Last Updated on September 24, 2023 by Tori Pines
Thanks for following along our adventures! Today in my Italy Travel Journal, we take on Tuscany.
We had a wonderful day today in beautiful Toscana. This was by far our favorite day yet!!!! It was raining/gloomy all day long which made photos not as pretty as I had hoped for, but the views were still stunning to the eye, and we had so much fun anyways so we didn’t care! It didn’t pour or anything, just sprinkling all day.
We started at the Saturnia hot springs, just 10 minutes from our hotel, Villa Acquaviva. Recently, I had read some reviews about how much people didn’t like the springs, so I started getting nervous that this whole plan to stay here just so we could be close to the hot springs would all have been a waste of time.
Despite my fears, we were blown away, and so glad we did it. First, we parked at the lot just a little up the road from the springs. It was 4 euros for 2 hours. They take cards but I couldn’t get it to work so I had some euro coins on me and those worked, I recommend you bring coins if you go just in case. We walked to the spring and were in love with the beauty alone.
We got in and the temperature was very warm but not hot. Even at the very top. We guessed it was about 90 degrees or so, definitely not as hot as a hot tub, but so perfect for this chilly, gloomy Tuscan day. The rocks on the floor of the springs were tough to walk on but were all smooth and round, and the edges were slippery, so you have to be super careful. I forgot our water shoes, and those would have been really nice to have but are not 100% necessary.
There were teeeeny tiny little red worms, but there weren’t that many of them, and they honestly weren’t gross. Also, all of the locals there and in Rome said they were completely safe and harmless so we weren’t concerned or grossed out. When traveling, I ALWAYS bring my Teema Towel, it is so versatile and I use it for a huge variety of things! It’s perfect for drying off at the hot springs, but also the beach, as a picnic blanket, as a blanket for the train or plane and more. It also is super soft, but rolls up super tiny so it is easy to pack!
Once we were done at the springs we headed back to the hotel and took a photo from up the hill of the springs, it was such a beautiful view!! We got our free breakfast at the hotel, showered, packed and checked out. The team at Villa Acquaviva was fabulous and so sweet. The place was immaculately clean, beautiful and so comfortable. We will definitely be staying there again someday, I highly recommend that you do too.
We drove two hours north to a vineyard right outside San Gimignano for a wine tasting with lunch. It was called Tenuta Torciano. We sat in the cutest little tasting room and were served by the most wonderful staff!
We had about 7 different wines, and a 5 course lunch!! It was so much fun and the staff were very entertaining and educated us thoroughly on the wine. If you want to do a wine tasting in Tuscany I strongly recommend you do this one, you won’t regret it!
Next, we drove into San Gimignano and we fell in love. We want to live in this perfect little town. The town is charming and lively and full of locals and DOGS! So many precious pups. We had the world famous gelato from Gelateria Dondoli. It was delicious!!
We wandered with our gelato, shopped for leather jackets and shoes and fell in love with the views from town out over the countryside. I thought Rome would be my favorite city, but I already have one that has topped it.
I didn’t want to leave, but after whining a lot, Austin dragged me out of town and we drove into Florence, returned the rental car and walked to our hotel, the Westin Excelsior. It’s a beautiful hotel and we got a room overlooking the square and the Arno River! Dropped our bags and headed out to the Mercato Centrale for dinner.
The place was hopping, and had a ton of food options and drinks. It’s basically like a fancy food hall, with many local restaurants there. We got a pizza, some fettuccine with ragu and another Trapizzino! All were delicious. We walked back to the hotel and are heading to bed. We are tired after the last few busy days, and are excited for some more relaxing ones ahead!
Spending the day in Tuscany felt so much more authentic, we learned more Italian than Rome, got to know the locals better, saw a glimpse into real life for Italians who live in these small towns and enjoyed a slower pace of life! The landscape is unlike any other.
A quick recap on the rental car, it was a good bit of extra work getting the car and was super expensive compared to trains. Looking back, I’m really glad we did it, it was the only way to get to Saturnia and it gave us freedom to go wherever we wanted in Tuscany.
And, an update on my dress for today’s adventures! I bought this dress on Amazon, and it was super comfy but does run large! I am usually a small-medium, I ordered a small and it was still a little big!
It was super easy to drive throughout Tuscany and we enjoyed our time driving the countryside! If I did it again, I would take the train to Florence and then rent the car from there, explore Tuscany for at least two days and return the car back to Florence. We needed much more time in Tuscany, and it would have saved money to drop the car off at the same location as we picked up.
Tomorrow we will go to the Uffizi and the Duomo, we can’t wait! See you again tomorrow!
Make sure you read the Day 5 Daily Journal next, and please be sure to read through all of my Italy travel resources to help you plan the perfect vacation.
Cindy Powell says
Loved your Zoom meeting tonight with everyone!! It was so helpful and now I don’t feel as overwhelmed while planning our trip for this Fall 2022!!
Thanks again 💗💗💗💗
Tori Mitchell says
Thank you Cindy!! I am so happy I could help. You ladies will have SO much fun!!