Tuscany’s Finest Highways

Traveling to Tuscany by car, bus or motorbike is one of the most practical ways to get to know the area. Discover the highways in Tuscany with Unitrips. 

Why? Well, mainly because exploring Tuscany through these routes is a great chance to escape and immerse yourself in the Tuscan landscapes of central Italy, whilst falling even more in love with its surroundings.

Why? Well, mainly because exploring Tuscany through these routes is a great chance to escape and immerse yourself in the Tuscan landscapes of central Italy, whilst falling even more in love with its surroundings.

By travelling along these highways you begin to feel emerged in the route you are taking; appreciating all that Tuscany’s landscapes, corners and secrets have to offer.

This would be a fantastic itinerary for those who want to explore the entire region.

The adventure starts by flying to Pisa. (Flights from Madrid are often the most reasonable) and with Ryan Air you can find flights for under €40, so this is the most ideal way to get to Pisa. Once you arrive in Pisa it’s easy to rent a car or motorbike through a hire-car company.  It’s important to consider the time of year in which you travel in terms of choosing different transport methods when driving on the highways in Tuscany. 

For those that don’t fancy driving and if the train seems too pricey, don’t forget to consider travelling by bus and Uni Trips are currently working on offering you this bus service.

There are no major difficulties with driving in Italy and in Tuscany in particular, as there are well-developed infrastructure. The routes usually include national routes, rural paths and motorways.

¡Remember!:

In the larger towns and cities, you must park outside the historical centres (in these areas, traffic is usually restricted) and from there, you’ll be able to get around on foot. In the bigger cities such as Florence and Pisa, it is advised to park the car and either walk or use public transport to get around as they’ll always be a risk of unexpected fine when parking in the city.

Look out for Val d’Orcia:

The Orcia valley arguably has one of the most rural winding roads in the world. Everyone can appreciate its beautiful Tuscan landscapes that it is surrounded by, in fact, Unesco included it in the list of Word Heritage sites. The winding roads and valleys of the country itself that broadens into soft waves of green and ochre, charms all of those who visit. However when driving along the hills remember to not let yourself be so encapsulated so much by the beauty that you forget to drive cautiously!

La Ruta:

To avoid becoming ‘worn out’ by following a trail of the more energetic cities, we recommend that from Pisa you head towards the North-East, taking a route that leads to Lucca. Here you can start your trip with a more leisurely approach in the tourist areas before moving down to the great city that is Florence. Once you arrive in Florence we recommend two to three days is the perfect amount of time to explore the whole city.

We also recommend that you balance your time by visiting no more than two or three cities in one day, given these are smaller cities. You would ideally need to spend a whole day in Pisa and Siena.

Upon leaving the well-established culture capital of Tuscany, that is Florence, head south to discover the small towns along the route that lead towards Arezzo. From here you then head west towards Montaclino which you’ll explore before then heading to Siena. This will be your second longest journey along with Florence, so remember to take your time and stay for at least two days.

After Siena you will travel a little further north, towards the towns of San Gimigniano and Volterra, which will be your final stop before heading back to Pisa, after having seen all the main cities. From there you’ll catch a flight back to Spain.

 

And that’s it! Enjoy the exciting road trip in the Tuscan sunshine! And discover for yourself the finest highways in Tuscany.

Translated and adopted by University of Leeds student; Holly Ingram, 2017