tuscany

[drab]

any suggestions of things to do / see and places to stay?

planning 7 nights in august, potentially more than one hotel / apartment if necessary, would like a mixture of beaches and cultural things

maybe hiring a car if it's not too crazy?

[unrepentant]

Siena and Florence.

[Stephanie Plum]

August not the best time to go - it's VERY hot and most of the locals bugger off to the coast. If you do go just buy a good travel book - there's more to do in Tuscany than you'll ever fit into a week so choose whatever floats your boat.

[HumbleJim]

Lucca makes a good base. Mountains on hand, rail service to Florence. Not so keen on the coast here but the mountains are great to cool off a bit.

[drab]

Thanks for the advice. The temperature shouldn't be too much of an issue, we've endured some pretty extreme heat on holiday before. A pool is a must though!

At the moment I'm leaning towards a hotel in Florence to start with then travelling to pisa then down the coast and maybe Elba island to finish, either by train or car. I'd like to sample some of the microbreweries and have a wine tasting.

I'm unsure about accommodation for the latter part, I like the sound of a holiday farmhouse but I've no idea how to check how nice they are prior to booking so any recommendations would be welcome!

[RealSquirrels]

i have to say i think florence is a total dump, otherwise, the rest is great.