Obviously, I’m biased, but Tuscany is spectacular all-year-round. Its soft hills, charming mountains, blue sea, rivers and lakes all wait to be explored. As a local to Tuscany, I’d say the best time to visit is definitely early to mid-fall. Below, you can find the top reasons why mid-fall is the best time to visit Tuscany.
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What’s the Best Time of Year to Visit Tuscany?
With its warm colors, intense fragrances and juicy fruits, Autumn is the time of the year which satisfies the five senses in a most generous way. September and October offer unique opportunities to discover Tuscany that you would not be able to seize in other seasons. These are a few reasons why you should not miss to visit Tuscany in early autumn:
Weather in Tuscany
In mid-fall in Tuscany, it is usually still warm enough to swim in most seaside areas from end of September to early October. Days are generally sunny, with some rain now and then. If you often get chilly, you will need to wear a jacket and pullover in the evening, but during the day you will be able to walk without panting from the heat! Mid-fall offers the best weather in Tuscany, because it’s warm enough to enjoy the picturesque landscapes and spend time outside, but cool enough to feel comfortable.
Lower Prices and Fewer Crowds
After the high season months of July and August, there are fewer people visiting the rolling hills of Tuscany. Fewer people means fewer queues at all the tourist attractions and shops. You will also experience more comfortable journeys on public transportation and more availability of cabs.
Prices in hotels and resorts are generally reduced, with no loss in quality and attentive service. Hotels usually offer seasonal promotions to encourage international touring.
Grape Harvest and Wine Production
One of the most important events taking place starting in September is the Italy grape harvest. In antiquity, wine was called the Nectar of the Gods. The Romans personified the state of intoxication resulting from wine, sexual vitality and earthly pleasures with Bacchus, the God of Wine. Have you ever had the chance to admire the famous Bacchus by Caravaggio in the Uffizi Gallery? If you have not, please do!
It goes without saying that good wine runs through our Tuscan veins, as well as olive oil (produced in early November) is our daily beauty cream.
If you feel like immersing in the genuine Tuscan culture, you can attend a day harvest, visit a winery and dine in a wine cellar overlooking the vineyards. Make sure to contact our Finelli & Shaw team to arrange such an experience for you. Most wine producers will be more than happy to offer you a guided wine tour in English followed by wine tasting accompanied by Tuscan specialties.
Food in Tuscany
As wine is best when accompanied by supreme food, you may be interested to learn that the typical autumn dishes that are made with local products that grow in our generous region. Local country festivals are dedicated to chestnuts, mushrooms (not only Porcini, which are the king of mushrooms) and truffles (black or white), as well as game (wild boar, roe deer, hare and pheasant).
Dining with perfect strangers seated all together at long wooden tables al fresco will make you enjoy these culinary occasions like real Tuscans. What better opportunity to make new friends and improve your Italian between a dish of Pappardelle al Cinghiale and a piece of Castagnaccio?
Truffle hunting
The truffle is a mysterious fruit hidden in the soil and is for good reasons known as “golden tuber” or “king” of the table. Unlike common mushrooms, which grow over the surface and can easily be seen by trained eyes, the search of this tuber is entrusted to pigs and most commonly to dogs.
According to the season and to the region of provenance, white (the most precious) and black truffle satisfy your palate and indulge your senses when shaved over meat, risotto or a simple fried egg. It is used to enrich olive oil and condiments. nothing better than a small bottle of truffled olive oil to bring home as a souvenir from your holiday in Tuscany.
Tuscan truffle hunters usually offer an opportunity to discover their magical world; if you travel with children they will love it. And on request, the day may end with a gourmet dining experience based on dishes prepared with your hunted treasure!
Theatre and Opera
By the fall, open-air music events that have cheered our summer evenings are over and we look for indoor show venues. The beginning of autumn coincides with the opening of theatre reviews: lyrics, ballet, opera and drama will be on stage from early autumn to late spring in all Tuscan towns. Florence alone boasts over 20 theatres for all tastes. The recent opening of the Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino in a brand new modern building has reconfirmed the Tuscan capital in the tradition of high-level performances.
Spas and Thermal Baths
And as you can’t do all those intellectual and physical activities without a bit of relaxation, you can combine touring with self-care. There is nothing like indulging in hot baths when the outside temperature gets cooler. There are plenty of spas in Tuscany where you can pamper yourselves in natural thermal baths surrounded by charming landscapes and unique art masterpieces.
You can choose between open-air thermal panoramic pools and wellness centers, which not only offer healing baths, but also a vast range of wellness treatments, from sauna to lymph-draining massage, inhalation and aerosol therapy, mineral water cures, thermal aesthetic treatments, and much more to revitalize body and soul after all that eating and drinking.
