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Not Ordinary Itineraries
Begins to dream... ventured into our hills

Florence is the gorgeous gateway to Tuscany, but what many people think of as Tuscany, “Chianti Country” and the hill towns of San Gimignano, Siena, Cortona and Montepulciano, is just one part of the region.
To the west and southwest of Florence lies less discovered coastal Tuscany, including the famed leaning tower of Pisa, the stunning towns of Lucca and Volterra, and the rich culinary Maremma region.
The latter is home to some of Italy’s – and the world’s – most renowned wineries. This is “Super Tuscan Country,” and it’s a beautiful drive.

Informations and Booking : info@tuscanydriving.com

Florence to Pisa
(1.5 hours)

The first stop in a counterclockwise circle from Florence brings you to Pisa. If you haven’t been to the city’s famed leaning tower, especially since it reopened after years of repair to once again allow visitors to climb steps to the top, it’s a world class must. But the bell tower, built as a companion to the adjacent cathedral, is just one of three hugely important monuments sharing the same grand lawn, the Piazza dei Miracoli. Next door are the huge cathedral and baptistry, both done in the city’s unique Pisan Romanesque style of architecture.

Pisa to Lucca
(30 mins.)

Detouring north from Pisa for about 20 minutes makes better timing for a well-deserved lunch, but if you have already seen Pisa’s monuments, you can go directly from Florence to Lucca in an hour. Lucca’s claim to fame is its city wall – the longest uninterrupted one in Europe. The stone-encasing-earth ramparts are as thick as a four-lane road, and topped with a park, complete with bike/walk paths and trees. An extremely popular activity is strolling the perimeter of the entire city (2.5 miles) from the aerial perspective atop the ramparts, or renting a bike (rental shops abound) to do it faster.

Lucca to Bolgheri
(1 hour)

Heading south from Lucca back past Pisa soon brings you to Tuscany’s hidden coastline, where you turn south and admire beautiful beaches and rocky coastline with numerous photo ops before reaching Livorno, the northern border of the Maremma. This region stretches south all the way into the province of Lazio and almost to Rome, but its winemaking heart is here in Tuscany. This is the world’s least well-known famous wine region, where in the sleepy commune of Bolgheri, two of the three most revered “Super Tuscans” are made.

Bolgheri to Volterra
(1 hour)

Ornellaia lies at the bottom of the circular route, and the return soon reaches another of Tuscany’s most stunning towns, the hidden gem that is Volterra. Known as the city of alabaster, the town is perfectly sized to explore on foot, rich in Etruscan ruins and featuring a significant Roman theater. All visitors enter through the main 13th century gate and the stroll traffic-free thoroughfares into the heart of the town, still full of artists and artisans originally drawn to work the local stone (shoppers should peruse Via Porta all’Arco, “Artisan Lane”).

Volterra is so dramatic, atmospheric and frozen in time that it was chosen as a key site for Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight vampire trilogy. This has raised its tourism profile significantly – at least among tweens – but the reason to visit is the city’s ancient charms. There is an archaeological park, lots of Etruscan gates and walls, cathedrals, and the centerpiece, Piazza dei Priori, among the most picture perfect medieval squares in Italy, with Tuscany’s oldest city hall (1208).

Volterra to Florence
(1.5 hours)

From Volterra back to Florence on the most direct route takes you past San Gimignano and through a popular stretch of the Chianti region, but if you will be visiting San Gimignano anyway another day, a just slightly longer alternative is to leave Volterra headed west, then turn north and return the “back way,” through lesser visited Montaione and Montespertoli, enjoying the idyllic Tuscan countryside.