Brewer Stephen - Frommers Florence & Tuscany day by day: 30 smart ways to see the city

About the Authors

Stephen Brewer has been savoring Italian pleasures ever since he sipped his first cappuccino while a student in Rome many, many years ago (togas had just gone out of fashion). He has written about Italy for numerous magazines and guidebooks and began spending many happy days at a house outside Cortona long before a neighbor decided to write a book about the town. He remains transported in equal measure by the Campo in Siena, the Piero della Francesca frescoes in Arezzo, the facade of the Duomo in Orvieto, and all the countryside in between.

Donald Strachan is a travel and technology journalist who has written about Italy for publications worldwide, including National Geographic Traveller, The Guardian, The Telegraph, Sunday Times Travel Magazine, and several others. He is coauthor of Frommers Italy and Frommers EasyGuide to Rome, Florence & Venice 2015. For more background, see www.donaldstrachan.com.

An Additional Note

Please be advised that travel information is subject to change at any timeand this is especially true of prices. We therefore suggest that you write or call ahead for confirmation when making your travel plans. The authors, editors, and publisher cannot be held responsible for the experiences of readers while traveling. Your safety is important to us, however, so we encourage you to stay alert and be aware of your surroundings.

Star Ratings, Icons & Abbreviations

Every hotel, restaurant, and attraction listing in this guide has been ranked for quality, value, service, amenities, and special features using a star-rating system. Hotels, restaurants, attractions, shopping, and nightlife are rated on a scale of zero stars (recommended) to three stars (exceptional). In addition to the star-rating system, we also use a icon to point out the best bets for families. Within each tour, we recommend cafes, bars, or restaurants where you can take a break. Each of these stops appears in a shaded box marked with a coffee-cup-shaped bullet .

The following abbreviations are used for credit cards:

A Vespa in Tuscany.

Before You Go

Government Tourist Offices

In the U.S.: 630 Fifth Ave., Suite 1965, New York, NY 10111 212/245-5618; 500 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL 60611 312/644-0996; and 10850 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 575, Los Angeles, CA 90024 310/820-1898.

In Canada: 110 Yonge St., Suite 503, Toronto, ONT, M5C 1T4 416/925-4882; www.italiantourism.com.

In the U.K. & Ireland: 1 Princes St., London, W1B 2AY 020/7408-1254; www.italiantouristboard.co.uk.

In Australia and New Zealand: Ground Floor, 140 William St., East Sydney, NSW 2011 02/9357-2561; www.italia.it.

Entry Requirements

U.S., Canadian, U.K., Irish, Australian, and New Zealand citizens with a valid passport dont need a visa to enter Italy if they dont expect to stay more than 90 days and dont expect to work there. If after entering Italy you find you want to stay more than 90 days, you can apply for a permit for an extra 90 days, which as a rule is granted immediately. Go to the nearest questura (police headquarters) or your home countrys consulate.

For passport information and applications in the U.S., call 877/487-2778 or check http://travel.state.gov; in Canada, call 800/567-6868 or check www.passportcanada.gc.ca; in the U.K., call 0300/222-0000 or visit www.ips.gov.uk; in Ireland, call 01/679-7600 or check www.dfa.ie; in Australia, call 131-232 or visit www.passports.gov.au; and in New Zealand, call 0800/225050 or check www.passports.govt.nz. Allow plenty of time before your trip to apply for a passport; processing usually takes a few weeks but can take longer during busy periods (especially spring). When traveling, safeguard your passport and keep a copy of the critical pages with your passport number in a separate place. If you lose your passport, visit the nearest consulate of your native country as soon as possible for a replacement.

The Best Times to Go

April to June and late September to October are the best months to visit Tuscany. However, they are also the most expensive: Hotels are generally on high-season rates, for May, June, and September at least.

From late June through mid-September, when the summer rush is full blown, Siena and the Tuscan hilltowns can teem with visitors. August is the worst month weather-wise, when its usually uncomfortably hot and muggy; but its also a good month to bag a deal on a room in Florence. (When you get there, expect theaters, many upscale restaurants, and most nightclubs to be closed, however.) And from August 15 to the end of the month, the entire region goes on vacation, and many family-run restaurants and shops are closed (except at the spas, beaches, and islandswhere the Italians head en masse).

From late October to Easter, many attractions go on shorter winter hours, or occasionally close for renovation. Some hotels and restaurants take a month or two off between November and February, spa and beach destinations such as Viareggio become padlocked ghost towns, and it can get much colder than youd expect; it might even snow in the hills.

Festivals & Special Events

SPRING. Easter is always a big event in Tuscany, especially in Florence at the Scoppio del Carro (Explosion of the Cart), with its Renaissance pyrotechnics on Easter Sunday. An 18th-century cart, pulled by two snowy white oxen loaded with fireworks, arrives at the Piazza del Duomo, where its ignited.

More cultural, Florences Maggio Musicale Fiorentino (Musical May; www.maggiofiorentino.com) features a months worth of opera, classical, and dance recitals in concert halls and churches around the city; these days it continues through June.

The Festa del Grillo (Cricket Festival) takes place in May, usually the first Sunday after Ascension Day. In Florences Cascine Park, vendors sell crickets in decorated cages. After a parade along the Arno, participants release the crickets into the grass.

The last weekend in May, Cortona hosts the Giostra dellArchidado (www.giostraarchidado.com), a crossbow competition in 14th-century costume.

One Sunday early in June, the Regatta of the Ancient Maritime Republics takes placea rowing competition among the four medieval maritime republics of Venice, Amalfi, Genoa, and Pisa. Its location rotates annually between the four. Pisa hosts again in 2017.