Even though along the coast summer seems still here with some people resting in the sun and swimming into the sea, the fall came a couple of weeks ago. If you are still uncertain about where traveling during this period of the year, decide to plan your autumn holidays in Tuscany is definitely a good idea.

There are various good reasons to choose Tuscany in autumn, even if only for a short break or a romantic escape. Together with the spring, the fall is probably the best period to visit this land loved for its relaxing atmosphere, peaceful places, culture, and history.

7 good reasons to plan your Autumn Holidays in Tuscany

In October, the weather is still mild with warm and sunny days that you still need of shorts and flip-flops to walk around. In November a bit of rain should fall, but it won’t stop your will to travel. Depending on the forecasts, you can choose to explore areas with less chance of rain, as Maremma or Crete Senesi. For an overview of the climate of the region read also our post about the weather in Tuscany.

Teenagers at sunset

Flights rates and costs of a room or apartment are cheaper. Taking advantage of some packages and deals, you will be able to organize your autumn holidays in Tuscany without spending a fortune, as happens during the high season.

Autumn is the period of the fall foliage, and the forests of Tuscany are every bit as good as the ones in New England in the United States or Japan. The color of leaves turns to different shades of yellow, orange, red and brown, giving the forests a special, magic and relaxing atmosphere where the only sound you can hear is the creaking of the dry foliage under your feet. I am sure your “perfect place” is somewhere out there, between the Mugello and the Casentino areas, up to the mountains of Abetone or Monte Amiata, into a chestnut tree forests of Castagneto Carducci in the Etruscan Coast or of Lunigiana.

The colours of the Autumn

Being out of the peak season you can enjoy both art cities (Florence, Pisa, Siena, and Lucca) and the main villages (San Gimignano, Pienza, Montalcino, and Montepulciano) out of the summer crowd.

You can even step out the cities and the most touristic spots reaching the Tuscan Riviera. It offers you wide empty sandy beaches to walk, medieval villages overlooking the sea to explore as Populonia in the Gulf of Baratti (where you can even visit the interesting archaeological park of Baratti and Populonia) or Porto Ercole and Porto Santo Stefano in the Argentario Promontory.

The village of Populonia along the Etruscan Coast

The indisputable ruler of the autumn holidays in Tuscany is the food. Fall is the season of truffles, mushrooms, chestnuts, olive oil, and wine. The Sagre, the traditional festivals where you can taste the fruits of our land and the exquisite recipes made with them, spring up throughout the region.

The villages of San Miniato (in the province of Pisa) and of San Giovanni d’Asso (near Siena) celebrate the white truffle every November with festivals and trade fairs.

Fruits and Vegetables of the Autumn – Truffle photo credits: Michela Simoncini

Instead, the best places to pick and taste chestnuts are in the areas of Mugello, Garfagnana, Casentino, Lunigiana, and Monte Amiata. In the past chestnut was one of the main ingredients of the kitchen, especially during periods of famine. Thanks to our grandparents, that passed down to us recipes of delicious dishes made with chestnuts, we still keep alive their memories and their traditions. Do not miss to taste roasted chestnuts or traditional food made with chestnut flour as Castagnaccio (try to make it following the recipe of my Grandma), crepes (called Necci) with ricotta cheese, or the Torta di Marroni of Mugello.

November is also the time of olive oil harvest and the time to celebrate the “Vino Novello”, the first wine produced with the fruits of the grape harvest of September.

Castagnaccio, the Chestnut cake

You can celebrate Halloween in the little burg of Borgo a Mozzano that hosts one of the biggest parties of Italy. The night of 31st October, all the alleys and squares are adorned with Halloween decorations. Food trucks, street artists, and live shows entertain thousands of people before the ending fireworks that enlight the sky and the dark water of the Serchio river over the Devil’s Bridge (the one you see in the main picture).

For 5 days from 1st to 5th November, the historical center of Lucca will be crowded with people wearing costumes of their favorite cartoon, book, TV series, and video games. This is Lucca Comics and Games, the second world biggest festival dedicated to the comics and its fans.

Finally, I add another suggestion to the list of reasons why you should plan an autumn holiday in Tuscany: wellness and hot springs. In case of bad weather or chilly temperature, you can even think to pamper yourself with a plunge into one of the hot springs of the region. Here is our blog post where put together all the free hot springs of Tuscany.

Do you still need reasons to convince you to spend your autumn holidays in Tuscany? Let me know If you need any other information or suggestion.

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(Updated on 03/10/2017)