Pisa and southern Tuscany

Cute Coves on Elba island

Anyone ever seen the rolling hills of Tuscany and thought you need to make it your next trip? I’m going to guess most of you are saying hell yes…..I think Italy and particularly Tuscany has a rep of being all the £££ but it’s not actually the case, you can totally do it on a budget and I will do a little overview of how and what to see/do.

You can pretty much always fly to Pisa for £70…. I have actually found flights to Pisa in August for £54 so even if you are after a summer holiday break you can find really reasonable flights. They are ryanair jobby’s so you would need to add luggage but you still can’t grumble for that.

Accommodation. Here’s where Airbnb is your best friend. You can get some beautiful places to stay for a really good price if you are in a group, if you want something family friendly I love Park Albatross so much. It’s technically a euro camp but don’t let that put you off, the new mobile homes are amazing and the facilities are literally incredible. For August you can get a family of 5 for £600 but in early Sept you can get it for much cheaper, around £216 for a week for a family of 5.

One of the amazing pools at Park Albatross

I have also visited Florence a few times (which I will cover in a different post) and there is so much more to Tuscany and this is just a small part of it but a really good way to start. I am assuming you can hire a car/are happy to but we did this all with an amazing taxi service because there was 11 of us and it was just easiest.

We have just come back from a 3 day hen trip and this is how our itinerary shaped up.

Sunday-Flight into Pisa, when you arrive jump on the ‘Pisa Mover’ from the airport into the city, its 2.70 euro for a single and it only takes 10 minutes. Once you get to Pisa you only need a day really to see the sights….this doesn’t mean you should skip it, far from it. As with always in Italy the architecture is stunning and obviously the food is incredible. For lunch I would definitely reccomend grabbing a sandwich at I Porci Comodi-the porchetta is incredible (and you must try the green sauce) you can get Vegan and Veggie options too and a huge sandwich will only set you back around 5 Euro.

Amazing Sandwiches from Porci Comodi

After a wander (and mooch in Sephora) we got the train down to San Vincenzo which took 1 hour (it’s the Roma Centrale train). It costs €7 for a single and as with all Italian trains is super comfy. We arrived to our lovely taxi drivers from Taxi SAN Vincenzo, they were incredible and took us everywhere, were so accommodating when we changed everything around and just really lovely. If you are in the area you should definitely use them :)

Portoferraio harbour

Elba Island When I looked into Tuscan beaches I stumbled upon Elba……I was so surprised it is the 3rd largest island in Italy after Sicily and Sardinia of course. The beaches and snorkelling looked stunning and we were only 20 minutes from the ferry port of Piombino so it was a no-brainer. The ferry took an hour, was £28 PP return, I imagine more cost effective if you take a car and Portoferraio was stunning. We climbed the town hills, chilled on the beach, ate delicious pizza, had drinks in the harbour it was the perfect day. If you visit the area and have time I would seriously reccomend it and I’d love to go back for an overnight stay as there’s some other beautiful beaches and towns I’d love to see.

The wife outside  a beautiful little cafe

Another must do in Tuscany is visit the hot springs. Again I hadn’t realised how many towns there were with hot springs but the Saturnia came on my radar….(Damn you instagram) It’s stunning but anyway we didn’t go there HA we did go to Venturina Terme to Calidario estruche which was also lovely! It’s €32 for entry to the hot springs and the Spa (which is essentially a sauna, steam room, indoor pool with massage jets and rain shower) or €19 if you just want to use the outdoor springs. You get around 4 hours which is just a wonderful relaxed way to spend the afternoon.

The beautiful hot springs at Venturina Terme

For our evening we went to an amazing little find near the town of Campiglia Marritima. Il goccetto is a wine bar that serves the most amazing local food, “cutting boards” of meats, cheeses, breads, veg and local dishes. The service is incredible and the wine delicious, we paid a set price and the food just kept coming.

Il Goccetto

Pisa-the day we flew home we had until 1.30 so headed back to Pisa on the train, there’s luggage storage at the station for €5 for the day which for me makes Pisa the perfect place to stay for a day on route to your next destination. We grabbed our all important Tower pic (it’s brilliant fun and fun to watch, you have leave your pride behind) and the cathedral is stunning and not to be overloooked. We had a really great brunch and coffee, I would definitely reccomend Filter coffee-only a few minutes from the tower and does get crowded as it’s clearly super popular with locals.

My Favourite pic of the trip

Other places to try in Pisa: Vicolo Divino- wine tasting Il Ristoro della pe-cheap pasta dishes Trattoria la ghiotteria

Views in Portoferraio 

Have you been to Tuscany? I’d love to hear any other tips!