Florence or Forte dei Marmi?

A

Angela C

Member
my husband and i will be in italy in september. we have no interest in the beach but people tell me we should stay in forte dei marmi over florence. i am most definitely interested in art, history and architecture. do you think we should stay in forte dei marmi and take a day trip to florence as was suggested to us? whats in forte dei marmi? all i can tell from the internet is that its all about the beach and resorts - thats not for us. we want to see the sights that can be found only in ITALY!!
 
Then you most definitely need to stay in Florence!!

Forte dei Marmi is for beach - it is a resort town and will still be alive in September but height of activity is in August.

How many days will you have total? Staying anywhere else in Italy at that time? That way we can recommend whether to do day trips or stay in Florence ;-)
 
trip itinerary

Hi Lourdes,

Thank you for your response.

We will be visiting Italy for 6 nights, I hope, at the end of September. We are in the stone business and will need to spend two days at the Verona Fair. We love the Cortine Palace Hotel in Sirmione and might stay there unless you can recommend anything else nearby Verona that compares. As you know, we are very interested in seeing the art, history and architecture of Italy and since neither my husband nor I have been to Florence, we most definitely would like to see it. We have been told Forte dei Marmi is a place we should go, but we have no interest in the beach > is there any stone industry there that we need to see?

We have been to Rome before. I am considering flying into Milan, doing two nights in Sirmione, two nights in Florence, and two nights in Rome, and flying out of Rome. Is that crazy or is it do able?

We will have a car.

Thanks so much! Your insight is invaluable.

Angela
 
2 days in Florence

Buongiorno,

Lourdes is absolutely right about staying in Florence. Forte dei Marmi is a charming city but it is defiitely for those who are looking more for a beach holiday and not a tour of the marvelous monuments and museums in Florence.

If you want to see what you can do in two days in Florence, have a look at this special itinerary:
http://www.visitflorence.com/itineraries-in-florence/two-days-in-florence.html

Two days will definitely give you a great opportunity to visit the highlights! And if you have time you could try to add a trip to see one of these two fun theater shows in English:
http://www.discovertuscany.com/blog/a-show-to-inspire-you-about-florence-its-treasures-3179/
http://www.discovertuscany.com/blog/theater-in-florence-the-history-of-florence-in-60-minutes-3202/

Buon Viaggio,
Donna Denise
 
Insight

Hi Donna,

Thanks so much for your insight. The Florence 2 day itinerary is great! We are visiting Italy because we will be attending the stone show in Verona. I was hoping to do 2 days/nights in Verona, 2 days/nights in Florence, and 2 days/nights in Rome. But the way the flights run 6 nights would give us only 5 full days and I dont think there will be enough time to stay in 3 places unless we add a night to our stay giving us two full days in each place. Would that be enough time for a quick stay in each or crazy?

Angela
 
Ciao Angela,

Sirmione isn't that far from Verona and that 5 star hotel is really nice. Since you will have the car, it shouldn't be more than 40 min away -- I would stay closer to or in Verona itslelf if your time will be limited though so that you can save on travel time and traffic/tolls.

Take a look at these in Verona:
www.discovertuscany.com/book/?hotel=/hotel/it/victoria-verona.html&label=dtforum-verona
www.discovertuscany.com/book/?hotel=/hotel/it/duetorrihotelbaglioni.html&label=dtforum-verona
www.discovertuscany.com/book/?hotel=/hotel/it/gabbia-d-oro.html&label=dtforum-verona

I am thinking you were suggested Forte dei Marmi only because of its closer proximity to Carrara and for its marble. Are you interested in going there for that reason? Otherwise, it doesn't make sense to base yourself on the coast if you're more interested in Florence.

There are several places in Tuscany known for their stone/marble - for example, you'll see the Duomo in Florence covered in the white marble from Carrara, the green marble from Prato and the pinkish marble from near Siena. Then there is also Volterra, known for their alabaster.

You'll need more than 2 nights in Florence if you are interested in visiting these areas in Tuscany!! 2 nights in each place is really the minimum you should do, otherwise you will be very rushed. If you can't get a flight with another night, cut time in Rome.
 
thanks!

Hi Lourdes,

Thanks for all your help. I think we have our itinerary lined up. We just cant fit rome in:(. Based on when the stone show takes place in verona, we will begin with 3 nights in Florence (husband wants to stay out side of florence in a villa, I want to stay in florence since that is where we want to be and there is much to do in florence - agree?), then two nights in Sirmione (we have done lake garda twice while at the verona show - were good!), then two nights in Milan with a show at la scala!! Good?

Thanks Again!!
Angela
 
You can stay in a villa just outside of Florence and then come in - something like this http://www.florenceaccommodation.com/villa-la-medicea.html - particularly if you do have a car, although you will have to worry about coming in to Florence and finding parking.

If you stay in Florence, then it would be best to stay in the center and at that point it is better to NOT have a car as the center of Florence is a limited traffic zone where only those with permit can go in to... and you won't have one. You won't need a car in Florence as everything is walking distance, you can pick up the car rental as you leave the city to head north.

For more ideas of accommodation, take a look at http://www.florenceaccommodation.com/ and for more info on Florence, make sure to look around all the areas on http://www.visitflorence.com
 
Dear Angela

Dear Angela, you and your better half should stay in Florence as many days as possible. There are many reasons for that. Florence has a legendary artistic heritage, has large numbers of art-filled churches, such as San Miniato al Monte and San Lorenzo. I can't list all the pros ;D Anyway, you can look at this www.visitflorence.com Maybe it will help you. Have a nice trip! :);)
 
great input

thanks! we are considering flights now, and we might have to choose the one that arrives earlier because theres just not enough time!

we are in the stone biz and someone told us theres a lot to see and do in the mountains above forte dei marmi. like visit old stone caves/quarries where michael angelo got stone from. any insight? is that something you just go exploring on your own or does one need to arrange a tour?

thanks,
angela

ps- cant wait to visit your beautiful country again!!!
 
Train vs car?

Thanks to everyone with your comments. They are so helpful.

Our itinerary is flying in to Milan > Florence 3 nights > drive to Sirmione 2 nights and do the Verona Fair Stone Show > two nights in Milan and depart Milan.

We will stay in the city center while in Forence and Milan we want to be seeing the historic sights.

Clearly we wont need a car in Florence or Milan. We definitely want to drive to Sirmione bcs its most practical to have a car while we are attending the show in Verona. But should we have a car for the rest of the time? Should we take a train from Milan airport to Florence? Should we ditch the car once we get to Milan and take a train from Milan to the airport? Is it a hassle to get to the train - I am just thinking in terms of juggling luggage while walking miles through the airport and terminals, etc...? I imagine its cheaper to take the train rather than pay to rent a car and then pay to park it for days........

Love to hear your thoughts!

Angela
 
Yes, me too I suggest you to stay minimun 3-4 nights in Florence, I think is one of the best city of Italy, a lot of tourist but there are also real Florentine people living in the town !
All the best !
 
florence

Hi Sergio,

The bulk of our "vacation" time is being spent in Florence. We will be there 3 night - so 2.5 days. Absolutely cant wait. Any inside tips on where to go and what to see are appreciated. Even for restaurants.

Thanks,
Angela
 
hotel choice

can someone help with hotel choice?

we will not have a car and want to stay within walking distance of everything. do we need to stay really close to the duomo (helvictia & bristol or palazzo nicola duomo) or would a hotel on the river (westin excelsior) be a nice way to get away from the hustle and bustle of the tourist areas - is it far from the duomo/museums/etc...?

while I dont expect to be in our hotel/room a great deal while we are in Florence, how important is it to get a really nice hotel there? we have found some reasonable 5 star hotels but the rooms that are reasonable are very basic. are some hotels not so great/is it worth the extra money? would you expect to spend much time in the room at all or is it irrelevant because you would be out and about the whole time??

thanks so much for your help - its invaluable!
Ciao!
Angela
 
All of the hotels you mention are quite nice being 5 stars. I am sure their basic rooms are still quite great!
All are very central - Florence is small and walkable so even staying by the river in Pza Ognissanti, you are at most 15 min walk from the Duomo.

Choose what you like - if the services offered by the five stars is important, you should choose them over others. I have personally found great hotels even with lower stars can offer great hospitality and breakfasts. It is also true that if you're going to be out most of the day, the most important aspect will be having a place to rest/sleep and breakfast. But if you stay closer to the sights, you might also go rest more often between sightseeing so that is also to be considered.

If you would like a great place to stay at and are also interested in coming in close contact with your host, you can also look into staying at a B&B. I would suggest at Mariangela's Le Stanze di Santa Croce - and even suggest taking her market/cooking lesson to try something different ;)
http://www.florenceaccommodation.com/le-stanze-di-santa-croce.html
 
attractions and tickets

Hi,

Which attractions are those that advance ticket purchases are required; viewing "David" for example. Any others, that have crazy waits/limited availability?

Thanks,
Angela
 
The Uffizi and the Accademia (where you'll find Michelangelo's David) are the two main ones that always have crazy long lines and a ticket in advance is a good idea. The rest pretty much might have short lines at certain times of the day, but overall nothing in comparison and no waits.

Guided tours are actually a great way to see Florence, as there are so many things to see! With limited time, a tour that takes you around and shows you the main ones can be a great way to not feel lost.

If you love art, you might not need a guided visit in a museum, but if you know a little or nothing, it might actually be a great way to be able to understand it better. Most guides are great at placing the artists and the work into context, so that you have a better idea of what you're seeing and why it is considered important, even if you know nothing about it.

Take a look at the tours offered here: http://www.partner.viator.com/en/13618/
If you're interested in a guided tour at the Uffizi or Accademia, the admission ticket is included with the tour so don't buy separate tickets!

If you have the time, a wine tasting or cooking class are also really great experiences to have while here!
 
septemeber in florence

it occurred to me afterward to mention that we will be there at the end of September. Would you still recommend getting tickets in advance for the Ufizi and the Accademia? We hate to wait!!


thank you so much for your awesome insight!!

a
 
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