How to Visit Tuscany
- 1). Instead of constantly packing your bags and moving from town to town, make one spot your home base. Siena is a beautiful city to explore, and you can take day trips by bus to other destinations. An alternative is to stay in Florence for a few days and then Siena for a few, so you have the mix of a big city and a smaller locale.
- 2). You can spend hours wandering the streets and alleyways of Siena, stopping in the main square for a cappuccino, visiting the cathedral and window-shopping in the charming stores. Enjoy the antiques market once a month, or the weekly city market featuring fruits, flowers and more. Siena also has street festivals and concerts and the famous palio, a huge horse race through the streets held twice during the summer.
- 3). For a beautiful view of the countryside, take the 18-mile bus trip from Siena to San Gimignano. Admire the town's medieval towers, shop for local ceramics and sit down for a glass of Vernaccia, the local wine.
- 4). Take the 40-mile bus ride from Siena to Florence, and enjoy some of the major sights. Take your time in the amazing Uffizi Gallery to view masterpieces by Raphael, Rubens, Titian, Botticelli and more; visit the cathedral and climb to the top of the campanile; head to the Academy to view Michelangelo’s David.
- 5). Wherever you are in Tuscany, join the locals at a restaurant and plan to spend some serious time there. Even if you're at the table an hour or two, you'll find Tuscans eating and drinking more, and staying longer. Just about everything tastes delicious: the antipasti (appetizers), pastas, entrees, desserts and cheese course.
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