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Holiday itinerary

Ten days on Tuscany’s slow roads and the Ligurian coast: Florence, the Chiantigiana to Siena, Val d’Orcia and Pienza, then Lucca, Pisa, and a car-free day among the Cinque Terre from La Spezia. Cypress, stone, a harbour the colour of evening. You park the car when the villages begin.

Season: Cinque Terre villages are not for cars; park in La Spezia or Levanto. The Chiantigiana (SR222) is the classic Florence–Siena drive.

Landmarks

  • Val d’Orcia, cypress in a line toward the lightVal d’Orcia, cypress in a line toward the lightPhoto: Fabrizio Lunardi / Wikimedia Commons (CC0)
  • Florence Duomo holding the city like a lidFlorence Duomo holding the city like a lidPhoto: Petar Milošević / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
  • Siena’s Campo, a shell of brick in the afternoonSiena’s Campo, a shell of brick in the afternoonPhoto: Perituss / Wikimedia Commons (CC0)
  • San Gimignano’s towers after the ChiantigianaSan Gimignano’s towers after the ChiantigianaPhoto: Ввласенко / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
  • Pisa’s meadow and the tilt you already knewPisa’s meadow and the tilt you already knewPhoto: MHoser / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
  • Pienza on its ridge in the cypress countryPienza on its ridge in the cypress countryPhoto: Anna.Massini / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)
  • Vernazza’s harbour, the classic Cinque Terre postcardVernazza’s harbour, the classic Cinque Terre postcardPhoto: Mathieu Chollet - MChollet / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Holiday itinerary

  1. Day 1 · Florence

    Two nights for the Duomo and the Uffizi before you pick up the car. Walk; Florence is not a driving city.

  2. Day 3 · San Gimignano

    Towers after the Chiantigiana. Arrive in the late light when the stone goes gold and the day-trip buses have gone.

  3. Day 4 · Siena

    The Campo and a slow Val d’Orcia day toward Pienza. Brick underfoot, a shell of a square, no hurry.

  4. Day 6 · Pienza

    A UNESCO hill town in the Val d’Orcia cypress country. Cheese, a ridge walk, the light painters came for.

  5. Day 7 · Lucca

    Walls you can cycle; Pisa is a short hop. A green ring of brick, and a quieter night than Florence.

  6. Day 8 · La Spezia

    Park and train or boat the Cinque Terre; Vernazza is the classic harbour. The villages are not for cars, and that is the point.

  7. Day 10 · Florence

    Return inland via the A11. The Duomo is still there, but after the coast it looks like a different city.

Route