How to Arrive in Tuscany: Flights

* Florence Airport (FLR)
* Pisa International Airport (PSA)

Suggested Itineraries and Tuscany Bike Tours, have a look to have an idea on what to visit and time required.

From Florence to Pisa - A 8 days self guided biking in Tuscany from April to October

Program - Km 252

* Day 1: Individual arrival in Florence
* Day 2: Florence – Passo dei Pecorai 32 km
* Day 3: Passo dei Pecorai – Radda in Chianti 41 km
* Day 4: Radda in Chianti – Siena 40 km
* Day 5: Siena – Colle Val d’Elsa 41 km
* Day 6: Colle Val d’Elsa – Volterra 40 km
* Day 7: Volterra – Pontedera by bike and Pontedera – Pisa by train 58 km
* Day 8: after breakfast end of the tour

Florence, Siena, Pisa - A 8 days biking tours in tuscany available from April to October

Program - Km 252

* Day 1: Florence
* Day 2: Florence – Passo dei Pecorai - 32 km
* Day 3: Passo dei Pecorai – Radda in Chianti - 41 km
* Day 4: Radda in Chianti - Siena - 40 km
* Day 5: Siena – Colle Val d’Elsa - 41 km
* Day 6: Colle Val d’Elsa - Volterra - 40 km
* Day 7: Volterra - Pisa - 58 km
* Day 8: Pisa

Florence, Siena, Florence in mtb - A 8 days/ 7 nights mountain bike holiday in Tuscany from April to October

Program - Km 204

* Day 1: Florence
* Day 2: Tavernelle – Badia Passignano – Passo dei Pecorai - 28 km
* Day 3: Passo dei Pecorai – Radda in Chianti - 36 km
* Day 4: Radda in Chianti - Siena - 39 km
* Day 5: Siena – Colle Val d’Elsa - 34 km
* Day 6: Colle Val d’Elsa –Certaldo 32 km
* Day 7: Certaldo - Tavernelle 35 km
* Day 8: Florence

Travel Guide Basics

Tuscany has two very diverse faces - the art cities such as Florence, Siena, Lucca and Pisa on one hand, and the countryside on the other. The small towns, villages, castles, villas and vineyards of Tuscany make a welcome change from the traffic and noise of some of the larger Tuscan cities.

* Weather
* Official Region Site http://www.intoscana.it/

How to Move Around

By Bus
Within Tuscany, bus service between towns is conducted primarily by two private companies, Tra-In and Lazzi.
Lazzi Eurolines (Via Mercante 2, Florence. 055/363041. www.lazzi.it). Tra-In (Statale 73, Levante 23, Due Ponti, Siena. 0577/204111).

By Boat
Passenger and car ferries link the Tuscan islands with the mainland. From Piombino, Moby Lines sails to Portoferraio on Elba. Toremar, which provides ferry service between Piombino and Elba’s main ports, also offers service to the smaller islands: from Livorno to Capraia; from Piombino to Pianosa; and from Porto Santo Stefano to Giglio. Prices can differ drastically, so comparison shop before buying your tickets. Reserve your seat ahead of time during in the peak season months of July and August.

Moby Lines (Nuova Stazione Marittima, Piombino. 0565/221212. www.mobylines.it). Toremar (Nuova Stazione Marittima, Piombino. 0565/31100. Porto Mediceo, Livorno. 0586/896113. Piazzale A. Candi, Porto Santo Stefano. 0564/810803. www.toremar.it).

By Car
Renting a car is the best way to see the destinations west of Florence, as many of them are not on train lines or are served by buses that run sporadically. The A1 connects Florence to Prato; for Pistoia, Montecatini, and Lucca, follow signs for Firenze Nord, which connects to the A11.

For Empoli, Pisa, and hill towns west, take the FI-PI-LI superstrada from Scandicci (just outside Florence). the A12 will take you from near Pisa along the Versilian coast to La Spezia, entryway to the Cinque Terre. The Cinque Terre itself is impractical for car travel because of the narrow roads and lack of parking (although better access and parking are available at the northern and southern towns of Monterosso al Mare and Riomaggiore); from La Spezia you can take the train, which is the main means of access to the area.

* Official Region Site: Transportation

Attractions

Ballooning over Tuscany: What better way to see Europe’s most famous countryside than floating lazily over the olive- and vine-covered hillsides in a hot-air balloon with a champagne breakfast? Many outfits offer this indulgent pastime. Rates start around 200€ ($260) for a sunrise 1 1/2-hour flight (champagne included). Contact Ballooning in Tuscany at tel. 0577-725-517 (fax 0577-725-519; www.ballooningintuscany.com).

Museo Zoologico la Specola (Florence): As if a 19th-century natural history museum full of glass cases displaying stuffed specimens from all species around the world weren’t enough, you’ve also got room after room of well-crafted late-18th-century wax models of human beings in just about every stage of dissection imaginable. These models are medical study aids from the days before genuine corpses for gross anatomy were available in every med school.

Museo Stibbert (Florence): This former private museum of an eccentric Scottish-Italian is made up of the general clutter of more than 50,000 random items and a huge collection of armor from all eras and world cultures, including an entire regiment of armored mannequins.

Prehistoric Lunigiana Statue-Stele (Pontrémoli): These mysterious tombstone-shaped statues were carved over a 3,000-year period starting about 3000 B.C. by an extraordinarily long-lived cult isolated in the Lunigiana. Some of the abstracted figures bear a suggestive resemblance to how ancient Roman historians described Celtic warriors from Gaul.

Etruscan “Sunken Roads” (Maremma): No one is quite sure why the Etruscans of the Maremma carved a network of passages, some more than 20m (66 ft.) deep, into the tufa surrounding Pitigliano, Sorano, and Sovana. Many stretches of the Via Cave have survived the millennia, and you can follow them sometimes up to a kilometer (2/3 mile) in what are kind of open-air cave tunnels.

…more