Good morning, OF World!

We are going to Greve, Italy, outside of Florence in the Chianti region, for a week in September, then up to Cinque Terre (pictured below) for a few days. We have beautiful villas rented in both places. Does anyone have any advice - things to do, “must sees”, restaurants, hikes, wineries, etc.?



As the thread title indicates, this has the potential to be a long-running thread. We are a worldwide forum and a fantastic resource, so let’s all channel our inner Rick Steves and help each other out.

Grazie! (did I say that right?)

 

Can’t comment on Greve, but if you’ll be heading in to Florence, you might want to consider visiting the Uffizi Gallery, if you like art. You’ll see works by Caravaggio, Botticelli, da Vinci and Michelangelo. There’s also the Duomo, the Ponte Vecchio and a few other historical sites.

For restaurants you can go for the reasonable trattorias or something a bit more upmarket. There’s plenty of choice.

There are quite a few leathersmiths in and around the centre, and it’s worth the walk just to see what they’re offering. If the other half is into luxury brands you might want to remortgage your property

 

In Firenze, Enoteca Pinchiorri is considered one of the top restos in Italy. Google a pic of the entrance before you go, as there is no sign in front of the resto. At least, when I was last there.

Sort of a "if you know, you know" place.

They also had an outpost in Tokyo, which I've also tried, but that closed down. Their JP outpost is now in Nagoya, which I havent had the pleasure of visiting.

 

We are leaving for Italy this Friday! Any last minute tips or local knowledge, as the thread title indicates?

I also have to decide which watch to take: Speedmaster 1861 or white-dial Seamaster 300m. Thoughts?

Thanks, Pete

edited to add photo ~

 

No tips, unfortunately.

I’ll be in Rome on the 10th September. For me, it won’t be a difficult decision. It’ll be the 1861..



What ever you decide, wear it in good health

 

Visit Siena. The town has more charm than Florence though none of the great art works. Good restaurants and lovely people. You're lucky in that nothing in Tuscany is a great distance. It's all good. If you want to eat localy at a good price look for Agriturismo signs, we've always eaten well in them. Wherever you are staying ask the locals to guide you good restaurants, they'll know where to go. I can also recommend a side trip into the Maremma where Pitigliano is worth half a day as are all the vineyards on the way and the the various Etruscan ruins. You will love it.

 

Take the Speedmaster, it's more useful. And enjoy some good Italian wine.

 

What a great and timely thread!
My bride's heritage is from Milan and for our 50th anniversary in April we are planning a Milan, Florence, Northern Italy, coastal views trip with a short train ride through the Alps to Switzerland and the Omega museum (hey, it's my anniversary too!).
We are midwest US and have never been to Europe, so we need all the help we can get!

Planning on 2 watches, a g-shock and my flagship for the museum visit.

I am constantly grateful for my friends here at OF!
OF has (mostly) kept me out of the saloons.

Sorry to hijack, OP, but our requests dovetail.

 

You didn’t hijack the thread at all! As stated in the original post ~

“As the thread title indicates, this has the potential to be a long-running thread. We are a worldwide forum and a fantastic resource, so let’s all channel our inner Rick Steves and help each other out.”

In that spirit, if anyone ever finds themselves in the Newport, Rhode Island USA area, hit me up!

 

This. All of this.

 

I own a Speedy and Seamaster too, and when I'm on vacation it's usually the Seamaster. Can be worn with almost anything and has the water resistance to be worn in the pool, beach etc without worry. Also stands up to active pursuits like indoor rock climbing a lot better.

 

We were hoping to use public transportation and praying for some english on the signage. Thought we could possibly train to main destinations with luggage, probably Milan and also one of the Italian Riviera areas such as Ligure. A third hub in the Florence area (Siena sounds wonderful!) is also a possibility. Not sure the best way to handle day trips.

Might consider taking my old I-7 ph for translation help, anybody try buying the local sim card?

We also might putz around with some online tutorial and pick up a few words of Italian if anyone has any suggestions.

Thank you all so much!

 

OP,

We are visiting Florence in a few weeks, so figured I'd share a few items on our itinerary (I will update this post after my visit if they are worthwhile).

1. Devour tours. We've used them in Spain and very much enjoyed the ability to try a few different spots with a "local". Our schedules don't line up with their Florence options, but we are taking a Devour tour in Venice.
https://devourtours.com/destinations/italy/florence/

2. InTavola cooking class. There are no shortage of recommended cooking experiences from my research, but the culinary school in Florence looked more authentic, was a shorter time commitment and the Florentine style wine cellar where you dine looked especially appealing.
https://www.intavola.org/en/

3. Travel watch - for me it's always one-watch only. For Italy it's going to be the 2264.50.

 

It's not the most economical option, but I really enjoy the Rosetta Stone software. I especially like how you can tailor the course for your needs. I am currently taking a 6-week course in Italian, suited for travel.

I switch from the app on my phone to my laptop so it's very convenient.

 

Great thread, will follow for some inspo in the future

 

Siena and San Gimignano are both superb, worth spending a day … take a tour of some sort … gives you plenty of history and background as you go
Cinque Terre is superb … definitely hike the cliff path between the towns - or at least the bits that are open- varies pending rockfall damage.
Get a train pass to cover the rest
All of the 5 key villages are worth visiting and poking around in.
Book yourself in to visit wineries in advance, production is minuscule and much of the wine doesn’t even leave the local area, let alone get exported … the terrain is steep, viticulturally challenging and limited, some wineries even use hand operated monorail to move grapes to the winery during harvest … smallest vineyard I saw has 12 vines! Local specialty is Sciacchetra Made primarily from Bosco, Albarola and Vermentino)… at its best a magnificently concentrated and complex beast (and quite sweet)

One of the wineries I visited, I met with the owner in the Main Street of riomaggiore, then led me up 5 flights of stair and into an apartment … which is where he made and matured the less than 1000ltrs of wine he makes each year

There are many restaurant degustation options where you can eat local food paired with local wines…
Pau Veciu ristorante is owned and operated by the same peeps who make the Buranco wines … the food is excellent and the wines worth tasting.

 

What's your take on this private tour https://gowithguide.com/italy/florence? Is it worth it for a family trip? Or just plan a DIY itinerary and purchase tickets for museum tours when you get there?

 

The latter. Florence is a small town.

 

I’d suggest booking the museum skip the line tix in advance- you’ll still have to wait in line but for much less time- and it will ensure you get to do a lot more stuff while you are there
Re Cinque Terre- hiking between the villages is spectacular- but often some of the trails are closed due to damage- but you can hike what is open and train the sections which are closed

 

+1… forgot about the purchasing tix ahead. We did that.