Surroundings & Activities

What do you think about leaving Florence and its busy streets behind for a day of relax in our beautiful countryside with some wine tasting and sightseeing of smaller cities in the surroundings? Tuscany is not a very large region so it is easy to reach cities like Siena or San Gimignano, called the Manhattan of the Middle ages because of its many ancient tower houses. In half a day you can have a roundtrip to Pisa to see the leaning Tower or combine this visit with a stop in Lucca. Not only that: truffle hunting with tasting or a visit of some vineyards can be fun and relaxing! All you need to do is choose what suites you the best and I’ll manage to handle the rest.

Activities

Although I always say that the best way to visit the city is to explore it by foot, there are many other ways. Here are some examples, from which you can choose, either doing it by yourself, or together with me.

You can rent bicycles and do the tour riding (no entrances into places in this case, for leaving the bikes without custody is not advisable). In this case it is always better to avoid central hours if in high season, because riding through the crowds is never amusing. To get the children out of the crowds for some hours you could also have fun biking or rollerblading in all safety in our public Cascine Park.

Piazzale Michelangelo can also be reached by foot and, depending on season and weather conditions, there is a 4-5 miles Trekking path which runs alongside one of the oldest churches in town, San Miniato, following through the Boboli Garden. This could be a way to add a view on Florence’s skyline to your visit.

Segway, or little golf carts, are another way to drive around Florence, however be aware that with golf carts there are several rules to stick to and hop on and off busses will not get you to see main city monuments.

Last but not least, it is also possible to enjoy the view of Florence from the river Arno by renting one of the boats of the renaioli, who once used to dug the sand out of the river for constructions.

If you prefer a little adventure, do some smooth rafting all the way down the river passing underneath the Ponte Vecchio. Organised by a company in all safety, this activity is obviously underlying seasons and weather conditions.