The best way to see and experience Tuscany is from a vacation rental. Pick the part of Tuscany that you want to explore, find a good vacation rental, and settle in for a fabulous week.
Tuscany, in central Italy north of Rome, is a large region packed with historic towns, farms, art, architecture, wineries, restaurants, and even Mediterranean coast. To give you a sense of scale, it takes about three hours to drive from north to south and two hours to drive across.
My husband Steve and I have done many vacations to Tuscany, staying in vacation rentals. We love this way of traveling.
It lets us settle into a place and get to know it. Our days are leisurely because we are not packing up and changing hotels and locations every few days. We go to the local café for morning coffee, pick up our groceries for the day in the town shops, explore the nearby areas, and do one or two longer day trips to sights that are further away.
Tuscany, in central Italy north of Rome, is a large region packed with historic towns, farms, art, architecture, wineries, restaurants, and even Mediterranean coast. To give you a sense of scale, it takes about three hours to drive from north to south and two hours to drive across.
My husband Steve and I have done many vacations to Tuscany, staying in vacation rentals. We love this way of traveling.
It lets us settle into a place and get to know it. Our days are leisurely because we are not packing up and changing hotels and locations every few days. We go to the local café for morning coffee, pick up our groceries for the day in the town shops, explore the nearby areas, and do one or two longer day trips to sights that are further away.
Choose Your Style of Vacation Rental
Vacation rentals are available in all parts of Tuscany. Most are available to rent by the week, Saturday to Saturday (this may vary – check each listing). Vacation rentals come in all shapes and sizes: an apartment in a city, an apartment or house in a village, an apartment or cottage on a farm, a small house in the countryside, a large villa in the countryside.
We have stayed in a variety of places and locations in Tuscany: an apartment in a villa in Chianti near Panzano, an apartment on a farm in Chianti outside of Siena, a small house near Pienza, a cottage on a farm west of Siena, a house on a farm near Cortona, a house in Cetona (southern Tuscany), a house on the edge of Celle sul Rigo (southern Tuscany). Each of these locations offered different activities for our stay and each type of vacation rental offered a different experience.
- Solo travelers or couples will find 1bed/1bath apartments in towns or on farms.
- Traveling families will be comfortable in larger apartments in towns or on farms. Or they can look for a small house in the countryside.
- Large groups choose between renting one large villa or staying in separate apartments on a farm. For a villa, the weekly price may seem expensive, but when you work it out per person/per night and compare it to a hotel, you will see how reasonable vacation rentals can be.
We have stayed in a variety of places and locations in Tuscany: an apartment in a villa in Chianti near Panzano, an apartment on a farm in Chianti outside of Siena, a small house near Pienza, a cottage on a farm west of Siena, a house on a farm near Cortona, a house in Cetona (southern Tuscany), a house on the edge of Celle sul Rigo (southern Tuscany). Each of these locations offered different activities for our stay and each type of vacation rental offered a different experience.
Choose Your Tuscany Location
The largest city in Tuscany is Florence (Firenze in Italian). Some travelers rent an apartment in Florence and do day-trips out to the countryside. Or you could stay in the smaller towns of Lucca, Pisa or Siena. We usually spend a few nights in a hotel on arrival in Rome or Florence, then pick up a rental car and head to the countryside. We like the towns, but the countryside is where we want to spend most of our vacation time.
The countryside in Tuscany varies from mountains in the north, to the rolling hills and woodlands of Chianti, to the wide open fields and lanes lined with cypress south of Siena, to the rugged towns and Etruscan ruins on the southern border, to the Mediterranean coastline.
The best location for first-time visitors to Tuscany is Chianti or the area south of Siena, near Montepulciano, Pienza and Montalcino. These areas offer many interesting towns full of shops, cafes and restaurants, with beautiful countryside in between.
For a second trip, try a different area: western Tuscany with the towns of Cortona and Arezzo; eastern Tuscany with smaller interesting towns and countryside; the mountains in northern Tuscany can feel a bit “away from it all” but are good for hikers; southern Tuscany has outstanding Etruscan remains and medieval hill towns; the coast has lively seaside towns.
No matter which part you choose to stay in, there will be beautiful countryside, charming hill towns, good restaurants, and art to experience.
Coming Next Week: Finding your perfect vacation rental
The countryside in Tuscany varies from mountains in the north, to the rolling hills and woodlands of Chianti, to the wide open fields and lanes lined with cypress south of Siena, to the rugged towns and Etruscan ruins on the southern border, to the Mediterranean coastline.
The best location for first-time visitors to Tuscany is Chianti or the area south of Siena, near Montepulciano, Pienza and Montalcino. These areas offer many interesting towns full of shops, cafes and restaurants, with beautiful countryside in between.
For a second trip, try a different area: western Tuscany with the towns of Cortona and Arezzo; eastern Tuscany with smaller interesting towns and countryside; the mountains in northern Tuscany can feel a bit “away from it all” but are good for hikers; southern Tuscany has outstanding Etruscan remains and medieval hill towns; the coast has lively seaside towns.
No matter which part you choose to stay in, there will be beautiful countryside, charming hill towns, good restaurants, and art to experience.
- Look for vacation rentals in Arezzo
- Look for vacation rentals in Cortona
- Look for vacation rentals in Florence
- Look for vacation rentals in Lucca
- Look for vacation rentals in Siena
Coming Next Week: Finding your perfect vacation rental
