
Enjoy pasta or ribollita soup and gaze at beautiful rolling hills covered in poppies.
Depending on when you visit, you could even go on a truffle hunting tour.
Don’t rush and enjoy La Dolce Vita!
Interested in other parts of Italy? Read my post on road tripping through the Dolomites or enjoying the Lake Garda Thermal Baths.