What to visit near Florence? Let's start with the villages

Florence is the ideal starting point for exploring some of the most evocative Tuscan villages. During your stay in the Firenze Prestige apartments, take the opportunity to explore the quaintest towns, all surrounded by woods, olive trees, vineyards and pristine lands as far as the eye can see, a spectacle that is unique to the world. 

Do you want to know more about the day trips that are an absolute must during your stay in Florence? Here are our proposals for a holiday in Tuscany in the most characteristic villages:

• San Gimignano: Located about an hour from Florence, San Gimignano is an obligatory stop for those who want to rediscover medieval villages and enchanted atmospheres. In fact, strolling through the ancient village streets, you'll feel as though you were in a fairy tale set seven centuries ago.

• Borgo di Certaldo: this enchanting village with fortified walls and dizzyingly tall towers is just 40 km from Florence and can be reached from San Gimignano by funicular, a journey that will allow you to immerse yourself in the picturesque bucolic landscape of Tuscany.

• Vinci: The name recalls the great artist, but the village of that Italian Renaissance Genius truly offers an incredible landscape of vineyards and centuries-old olive trees. Just an hour from Florence, it is home to an important museum, whose lower floor is entirely dedicated to the Ideal Museum of Leonardo da Vinci, with over 200 original models and designs.

• The monastic complex of Badia a Passignano: located just 40 minutes from Florence, this monastery is a true hidden treasure that looks like a fairy-tale castle, with internal gardens, surrounding walls and corner towers. The monastic complex crowns the Chianti hills and is surrounded by a cypress forest, which must have provided comfort to pilgrims when they sighted it.
• San Miniato: a small village nestled between Pisa and Florence which offers a sweeping view of the entire valley of the Arno to the sea; thanks to its strategic position, kings and emperors have always strived to possess this village, and left the mark of their passage over time with imposing castles and fortifications.
• Montelupo Fiorentino: Just 30 minutes from Florence. In addition to its historical beauties and elegant medieval architecture, this town has become famous for its refined artisan tradition, handed down from generation to generation: it is particularly renowned for producing precious ceramics and glass.