Toscana for travellers

Usually the biggest part of travelling budget (except if you need an airplane ticket) is for accommodation. Hostels can always come in handy – and I’ve found a great one in Florence! Hostel Villa Camerata is located in a villa from 15th century. The outside look already spoke volumes, but the marvellous entrance and lobby with the reception and a room for hanging out knocked me off my feet, with its frescos. Rooms are located in the newer part of the hostel and you can select from between a group room or a private room. I’ve decided to take a room with a private bathroom, to spoil myself for a while. It was in a separate object – part of the economy of the estate. There were only three rooms there and mine even had a terrace with a view of the lustrous garden with jasmine bushes in full bloom. But if you’re on a really tight budget, you can also just set up a tent there and camp – the park next to the villa is a small camping site. As usual breakfast features a self-service of various jams and hot drinks. Yu can eat in the dining room or at the terrace with a great view of the garden. 

 

The hostel is on the outskirts of the town, which is an advantage, not an obstacle. It’s in the middle of a large park, so it’s quiet and relaxing, and above all easy to reach by city bus, or your own car (there’s even a free parking). Bus lines 11 and 17 stop nearby, both taking you through the historic city centre. I even went on foot to the city, it’s 3km. It’s doable, but just a bit too far. It’s better to keep your strength to get to know the city and its attractions. You can get the bus fare at any kiosk or bar, or at the main station – off course – where the price is only half of what you’d pay to the driver if you pay on the bus itself. And you also need exact change to pay the driver, as he doesn’t give back change. But don’t try to ride without a ticket. In my three days I met quite a few ticket controls. 

 

 

Even if you’re no fan of historic attractions, you should go and see the old palace - Palazzo vecchio or the tower and the dome of the cathedral Duomo. Al three buildings also have the perfect view, but first you have to manage the hundreds of stairs to get to see it. Sure, you also have to stop at the old bridge - Ponte vecchio, with the traditional jewellery store. If you’re still up to it, you might want to see a church or another, one of the world famous galleries, or have a relaxing walk through the gardens of Boboli, with nice views of the old part of the city. You can also get a different point of view of the history, by visiting the museum with exhibits of inventions of Leonardo da Vinci. Maybe you’d prefer the museum of fashion – Gucci, or the exhibition of the shoe maker Salvatore Ferragamo, who put shoes on feet of many famous women, such as Sophia Loren or Marilyn Monroe. For lunch I suggest a slice of pizza or a pannini, with some ice cream. How to tell, who’s got a really good ice-cream? There’s a long cue in front. You can also get a cheap and good meal in one of the foreign restaurants – just beyond the most tourist populated streets there are Chinese, Indian, Arabian and more restaurants, where you can get full mean for about 5€.

The main railroad station is on the edge of the old city and from there you can reach any part of Italy. But if you want to explore the cities of Toscana I’d suggest a bus, or the most elegant way to travel you’re your own set of wheels. You can find many old villas with huge gardens in the surroundings of Florence, and it’s not far to the region of Chianti. It’s famous mostly for the great red wines and olive oil. The hills with agriculture and forests are teaming with small fortified towns you should visit. One such town is the picturesque San Gimignano, known for many tall towers and a wide stone wall. The towers were a defensive structure, but were used by the families to show their importance. You can get to top of one of them and see the town from the birds view. The main square also has two ice cream shops you should not miss as they’ve got the prestigious title of making the best ice cream in the world. It really is excellent! Another really picturesque town is Monteriggioni, and the bigger and better known are Siena, Arezzo, Lucca and the one known for the world famous leaning tower - Pisa. Toscana also features many spas, which are not meant only for elder travellers. The ones I really suggest you to visit are near the town of Saturnia, where visitors enjoy the thermal spring with warm water of around 37 degrees Celsius since the times of ancient Roman Empire. Today that’s a luxurious health spa, where you can enjoy this water – or even (completely for free) under the real waterfalls. The water springs in the form of a creek that turns into a waterfall with small pools just a few hundred metres after coming to surface. They’re really nice for bathing any time of year and perfectly free of charge. Even the parking space is completely free, making this a one of the kind tourist attraction and rarity in Toscana.