Travel Guide: Preparing for Tuscany

If you are joining Holly on the wonderful Herbal Tuscany 2027 journey, which begins May 29, this quick travel guide will help you plan for your trip. Not yet registered? We have spaces available here.

May and June will be a lovely time to gather in the rolling hills of Italy for a week-and-a-half of play, meandering, history, and gardens!

This short guide is to support you as you prepare for our Tuscany retreat. Our adventure will balance Italian dolce far niente (the sweetness of doing nothing) with vibrant activities including visits to botanical gardens, farms, basilicas, cathedrals, museums, and of course living and relaxing our lodgings: a 16-century villa near Siena and a monastic site in Assisi.

Being practical about logistics and packing will make everything easier. First, do you need a European visa? No, for our 12-day trip this is not necessary, unless you plan to extend your stay.

All of your lodging is already taken care of once we begin the retreat, but if you plan to arrive early (which is recommended to get over jet lag), you’ll want to fly into Rome or Florence and book a hotel, preferably near the Florence (Firenze) Airport.

Packing

Let’s talk about packing. Some folks will arrive with carry-ons and checked bags, especially if you’re staying longer than our trip. Personally, I prefer a personal item with a carry-on, though my husband and I purchased some skin care products and two bottles of wine, so we bought an extra bag to check at the airport on the flight home.

Layers are important. Our beautiful home-away-from-home is a 16^th-century villa near Siena. Its walls are thick stone, so it’s very cool inside. But outside may be quite warm. We’ll be doing a variety of activities, from enjoying hot springs and swimming, to getting (optional) spa treatments and massages, to (optional) morning yoga, to woodland hikes, to city walking on the cobblestones of Medieval towns, to strolling in gardens and farms, to hiking hillside sanctuaries. For this reason, I suggest light layers and a variety of shoes, but likely not a heavy coat or jacket.

In fact, this year Europe experienced a tremendous heat wave, with temps reaching above 100, so hot weather is not uncommon. But the evenings can be cool – I often had a sweater on and even bought a sweatshirt while I was there.

Shoes: bring YOUR MOST COMFORTABLE SNEAKERS OR WALKING SHOES. Don’t buy new shoes as you’ll get blisters. Don’t pack high heels because you won’t want them on the cobblestones and stairs. Bring sandals or flip flops for wearing inside the villa but for our excursions you’ll want sneakers. Truly, I sat in Florence and watched the most sophisticated, fashionable young local Italian women prance by in their jewelry, tight short dresses, and designer handbags, and they had socks and sneakers on their feet. Smart!!

Stairs: Our trip is, unfortunately, not wheelchair accessible. Europe boasts many stairs, steps, and beautiful alleyways that zigzag and twist. It’s part of the charm, and Italy (and our trip) will feature climbing. Wear shoes that are comfortable and have plenty of foot support. We take our time and no one is left behind, but come prepared to get in some good cardio workouts!!

Documents

For our trip, all travel is arranged for you once we begin. But prior to the trip, you’ll need to get yourself to Italy. Fly into Florence Airport, or fly into Rome (Fiumicino FCO) and take the train to Florence. The train is easy, inexpensive, and is about a 2.5 hour ride. Print out your travel docs with airline info, flight number, and arrival and departure time. I know many Millennials will find this unnecessary—just use your phone!—but if your battery dies, you’ll need a paper backup.

Passport: make sure yours is good for at least 6 months AFTER our Herbal Tuscany tour ends. Make color copies of it and keep one with you and with one of your traveling partners.

We’ll send details for specific items to bring, but definitely plan on a wide-brimmed sun hat and sunscreen. We will be near shopping areas so pack light and plan to restock if needed on-the-go instead of bringing extras with you.

Our Herbal Tuscany 2027 journey will include the farms, food, wine, history, art, culture, gardens, fountains, and beauty of Tuscany and Umbria, as well as its iconic basilicas and cathedrals—strolls and meanders with edible and medicinal plants and the people who steward them, leaving us nourished and inspired.

Learn more and register here