Livorno-tour with less walking?

[LiseD]

I am planning a cruise next summer and will have my twins(turning 21 on the trip) and my parents (in their 80's) along with my husband and me. I think a private driver is the way to go! my parents don't want to do a lot of walking. Can anyone look at this list and tell me which you think would be best for our group? There are so many good options, but wondering which would be more laid back? My parents love wine...should we do a wine tour? Thanks for your help!!

 

http://www.romeinlimo.com/livorno/

[Hlitner]

I glanced at all the tour options and they all would involve substantial walking except, possibly, for that wine tour. However, the description of the wine tour did not really clarify the walking situation and the tour does not look very exciting, Since you are dealing with a very reputable tour operator I think you might want to e-mail them your concerns and see what they suggest. The least amount of walking would be achieved by doing a scenic drive (perhaps along the S222 road through the Chianti wine district) with a stop at a winery and a nice lunch somewhere along that route (there are quite a few smaller cafes/restaurants out in the countryside. At to walking, the city of Florence is flat in the main tourist area and there are plenty of cafes where you can stop for a drink and rest. Lucca is also flat (as long as you do not go up on the walls). Sienna does involve some pretty steep slopes (getting down into the Plaza) and San Gimiganano has a gradual slope throughout the city (although there is a jitney for the disabled).

 

Hank

[LiseD]

and they recommended this tour:

http://www.romeinlimo.com/livorno/pisa-san-gimignano.htm

 

Any thoughts?

[Hlitner]

and they recommended this tour:

http://www.romeinlimo.com/livorno/pisa-san-gimignano.htm

 

Any thoughts?

 

Well, when I see the cost for 2 (520 Euros) it just makes me smile because we would do the same thing in our rental car for less then 120 Euros. But we do understand you want a tour. We do like that itinerary because San Gimignano is one of our favorite places in that region (we have spent about a week in local hotels). San G is a walled town with most tourists sticking to the main street (which stretches up a slight hill). You will need to do a fair amount of walking to get the most out of this town, but they do offer some kind of transportation up the main street for those who have walking issues. Your car will have to drop you outside the walled city (probably adjacent to the main entrance) and from there you must do some walking (slight upslope).

 

Driving you into the wine growing area (we assume they would take you on the S222 Route (Wine Road) and into some of the cute villages like Chianti and you could certainly ask them to arrange some wine tastings (they might automatically do this as part of your tour).

 

We do think this is probably the best of your various options and you will be able to control the amount of walking. But we advise saving your walking energy for San Gimignano :).

 

Hank