Si Toscana : Inside Guide
Si Toscana : Inside Guide
Sylvia Jansen ’ s at-a-glance guide to top Tuscan tips .
Best advance planning : A few weeks — or even months — ahead , book an entry at the Uffizi Gallery and Accademia in Florence . Your Florence hotel will make your reservation if you ask . Once there , walk past the queues , get your ticket and go in .
Best single buy : Towns such as Siena , Florence , and Pisa will offer single tickets in a package to visit their churches , museums , and attractions . The bundled tickets have two great benefits : you have the chance to see the treasures most people miss and you get to see them without waiting in the crushing lineups ! Find out about the bundles at any local tourist information office .
Best time to tour : Wake up early and arrive by 8 am for the Campo Santo in Pisa , or the sights of San Gimignano . An early start means great parking and a peaceful stroll .
Best wine tasting : The bar of Grand Hotel Continental , Siena : Via Banchi del Sopra 85 ( www . royaldemeure . com ).
Best Canadian wine connection : Tolaini Estates , Strada Provinciale 9 di Pievasciata , 28 Castelnuovo Berardenga ( www . tolaini . it ). World class wine with a Winnipeg connection .
Best place to live like a local : The Siena Co-op , beside the main train station . Wine , bread , produce , and cheese : instant picnic .
Best splurge dinner : Arnolfo Ristorante , Via XX Settembre n . 50 , Colle di Val d ’ Elsa ( www . arnolforistorante . com ).
Best trattoria : Oltre I ’ ll Giardino , Panzano : fantastic local specialties and a great wine list .
Best gelati : Mario Barone , Via G . del Secco n . 32 , Colle di Val d ’ Elsa . Divine .
Best butcher in Tuscany : L ’ Antica Macelleria Cecchini , the butcher shop of Dario Cecchini in Panzano . The place looks like an art gallery , and offers a moveable feast . Top : Michelangelo ’ s David in the Piazza della Signoria , Florence ; Bottom : Dario Cecchini and staff hard at work in Panzano
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