Planning a trip to Tuscany and Umbria

Tips for Travelers with Disabilities

A few museums and churches have installed ramps at the entrances, and a few hotels have converted first-floor rooms into accessible units by widening the doors and bathrooms. Other than that, don't expect to find much of Tuscany and Umbria easy to tackle. Builders in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance didn't have wheelchairs or mobility impairments in mind when they built narrow doorways and spiral staircases, and preservation laws keep modern Italians from being able to do much about this. Older buses and trains can cause problems as well, with high, narrow doors and steep steps at entrances -- though the gradual updating of fleets is slowly removing some of these impediments. There are, however, seats reserved on public transportation for travelers with disabilities. One organization that helps travelers with disabilities in Tuscany is Accessible Italy (tel. 378-0549-9411; www.accessibleitaly.com). It provides travelers with information about accessible tourist sites and places to rent wheelchairs, as well as offering organized "Accessible Tours" around Italy. Additionally, this non-profit organization invests its proceeds in Italy's infrastructure, to make the country more accessible.

Tips on Accommodations

Italy ceased to be the country of the cheap pensione a long time ago. In fact it takes some searching these days to find a hotel room with a shared bathroom.

Hotels are rated by regional boards on a system of one to five stars. Prices aren't directly tied to the star system, but for the most part, the more stars a hotel has, the more expensive it'll be -- but a four-star in a small town may be cheaper than a two-star in Florence. The number of stars awarded a hotel is based strictly on the amenities offered -- not how clean, comfortable, or friendly a place is.

A few of the four- and five-star hotels have their own private garages, but most city inns have an agreement with a local garage. In many small towns, a garage is unnecessary because public parking, both free and pay, is widely available and never too far from your hotel. Parking costs and procedures are indicated under each hotel, and the rates quoted are per day (overnight). The provision of smoke-free rooms is a legal requirement.

The high season throughout most of Tuscany and Umbria runs from Easter to early September or October -- peaking June through August -- and from December 24 to January 6. One major exception to this is Florence -- and to a lesser degree, Pisa -- where August is low season for hotels. You can almost always bargain for a cheaper rate if you're traveling in the shoulder season (early spring and late fall) or winter off-season (not including Christmas). In rural Tuscany, it's common to find a hotel closes for all or part of the off season (November through February or March). Even in cities, family-run hotels or guesthouses tend to close for a month. In hotel reviews, we usually quote a range of prices. If there is one figure only, that represents the maximum. Prices vary so wildly these days depending entirely on availability, that sometimes the only dependable figure is the highest the hotel is allowed to charge. The moral of the story: If it seems like availability is high, you should be getting a discount.

If your hotel quotes the price for breakfast separately from the room, be aware that you can almost certainly get the same breakfast, perhaps even better, for a few euros at the bar down the block. Most, however, quote an inclusive B&B price these days.

Hotel Price Categories: Florence, Tuscany & Umbria

Very Expensive 300€ and up

Expensive 200€-300€

Moderate 100€-200€

Inexpensive Under 100€

Agriturismo (Staying on a Farm)

Tuscany and Umbria are at the forefront of the agriturismo movement in Italy, whereby a working farm or agricultural estate makes available accommodations for visitors who want to stay out in the countryside. The supply of such places has exploded perhaps even more quickly than demand. The rural atmosphere is ensured by the fact that an operation can call itself "agriturismo" only if (a) it offers fewer than 30 beds total and (b) the agricultural component of the property brings in a larger economic share of profits than the hospitality part -- in other words, the property has to remain a farm and not become just a rural hotel. That's why you'll almost always be offered homemade sausages, home-pressed olive oil, home-produced wine, and so on.

Agriturismi can be a crapshoot. The types of accommodations can vary dramatically. Most, though, are mini-apartments, usually rented out with a minimum stay of 3 days, or even a week in high season. Sometimes you're invited to eat big country dinners at the table with the family; other times you cook for yourself. Rates can vary from 60€ for two per day to 250€ and beyond -- as much as a board-rated four-star hotel in town. We've reviewed a few really choice ones throughout this guide, but there are hundreds more.

Top 6 Agriturismi Websites

• Tuscany Tourism (www.turismo.intoscana.it) Probably the most comprehensive resource in English, with databases of hundreds of farmstays, searchable both by text or by clickable map down to the locality level, with info about each property, a photo or two, and a direct link to each agriturismo's own website.

• Agriturist (www.agriturist.it) Easiest site to navigate, since you click on a region (Tuscany or Umbria) on the map or text list, and the next page gives you the option of continuing in English.

• Italy Farm Holidays (www.italyfarmholidays.com) U.S.-based agency representing many of the more upscale agriturismo properties in Tuscany and Umbria.

• Terranostra (www.terranostra.it) Features handy maps and 400 choices in Tuscany and 69 in Umbria (in Italian, but understandable enough).

• Turismo Verde (www.turismoverde.it) Italian only -- click on "Scegli il tuo Agriturismo" for a high-quality selection.

• Untours (www.untours.com) For apartment, farmhouse, or cottage stays of 2 weeks or more, this site provides exceptional vacation rentals for a reasonable price.

Villa Rentals

Each summer, thousands of visitors become temporary Tuscans by renting an old farmhouse or "villa," a marketing term used to inspire romantic images of manicured gardens, a Renaissance mansion, and glasses of chianti, but in reality guaranteeing no more than four walls and most of a roof.

Actually, finding your countryside Eden isn't that simple, and if you want to ensure a romantic and memorable experience, brace yourself for a lot of research and legwork. Occasionally you can go through the property owners themselves, but the vast majority of villas are rented out via agencies.

Root around on travel forums (like the one at Frommers.com), search sites like Tripadvisor (though take the opinions posted there with a pinch of salt!), Google for reviews and photos, and find out exactly where the property is (check it out on Google Maps before you go).

Top 10 Rental Agencies

• Cottages to Castles (www.cottagestocastles.com): U.K.-based agency specializing in luxury rentals.

• Holidaylettings.co.uk (www.holidaylettings.co.uk): One of the best U.K.-based agencies for Tuscan rentals.

• Homeabroad.com (www.homeabroad.com): Handles hundreds of rather upscale properties.

• HomeAway Vacation Rentals (www.HomeAway.com): Global agency with an excellent Italian selection.

• Homelidays (www.homelidays.com): European specialist.

• Insider's Italy (www.insidersitaly.com): Small, upscale outfit run by a very personable agent who's thoroughly familiar with all of her properties and with Italy in general.

• Owners Direct (www.ownersdirect.co.uk): Huge worldwide selection and extensive coverage in Tuscany and Umbria.

• Rentvillas.com (www.rentvillas.com): California-based agency with loads of experiences tracking down the best villas.

• To Tuscany Villas (www.to-tuscany.com): Tuscany specialists.

• Tuscany Vacation Rentals (www.tuscanyholidayrent.com): Tuscan rentals for all budgets.

Alternative Accommodations

Sustainable and eco-friendly travel is possible in Tuscany and Umbria, with companies such as Responsiblevacation.com (www.responsiblevacation.com) offering a range of tour options (walking holidays, for example), and a list of organic farmstays in Umbria and Tuscany.

For a more adventurous type of vacation, Tourdust (www.tourdust.com) uses local businesses in Tuscany to combine accommodation and activities in one trip (from cooking to ballooning). If you crave peace and tranquility, Monastery Stays (www.monasterystays.com) specializes in accommodations in monasteries and convents all over Tuscany and Umbria, including Florence and Assisi.

Tips for Gay and Lesbian Travelers

Italy as a whole, and northern and central Italy in particular, are gay-friendly. Homosexuality is legal, and the age of consent is 16. Luckily, Italians are already more affectionate and physical than Americans in their general friendships, and even straight men occasionally walk down the street with their arms around each other -- however, kissing anywhere other than on the cheeks at greetings and goodbyes will certainly draw attention. As you might expect, smaller towns tend to be less permissive and accepting than cities. Florence has the largest and most visible homosexual population (not that that's saying much), though university cities such as Pisa also take gayness in stride. Elba's beaches are Tuscany's big gay-vacation destination. Italy's national association and support network for gays and lesbians is ARCI-Gay/ARCI-Lesbica. The national website is www.arcigay.it, but they also have a Tuscany-specific one at www.gaytoscana.it. There are other offices in Pisa, Via San Lorenzo 38 (tel./fax 050-555-618; www.arcigaypisa.it); in Livorno (tel. 320-817-1758; www.arcigaylivorno.it); and in Grosseto, Via Parini 7/e (tel. 0564-490-565; www.grossetogay.it). Their cousin association in Florence is called Ireos (www.ireos.org), in the Oltrarno at Via dei Serragli 3, Firenze (tel./fax 055-216-907). For info on Siena, check out www.sienagay.net.

Getting Around

By Car

Contrary to the Italian stereotype, Tuscan and Umbrian drivers tend to be very safe and alert -- if a bit more aggressive than many visitors are used to. If someone races up behind you and flashes his lights, that's the signal for you to slow down so he can pass you quickly and safely. Stay in the right lane on highways; the left is only for passing and for cars with large engines and the pedal to the metal. If you see someone in your rearview mirror speeding up with his hazard lights blinking, get out of the way because it means his Mercedes is opened up full throttle. On a two-lane road, the idiot passing someone in the opposing traffic who has swerved into your lane expects you to veer obligingly over into the shoulder so three lanes of traffic can fit -- he would do the same for you. (Plus, the alternative is not pretty.)

Autostrade are superhighways, denoted by green signs and a number prefaced with an A, like the A1 from Rome to Florence. A few aren't numbered and are simply called raccordo, a connecting road between two cities or highways (such as Florence-Siena and Perugia-A1). On longer stretches, autostrade often become toll roads. Strade Statali are state roads, usually two lanes wide, indicated by blue signs. Their route numbers are prefaced with an SS or an S, as in the SS222 from Florence to Siena. On signs, however, these official route numbers are used infrequently. Usually, you'll just see blue signs listing destinations by name with arrows pointing off in the appropriate directions. Even if it's just a few kilometers down on the road, often the town you're looking for won't be mentioned on the sign at the appropriate turnoff. It's impossible to predict which of all the towns that lie along a road will be the ones chosen to list on a particular sign. Sometimes, the sign gives only the first minuscule village that lies past the turnoff; at other times it lists the first major town down that road; and some signs mention only the major city the road eventually leads to, even if it's hundreds of kilometers away. It pays to study the map before coming to an intersection.

The speed limit on roads in built-up areas around towns and cities is 50kmph (31mph), 90kmph (56mph) on secondary and local roads, 110kmph (68mph) on main roads outside urban areas, and 130kmph (80mph) per hour on highways. Italians have an astounding disregard for these limits, mostly because the limits are only enforced if the offense is egregious. However, police can ticket you and collect the fine on the spot. The blood-alcohol limit in Italy is 0.05%, often achieved with just two drinks. Clearly drunk drivers can expect to be arrested. The wearing of seatbelts is compulsory for front and back seat passengers as well as for the driver.

As far as parcheggio (parking) is concerned, on streets white lines indicate free public spaces and blue lines pay public spaces. (Never park in yellow-lined spaces, which are for residents or local business owners only.) Meters don't line the sidewalk; rather, there's one machine on the block where you punch in how long you want to park. The machine spits out a ticket that you leave on your dashboard. Sometimes streets will have an attendant who'll come around and give you your timed ticket (pay him or her when you get ready to leave). If you park in an area marked PARCHEGGIO DISCO ORARIO, root around in your rental car's glove compartment for a cardboard parking disc (or buy one at a gas station). With this device, you dial up the hour of your arrival (it's the honor system) and display it on your dashboard. You're allowed un ora (1 hr.) or due ore (2 hr.), according to the sign. If you don't have a disc, find a piece of blank paper and write "Arrivo:" followed by the time you arrived, then display it on the dashboard. Parking lots have ticket dispensers, but booths are not usually manned as you exit. Take your ticket with you when you park; when you return to the lot to get your car and leave, first visit the office or automated payment machine to exchange your ticket for a paid receipt that you then use to get through the automated exit.

Car Rental -- All the major international rental companies are represented in Tuscany and Umbria, with desks at all the airports listed above, and offices in major towns such as Florence and Perugia. Hertz (www.hertz.com) and Europcar (www.europcar.com) tend to be the most popular. Rates vary according to the season and length of rental, and can range from 40€ to 100€ per day for the smallest car. Book in advance for the cheapest rates. Basic mandatory insurance is always included (collision damage waiver and theft waiver).

Road Signs -- Here's a brief rundown of the road signs you'll most frequently encounter. A speed limit sign is a black number inside a red circle on a white background. The end of a speed zone is just black and white, with a black slash through the number. A red circle with a white background, a black arrow pointing down, and a red arrow pointing up means yield to oncoming traffic, while a point-down red-and-white triangle means yield ahead. In town, a simple white circle with a red border, or the words zona pedonale or zona a traffico limitato, denotes a pedestrian zone (you can sometimes drive through only to drop off baggage at your hotel); a white arrow on a blue background is used for Italy's many one-way streets; a mostly red circle with a horizontal white slash means do not enter. Any image in black on a white background surrounded by a red circle means that image is not allowed (for instance, if the image is two cars next to each other: no passing; a motorcycle means no Harleys permitted; and so on). A circular sign in blue with a red circle-slash means no parking.

Gasoline -- Like most of Western Europe, benzina (gas or petrol) in Italy is much more expensive than in the U.S. (and most parts of Canada). Even a small rental car guzzles 50€ to 70€ for a fill-up (equivalent to $7-$8 a gallon). There are many pull-in gas stations along major roads and on the outskirts of town, as well as 24-hour rest stops along the autostrada highways, but in towns some stations are small sidewalk gas stands where you parallel park to fill up. Almost all stations are closed for riposo and on Sundays, but the majority of them now have a pump fitted with a machine that accepts bills so you can self-service your tank at 3am. Unleaded gas is senza piombo, but most locally-rented cars take gasolio (diesel). Be sure to check before filling up.

By Train

Italy has one of the best train systems in Europe, and even traveling on a regional level through Tuscany and Umbria, you'll find many destinations connected. There are four major rail arteries in Tuscany. The most important and quickest is the Milan-Florence-Arezzo-Orvieto-Rome line that parallels the A1 highway; the second is the coastal Genoa-Pisa-Livorno-Rome line. The third and fourth connect those two: the Florence-Viareggio route stops in Prato, Pistoia, Montecatini Terme, and Lucca, and the Florence-Pisa line has principal intermediate halts in Empoli and Pontedera. The slower the train, the smaller the towns where it will stop.

Most lines are administered by the state-run Ferrovie dello Stato or FS (tel. 892-021 for national train info, or 199-166-177 to buy tickets; www.trenitalia.com), but servicing the Casentino and western Valdichiana in Tuscany is a private line called LFI, and northern Umbria is serviced by the private FCU. About the only difference you'll notice is that these private lines don't honor special discount cards or passes.

Italian trains are clean and reasonably comfortable. First class (prima classe) is usually only a shade better than second class (seconda classe), with four to six seats per couchette instead of six to eight. The only real benefit of first class comes if you're traveling overnight, in which case four berths per compartment are a lot more comfortable than six.

Few visitors are prepared for how crowded Italian trains can sometimes get, though with the increase in automobile travel, they're not as crowded as they were in decades past. An Italian train is only full when the corridors are packed solid and there are more than eight people sitting on their luggage in the little vestibules by the doors. Overcrowding is usually only a problem on Friday evenings and weekends, especially in and out of big cities, and just after a strike. In summer the crowding escalates, and any train going toward a beach in August bulges like an overstuffed sausage.

Italian trains come in varieties based on how often they stop. The Frecciarossa (ES) is the high-speed train that zips back and forth between Salerno, Naples, Rome, Milan, and Turin, stopping at Florence along the way. It's the fastest but most expensive option; it has its own ticket window at the stations and requires a seat reservation. Other Eurostar/Frecciabianca/Frecciargento (ES) trains connect most Italian cities; these are the speediest of Italian trains, offering both first and second class and always requiring a supplement; Eurocity (EC) and Euronotte (EN) trains connect Italy with international destinations; Intercity (IC) trains offer both first and second class seating and require a smaller supplement, but are slower (sometimes much slower) than a high-speed train. Regular trains that don't require supplements are called Regionale (R) or (slightly quicker) Regionale Veloce (RV) trains.

When buying a regular ticket, ask for either andata (one-way) or andata e ritorno (round-trip). If the train you plan to take is a high-speed service, ask for the ticket con supplemento rapido (with speed supplement) to avoid on-train penalty charges. On a trip under 200km (124 miles), your ticket is good to leave within the next 6 hours; over 200km (124 miles) you have a full day. (This code isn't rigorously upheld by conductors, but don't push your luck.) On round-trip journeys of less than 250km (155 miles), the return ticket is valid only for 3 days. This distance-time correlation continues, with an extra day added to your limit for each 200km (124 miles) above 250km (155 miles) (the maximum is 6 days). If you board a regular train without a ticket (or board an IC/ES without the supplement), you'll have to pay a hefty "tax" on top of the ticket or supplement, which the conductor will sell you. Most conductors also get extremely crabby if you forget to stamp your ticket in the little yellow box on the platform before boarding the train. You are liable for a fine.

Schedules for all lines running through a given station are printed on posters tacked up on the station wall. Binario (bin.) means track. You can also get official schedules (and more train information, some even in English) on the Web at www.trenitalia.com.

Stations tend to be well run, with luggage storage facilities at all but the smallest and usually a good bar attached that serves surprisingly palatable food. If you pull into a dinky town with a shed-size or nonexistent station, find the nearest bar or tabacchi, and the person behind the counter will most likely sell you tickets.

Special Passes & Discounts -- To buy the Eurail Italy Pass, available only outside Italy, contact Rail Europe (www.raileurope.com). You have 2 months in which to use the train a set number of days; the base number of days is 3, and you can add up to 7 more. For adults, the first-class pass starts at $278, second class is $227. Additional days cost roughly $30 more for first class, $25 for second class. For Youth tickets (under 26 years old), a 3-day pass is $183 and additional days about $20 each. Saver passes are available for groups of two to five people traveling together at all times, extending a discount of about $20 off an adult pass. Be aware, however, that you have to do a fair amount of traveling to make a pass financially worthwhile. Trenitalia.com allows you to price your journeys, so take a moment to do the math before buying a pass.

When it comes to regular tickets, if you're under 26, you can buy at any Italian train station a 40€ Carta Verde (Green Card) that gets you a 10% discount for domestic trips and 25% on international connections on all FS tickets for 1 year. Present it each time you go to buy a ticket. A similar deal is available for anyone over 60 with the Carta d'Argento (Silver Card): 15% off domestic and 25% off international, for 30€. The card costs 30€, but is free to anyone 75 or over. Children 11 and under always ride half price (and can get the passes mentioned above at half price), and kids 3 and under ride free.

By Bus

Regional intertown buses are called pullman, though autobus, the term for a city bus, is also sometimes used. When you're getting down to the kind of small-town travel this guide describes, you'll probably need to use regional buses at some point. You can get just about anywhere through a network of dozens of local, provincial, and regional lines, but schedules aren't always easy to come by or to figure out -- the local tourist office usually has a photocopy of the schedule, and in cities the local companies have offices. Bus company websites have been poor in the past, but are slowly improving, and you can usually root out at least a downloadable PDF of the timetable somewhere. Buses exist mainly to shuttle workers and schoolchildren, so the most runs are on weekdays, especially early in the morning and before and after the lunchtime riposo. "Feriale" on a timetable denotes a weekday (which in Italy includes Saturday); Sundays ("festivi") are best avoided on the buses, because few run.

A town's bus stop is usually either the main piazza or, more often, a large square on the edge of town or the bend in the road just outside the main city gate. You should always try to find the local ticket vendor -- if there's no office, it's invariably the nearest newsstand or tabacchi (signaled by a sign with a white T), or occasionally a bar -- but you can usually also buy tickets on the bus. You can also flag a bus down as it passes on a country road, but try to find an official stop (a small sign tacked onto a telephone pole). Tell the driver where you're going and ask him courteously if he'll let you know when you need to get off. When he says "È la prossima fermata," that means yours is the next stop. "Posso scendere?" (Poh-so shen-dair-ay?) is "May I please get off?"

For shorter trips within the region -- Perugia to Assisi, or Florence to Siena, for example -- there's no need to buy tickets in advance, but when traveling longer distances try to buy tickets at least the day before, just to be sure of a seat.

Tuscan & Umbrian Bus Lines -- The ticketing offices and depots of most Tuscan bus lines based in Florence are very near the main train station, Santa Maria Novella.

Lazzi, Via Mercadante 2, Florence (tel. 055-363-041; www.lazzi.it), and SITA, Viale dei Cadorna 105, Florence (tel. 055-478-21 or 800-373-760 in Italy; www.sitabus.it), service all of Italy.

The following companies service northern Tuscany: CAP, Largo Alinari 11, Florence (tel. 055-214-637 or 055-292-268; www.capautolinee.it); VaiBus (www.vaibus.com), Via Gaetano Luporini 895, in Lucca, a result of the merger between Lazzi and CLAP; and Lazzi/COPIT buses (tel. 0573-363-243; www.blubus.it), in Pistoia. CPT, Via Nino Bixio, Pisa (tel. 050-505-511 or 800-012-773 in Italy; www.cpt.pisa.it), services Pisa province. LFI, Via Guido Monaco 37, Arezzo (tel. 0575-324-294 or 0575-39-881; www.lfi.it), services Arezzo province and the Valdichiana. RAMA, Via Topazio 12, Grosseto (tel. 0564-475-111; www.griforama.it), services the Maremma and southern Tuscany. TRAIN, Piazza San Domenico, Siena (tel. 0577-204-111 or 0577-204-246; www.trainspa.it), services Siena province.

In Umbria, ATC, Piazzale della Rivoluzione Francese, Terni (tel. 0744-492-711; www.atcterni.it), services southern Umbria and Orvieto. Umbria Mobilità (tel. 800/512-141; www.umbriamobilita.it), services Perugia, Assisi, Todi, and northern Umbria. SSIT, Piazza della Vittoria, Spoleto (tel. 0743-212-208; www.spoletina.com), services the Spoleto area. And SULGA/ACAP, Pian di Massimo, Perugia (tel. 075-500-9641 or 075-74-641; www.sulga.it), has service to Perugia, Assisi, Todi, and northern Umbria.

Staying Connected

Telephones

If you want to stay in touch, it is a good idea to use a cellphone on your visit to Tuscany and Umbria. Pay phones have not entirely gone by the wayside, but these days there are very few pay phones in central Italy -- a place where there are far more cellular numbers than landline numbers.

To call Tuscany/Umbria

1. Dial the international access code: 011 from the U.S.; 00 from the U.K., Ireland, or New Zealand; or 0011 from Australia.

2. Dial the country code: 39.

3. Dial the city code (for Florence: 055) and then the number. (Do not drop the initial 0 as you might in other European countries.) Even when calling within Italy, you always need to dial the city code first.

To make international calls from Italy -- First dial 00 and then the country code (U.S. or Canada 1, U.K. 44, Ireland 353, Australia 61, New Zealand 64). Next you dial the area code and number. For example, if you wanted to call the British Embassy in Washington, D.C., you would dial 00-1-202-588-7800.

For directory assistance -- Each cellphone carrier has its own directory assistance number, which is listed automatically in the address book of your SIM card. For Telecom Italia, and its mobile carrier, TIM, the directory assistance number is tel. 412.

For operator assistance -- For operator assistance in making either a domestic or international call from a Telecom Italia landline, call tel. 170.

Toll-free numbers -- Numbers in Italy beginning with 800 or 877, and a few others beginning with 8, are toll-free, but calling a 1-800 number in the States from Italy is not toll-free. In fact, it costs the same as an overseas call.

Mobile Phones

The three letters that define much of the world's wireless capabilities are GSM (Global System for Mobile communications), a big, seamless network that makes for easy cross-border cellphone use throughout Europe and dozens of other countries worldwide. GSM phones function with a removable plastic SIM card, encoded with your phone number and account information. If your cellphone is on a GSM system, and you have a world-capable multiband phone such as many Sony Ericsson, Motorola, or Samsung models, iPhone/smartphone, or Blackberry, you can make and receive calls in Tuscany and Umbria. In the U.S. this means that Verizon customers (including iPhone users) will not be able to make calls in Italy (Verizon uses the CDMA system); AT&T users should be okay, although international rates for iPhones can be very expensive. All U.K. networks have roaming agreements with their Italian counterparts. Just call your wireless operator and ask for "international roaming" to be activated on your account. Unfortunately, per-minute charges can be high -- usually $1 to $1.50 in Italy. Coverage with major carriers is excellent in Tuscan and Umbrian cities, like Florence, but can be spotty sometimes in the region's less populated countryside.

Buying an Italian SIM card or phone can be economically attractive, as Italy has relatively cheap prepaid phone programs; TIM, Vodafone, Wind, and Tre have very cheap, entry level pay-as-you-go rates. Once you arrive at your destination, stop by a local cellphone shop and get the cheapest package; you'll pay less than 35€ for a phone and a starter calling card, and just 5€ for a SIM card. The best deals will probably be in Rome and Milan, if you're flying into one of those cities. Both cities' principal train stations, Stazione Centrale in Milan and Termini in Rome, in the lower level shopping center, have cellular stores. Local calls may be as low as 15¢ per minute, (international calls 50-60¢ per minute), and all incoming calls are free, including international ones. Data, of course, will be much cheaper than roaming rates (2€ per week for up to 500MB was fairly standard at the time of writing).

Internet & Wi-Fi

Cybercafes are in healthy supply in most Italian cities. In smaller towns you may have a bit of trouble, but increasingly hotels are offering Wi-Fi throughout the rooms, although those in rural areas are not as likely to have a high-speed connection. In a pinch, hostels, local libraries, and, sometimes, bars will have some sort of terminal for access. More and more hotels, resorts, airports, cafes, and retailers are offering Wi-Fi, for a small fee or for free. Most hotels and lots of wine bars and Irish pubs in Florence have wireless Internet access, as do many hotels throughout Tuscany and Umbria.

If you are bringing your own computer, keep in mind the outlets are 220 volts in Italy, and you will need an adapter for a U.K. or North American plug -- the same one used for France and most of the rest of the Continent.

Calendar of Events

No Italian village can let the year run its course without a handful of celebrations of church, history, local talent, or just good food and wine. And no visit to Italy is complete without taking part in at least one of them. Those listed below represent merely the biggest and most spectacular Tuscany and Umbria have to offer. You'll find these events described in greater detail in each city's guide, along with dates for smaller feste and weekly markets.

For an exhaustive list of events beyond those listed here, check http://events.frommers.com, where you'll find a searchable, up-to-the-minute roster of what's happening in cities all over the world.

January

Regatta on the Arno, Florence. The city of the Renaissance kicks off the new year with a boat race. Call tel. 055-23-320 for details. January 1.

February

Carnevale, throughout Italy. The most outstanding Tuscan Rite of Spring occurs in the coastal town of Viareggio (for details, contact the Fondazione Carnevale di Viareggio, Casella Postale 317, Viareggio; tel. 0584-58071; www.viareggio.ilcarnevale.com), with a colorful and sophisticated parade of mechanized floats subtly lampooning political figures and celebrities. Other Carnevale festivities worth dropping in on are the costume parade in San Gimignano (call tel. 0577-940-008 for details) and a similar masked procession at Vinci (call tel. 0571-568-012 for details). The week before Ash Wednesday (Feb/early Mar).

March

Scoppio del Carro (Explosion of the Cart), Florence. When the bishop inside the cathedral gets to the "Gloria" part of Easter High Mass, a mechanical dove is let loose from high over the altar, and it slides down a wire toward the front doors. Waiting for it on Piazza del Duomo outside is a tall 18th-century cart -- pulled there by two snowy white oxen and loaded with fireworks -- which the dove ignites (it's hoped). Contact the tourist office at tel. 055-290-832 for details. Easter Sunday.

Torciata di San Giuseppe, Pitigliano. An ancient Maremman festival with pagan roots -- watch the men of the town march to the central square with burning torches to form a giant straw effigy. After the whole thing burns to the ground, the whole town comes out to party. Visit www.comune.pitigliano.gr.it or www.maremma-tuscany.com. March 19.

April

Easter is always a big event. Some of the most colorful yet solemn celebrations are held in St. Francis's Umbrian hometown, Assisi (call tel. 075-812-534 for details), and in Florence. Easter Sunday; Sunday in March or April.

May

Festa del Grillo (Cricket Festival), Florence. In the Cascine Park, vendors sell crickets in decorated cages, and, after a parade of floats on the Arno, everybody releases the bugs into the grass. Contact the tourist office at Via Cavour 1r (tel. 055-290-832) for details. First Sunday after Ascension Day (mid- to late May).

Corso dei Ceri (Candle Race), Gubbio, Umbria. One of Italy's most spectacular and oldest festivals. Color-coded teams of burly men from the city's three districts run about town all day long carrying 9m-high (30-ft.) wooden "candles" (read: phallic symbols) topped with statues of saints. After a seafood dinner, they carry the things at a dead trot more than 300m (984 ft.) up a mountain. Perhaps the tourist office can explain it: Call tel. 075-922-0693. May 15.

Giostra dell'Archidado (Crossbow Competition), Cortona, Tuscany. This crossbow competition is held in late-14th-century costume. Contact the tourist office at tel. 0575-630-353 or 0575-630-352 for details. May 18.

Balestro del Girifalco (Crossbow Competition), Massa Marittima, Tuscany. Massan crossbow sharpshooters in 13th-century costume fire bolts into impossibly small targets, following all the requisite processions and flag tossing. Call the festival association (tel. 0566-903-908; www.societaterzierimassetani.it) for details. May 20 or the following Sunday and again the second Sunday in August.

Palio della Balestra (Crossbow Competition), Gubbio, Umbria. Eugubines, all dudded up medieval-style, test their crossbow skills against teams from historical rival Sansepolcro. Call tel. 075-922-0693 for details. Last Sunday in May.

June

Corpus Christi Procession, Orvieto, Umbria. In the town where this religious holiday was first proclaimed, the holy liturgical cloth onto which a communion wafer once miraculously dripped blood is carried through town in a procession of hundreds dressed in medieval costume. Contact the tourist office at tel. 0763-341-772 for details. Corpus Christi, early June.

Festa di San Ranieri, Pisa, Tuscany. The city celebrates its patron saint by lining the Arno River with flickering torches (la luminaria). Call tel. 050-42-291 or visit www.giugnopisano.com for details. June 16 and 17.

Calcio Storico (Historic Soccer), Florence. St. John is Florence's patron, and what better way to celebrate his holy day than with a violent Renaissance version of soccer played in 16th-century costume? Two teams of 26 men battle each other tooth and nail on dirt-packed Piazza di Santa Croce (the first June match) and Piazza della Signoria. The teams hail from each of Florence's four historic quarters -- San Giovanni in green, Santa Maria Novella in red, Santa Croce in blue, and Santo Spirito in white. The season opens on June 16, but the big game is on June 24, after which fireworks explode over the Arno at 10pm. Contact the tourist office at Via Cavour 1r (tel. 055-290-832) for details, or visit www.calciostorico.it or www.turismo.intoscana.it. June 24 and 28.

Gioco del Ponte (War on the Bridge), Pisa, Tuscany. Pisan teams from opposite banks of the river get into Renaissance garb, stand on the city's oldest bridge, and have a push-of-war with a 7-ton cart. For details, call tel. 050-42-291 or visit www.giugnopisano.com. Last Sunday in June.

Spoleto Festival, Spoleto, Umbria. A world-renowned festival of music and the performing arts. For details, contact the Fondazione Festival dei Due Mondi, c/o Teatro Nuovo, Via Vaita Sant´Andrea, Spoleto (tel. 0743-221-689; www.festivaldispoleto.com). Mid-June to mid-July.

Estate Fiesolana (Fiesolean Summer), Fiesole, near Florence. This summertime festival of music, ballet, film, and theater is held above the oppressive Florentine heat in the ancient hill town of Fiesole. Most of the performances are staged in the remains of the 1st-century-A.D. Roman theater. You can get information and tickets in advance through Box Office (tel. 055-210-804; www.boxol.it), or at the Roman Theater on the day of performance. See www.estatefiesolana.it for the program. Late June to August.

July

Palio delle Contrade (Horse Race), Siena, Tuscany. The Palio between Siena's traditional neighborhoods vies with Venice's Carnevale as Italy's premier festival. It's a breakneck bareback horse race around the dirt-packed main square prefaced by 3 days of parades, trial runs, and heavy partying. The night before the race is a regular bacchanal to which visitors are often welcome. The best 150€-to-200€ grandstand seats sell out years in advance. Standing in the center of the piazza is free. Hotel rooms in the entire city are booked more than a year in advance of the July 2 event. And they do it all over again on August 16. For more information, visit www.ilpalio.org, or contact Siena's Ufficio Informazione Turistico, Piazza del Campo 56 (tel. 0577-280-551; www.terresiena.it). July 2.

Umbria Jazz, Perugia, Umbria. This has been one of Europe's top jazz events for more than 30 years -- 2 weeks of performances, concerts, and jams from top names and bands. For more information, contact the Associazione Umbria Jazz-Perugia, Piazza Danti 28 (tel. 075-573-2432; www.umbriajazz.com). Mid-July.

Giostra dell' Orso (Joust of the Bear), Pistoia, Tuscany. This medieval-costumed jousting match pits mounted knights against targets shaped like bears. Not nearly as death-defying as in the olden days when they used real bears, but still a rousing good time. Call tel. 0573-34-326 or visit www.giostradellorso.it for details. July 25.

Settimana Musicale Senese (Sienese Music Week), Siena, Tuscany. This festival brings a week of the best concerts and opera that Siena's prestigious music center can muster. Contact the Accademia Musicale Chigiana, Via di Città 89 (tel. 0577-46-152; www.chigiana.it). One week in July or August.

Puccini Festival, Torre del Lago (Lucca). The biggest annual date in a local opera lover's calendar, celebrating Lucca's beloved composer. There's a seasonal ticket office at Viale Puccini 257a, in Torre del Lago, or book tickets online. tel. 0584-359-322; www.puccinifestival.it. July through August.

August

Rodeo della Rosa (cowboy parade and rodeo), Alberese, Tuscany. The gateway town to the Maremma's best natural park hosts a rodeo of the top butteri stars of Tuscany's deep south. Butteri are the old-fashioned Italian cowboys who've watched over the white Maremma cattle herds for generations. The Parco Regionale della Maremma information office may have details at tel. 0564-393-211 or www.parco-maremma.it. August 15.

Palio delle Contrade (Horse Race), Siena, Tuscany. An encore of Siena's famous horse race. This edition is marginally more prestigious, and even more crowded. August 16.

Bravio delle Botti (Barrel Race), Montepulciano, Tuscany. This is something akin to a medieval fraternity stunt. Teams of poliziani (the name for local residents) dress like their 14th-century ancestors in order to be the first to roll a 79kg (175-lb.) barrel uphill to the top of town. Come for the pageantry and feasting afterward. Contact the tourist office at tel. 0578-758-687 or visit www.braviodellebotti.com (tel. 075-119-0521) for details. Late August.

September

Giostra del Saracino (Saracen Joust), Arezzo, Tuscany. This jousting tournament is between mounted knights in 13th-century armor and the effigy of a Saracen warrior. It's held on Arezzo's main square and is one of the few versions of this sport in which the target, which swivels and is armed with a whip, actually hits back. Contact the tourist office at tel. 0575-377-678 or visit www.giostradelsaracino.arezzo.it for details. First Sunday in September.

Astiludio (flag tossing), Volterra, Tuscany. Townies in 14th-century get-ups practice the ancient art of juggling silken banners on one of Tuscany's most medieval of piazze. The tourist office (tel. 0588-86-150) can tell you more, or contact the organizers directly (tel. 0588-85-440; www.sbandieratorivolterra.it). First Sunday in September.

Todi Arte Festival, Todi, Umbria. This annual bash started in the 1980s brings theater, music, ballet, and opera to the medieval hill town for 10 days in late summer. Contact www.todiartefestival.com or tel. 075-895-6700 for details. Early September (some years in July or Aug).

Festa della Rificolona (Candlelit Procession), Florence. Children carry paper lanterns around town, especially up to Piazza Santissima Annunziata. It's a dim memory of the lanterns peasants from the surrounding countryside carried as they filed into town on this night, the eve of the birth of the Virgin, to pay their respects at the church. Contact the tourist office at Via Cavour 1r (tel. 055-290-832) or visit www.comune.fi.it for details. September 7.

Palio dei Balestrieri (Crossbow Competition), Sansepolcro, Tuscany. Sansepolcro gets the home-turf advantage in part two of the medieval crossbow competition with Umbrian rival Gubbio. Call tel. 0575-75-827 for details. Second Sunday in September.

Rassegna del Chianti Classico (Wine Festival), Greve in Chianti, Tuscany. Greve's annual wine fair showcases the newest vintages from both the top and the smaller vineyards in the Chianti Classico zone. Call tel. 055-854-5243 or visit www.chianticlassico.com for details. September 12 to September 15.

Luminara di Santa Croce (Candle Night), Lucca, Tuscany. In honor of their highly revered Volto Santo statue of Christ, an image blackened with age (they hold that Nicodemus himself, present at the Crucifixion, carved it from a Lebanon cedar), the Lucchesi hold a solemn candle-light parade through the streets at 8pm. Call tel. 0583-419-689 or visit www.luccatourist.it for details. September 13.

Perugia Classico (Festival of Classical Music), Perugia, Umbria. Perugia's music-filled summer is finished off with a week of classical and chamber music. Details are available from the Comitato Promotore Perugia Classico, c/o Comune di Perugia, Ripartizione XVI Economia e Lavoro, Via Eburnea 9 (tel. 075-577-2253; turismo.comune.perugia.it). Last week in September.

October

Sagra del Tordo (Feast of the Thrush), Montalcino, Tuscany. Montalcini wander around all weekend in medieval costume throwing archery tournaments and parades, mainly for an excuse to roast hundreds of tiny thrushes, whose passing they toast with plenty of Brunello wine. Call tel./fax 0577-849-331 or visit www.comunedimontalcino.it for details. Last weekend in October.

Mostra Mercato Nazionale del Tartufo Bianco (White Truffle Fair), Gubbio, Umbria. The world's most expensive form of edible fungus, highly prized by food connoisseurs, is the centerpiece of Gubbio's annual agricultural fair. Call tel. 075-922-0693 or visit www.cmaltochiascio.it for details. Last week of October.

November

Vino Novello (New Wine) Festivals, various towns. By law, New Wine can't be released before November 4, and several towns celebrate the coming-out weekend of these light, short-lived red wines. The main event is a weekend of tastings, along with the usual stands lining the streets during any festival (offering everything from traditional candy to underwear). A big dinner night is arranged in the better restaurants in town, where you sample vini novelli with your meal. Two of the larger and more easily accessible from Florence are the festival in Montespertoli (tel. 0571-609-412; www.comune.montespertoli.fi.it), for which you can take a SITA bus, and the festival in Pontassieve (tel. 055-83-601; www.comune.pontassieve.fi.it), for which you can take a train. First weekend after November 4.

December

Live Nativity Procession, Barga (in the Garfagnana north of Lucca), Tuscany. Just before Christmas, a live procession of locals dressed as the Holy Family passes through town, where other inhabitants are costumed as traditional tradespeople. The procession starts sometime after 7pm and arrives at the Duomo around 11pm. For details, call tel. 0583-723-499, or visit www.comune.barga.lu.it. Usually held December 23.

Ostensione della Sacra Cintola (Display of the Virgin's Girdle), Prato, Tuscany. This is the final and most sumptuous of the five annual occasions on which the bishop releases Mary's Sacred Girdle -- the belt she handed to Thomas upon her Assumption -- from its jewel-encrusted treasure chest and shows it to the people massed inside the Duomo and crowding the piazza outside. Plenty of Renaissance-styled drummers and fifers are in attendance. The pomp is repeated at Easter, May 1, August 15, and September 8. Call tel./fax 0574-24-112 for details. December 25.

Umbria Jazz Winter, Orvieto, Umbria. Wine tasting and internationally renowned jazz artists come to Orvieto for part two of Umbria's premier jazz festival. Call tel. 075-572-1653 or check www.umbriajazz.com for details. December 27 to January 1.

Special-Interest Vacations

Academic Trips & Language Classes

Florence holds more foreign student programs than almost any other city in the world. The list of universities and programs operating there is endless. For adults interested in studying in Florence, the list narrows a bit. One good place to start looking is Education First (tel. 1-800-992-1892; www.ef.com), as they run a number of educational programs in Italy, including Italian language classes in Florence. Another private group with a Florence program is Academic Studies Abroad (tel. 888-845-4272; www.academicstudies.com), which works through Florence University of the Arts. Note that they cannot accept applications from outside the U.S. or Canada, and that all classes and programs are at the undergraduate level. One of the better schools is the Lorenzo de Medici (tel. 055-287-203; www.lorenzodemedici.org), with branches in Florence and Tuscania on the Lazio border. Smaller towns can offer a more intimate experience of Tuscan life: The Language Center in Todi, Umbria (tel. 075-894-8364; www.wellanguage.com) has a well-deserved reputation for teaching Italian.

Food & Wine Trips

Most tourist boards offer guided tours of the vineyards in their province, as will a number of local tourist agencies. They're often sponsored by the vintners themselves. The Associazione Strada del Sagrantino (tel. 0742-378-490; www.stradadelsagrantino.it) offers packages and can coordinate tours of the Umbrian Sagrantino region. Another good example is Brunello and Chianti producer Donatella Cinelli Colombini (tel. 0577/662-108; www.cinellicolombini.it), which offers winery tours and tastings.

Local tour company Fufluns (tel. 0132-227-0495; www.fufluns.com) runs excellent custom-made wine and gourmet tours through Tuscany, and can also help arrange cooking classes. Qualified sommelier Angela Saltafuori runs Tuscan Wine Tours (tel. 0333-318-5705; www.tuscanwinetours.net), usually driving groups of 2 to 8 adults in an air-conditioned minibus (tours 120€-145€).

Cooking Schools

The most serious cooking courses in Tuscany (and there are a lot of them these days) in our opinion are at La Petraia (tel. 0577/738-582; www.lapetraia.com), for a simple reason: the simplicity of it all. The ingredients you use: the eggs, the chestnuts, the peas, the ham, the spices, almost without exception come from the very property where you are staying. Classes cost around 200€.

One of Italy's most respected cookbook authors, and former TV cooking show star, Giuliano Bugialli shares his secrets in summertime weeklong classes, with lodging in Florence and classes conducted in a kitchen in the Chianti. One-week courses can run $4,800 per person, including first-class accommodations and most meals. For more info, contact "Foods of Italy" at 105 S. 12th St. Apt. 205/206, The White Building, Philadelphia, PA 19107 (tel. 215/922-2086; fax 215/923-3502; www.bugialli.com).

Another high profile school is the one started over 20 years ago by Lorenza de' Medici, author of 30 kitchen tomes (including the coffee-table favorite, Tuscany: The Beautiful Cookbook) and star of her own TV cooking series. Unfortunately, she's hung up her apron and now leaves the lessons to Florentine Chef Andrea Gagnesi. March through November, 1-day (155€) and 2-day, 3-night (900€) courses take place in the 12th-century abbey and wine estate Badia a Coltibuono. For more information call tel. 0577-744-831 or visit www.coltibuono.com.

March through November, Cook Euro, 708 Third Ave., 13th floor, New York, NY 10017 (tel. 212-794-1400; www.cookeuro.com), offers a weeklong course, "L'Amore di Cucina Italiana" with visits to wine estates and cultural day trips in Tuscany and Umbria, for about $3,200 per person based on double occupancy.

If a week's time or a $4,000 investment are too rich for your cooking-lesson tastes, check out Judy Witts Francini's La Divina Cucina (tel./fax 055-292-578; www.divinacucina.com) for 1-day and 1-week courses designed to teach you to cook as the Florentines do. You start off each class by shopping in Florence's large central market at 11am, and by 4pm you've put together a meal based on the freshest ingredients available that day. A single Monday at the market costs 125€ per person, or a 1-week Colle Val d'Elsa program costs 2,700€.

Bike Tours

The best way to experience Tuscany and Umbria just may be by bicycle. Bike-it-yourselfers should arm themselves with a good map. You can rent a bike by the week or longer at outlets in most cities.

Several operators specialize in setting up itineraries and making some of the arrangements for you or in leading fully guided tours. Ciclismo Classico (tel. 800/866-7314 in the U.S., or 781/646-3377; fax 781/641-1512; www.ciclismoclassico.com) is one of the best. A weeklong tour of Tuscany runs about $3,295 per person. May through October, the outfit runs several guided tours through Tuscany and Umbria, always van-supported, and will help you arrange a do-it-yourself tour as well. Groups average 10 to 18 people, with all ages and ability levels welcome.

VBT Bicycling Tours and Vacations (tel. 800/245-3868 in the U.S., www.vbt.com), a 40-year-veteran of the bike tour business and a specialist in Tuscan and Umbrian routes, makes a point of combining a great experience with excellent value. Bike tours start at $2,850 and walking tours are also available.

Experience Plus (tel. 800/685-4565 in the U.S., or 970/484-8489; www.experienceplus.com) offers both guided (Sept-Oct) and self-guided (Apr-Oct) biking and walking tours through Tuscany lasting 7 to 11 days (from $3,050). Florence-based I Bike Italy (tel. 561/388-0783 in the U.S.; www.ibikeitaly.com) offers guided 1- and 2-day rides in the Tuscan countryside. The 2-day tour requires a minimum of four participants and ends in Siena. They provide a shuttle service in and out of the city, the bike, and a bilingual guide. The 1-day tour returns to Florence around 5pm. Tours cost around 80€ per person, lunch included.

Walking Tours

If you don't feel the need to cover so much territory, you can appreciate even more of the countryside by walking or hiking (called trekking in Italian). Italy's resource for everything from countryside ambles to serious mountain trekking is the Club Alpino Italiano, Via E. Fonseca Pimentel 7, Milan 20127 (tel. 02-2614-1378; fax 02-2614-1395; www.cai.it). Many outfits run walking tours in Tuscany and Umbria. Besides Ciclismo Classico, you might want to try Butterfield & Robinson (tel. 866/551-9090; www.butterfield.com); or Country Walkers (tel. 800/464-9255 in the U.S., or 802/244-1387; www.countrywalkers.com), which has a rather refined, romantic outlook on Italy and offers several Tuscan tours, one of which divides your time between exploring hill towns on foot and taking cooking and wine appreciation lessons.

For intelligent walking tours in Florence, one of the best operators is Context Travel (tel. 215/609-4888; www.contexttravel.com), whose experts in their respective fields lead guided tours and seminars on everything from Renaissance art to ceramics to cuisine.

Entry Requirements & Customs

Passports

Anyone traveling to Italy from outside the Schengen Agreement countries will need a passport to enter. The Schengen Area comprises Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and all of the E.U. except the U.K., Ireland, Bulgaria, Cyprus, and Romania. You technically do not need a passport to travel within the Schengen Area (typically there are no customs checks at land borders, and flights within the area are treated as domestic), although you are required to present one to authorities upon request, as they are commonly looking for fugitives from justice or illegal immigrants. You are required to present a passport at hotel desks in Italy for the same reason. Note also that some checks between the French and Italian borders were re-instated in 2011 due to illegal immigration fears.

E.U. nationals (including U.K. and Irish passport holders) have the right to both live and work in Italy; however, after 90 days, they must obtain a residence certificate (certificato di residenza) at the anagrafe of the local town hall, by providing some proof of employment or financial resources. Citizens of the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand are allowed to stay in Italy for 90 days visa-free; after that period, they are required to apply for a visa or obtain a permesso di soggiorno (permit of stay).

Australia -- Australian Passport Information Service (tel. 131-232, or visit www.passports.gov.au).

Canada -- Passport Office, Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Ottawa, ON K1A 0G3 (tel. 800/567-6868; www.ppt.gc.ca).

Ireland -- Passport Office, Setanta Centre, Molesworth Street, Dublin 2 (tel. 01/671-1633; www.foreignaffairs.gov.ie).

New Zealand -- Passports Office, Department of Internal Affairs, 47 Boulcott Street, Wellington, 6011 (tel. 0800/225-050 in New Zealand or 04/474-8100; www.passports.govt.nz).

United Kingdom -- Visit your nearest passport office, major post office, or travel agency or contact the Identity and Passport Service (IPS), 89 Eccleston Square, London, SW1V 1PN (tel. 0300/222-0000; www.homeoffice.gov.uk/agencies-public-bodies/ips).

United States -- To find your regional passport office, check the U.S. State Department website (http://travel.state.gov/passport) or call the National Passport Information Center (tel. 877/487-2778) for automated information.

Visas

Travelers from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the U.S. can visit Italy for up to 90 days without a visa, and can enter Italy with a valid passport. Visits of more than 90 days may require a visa, but the requirements vary depending on the purpose of your visit. U.S., Canadian, Australian, and New Zealand citizens with a valid passport don't need a visa to enter Italy if they don't expect to stay more than 90 days and don't expect to work there. If, after entering Italy, you find you want to stay more than 90 days, you can apply for a permit for an extra 90 days, which, as a rule, is granted immediately. Go to the nearest questura (police headquarters) or your home country's consulate.

EU nationals (including UK and Irish passport holders) have the right to both live and work in Italy, so long as they have a valid passport; however, after 90 days, they must obtain a residence certificate (certificato di residenza). For more information on visas to visit or stay in Italy, go to the Foreign Ministry's English-language page at www.esteri.it/visti/index_eng.asp.

Customs

What You Can Bring into Italy -- Foreign visitors can bring along most items for personal use duty-free, including merchandise up to $800, such as fishing tackle, a pair of skis, two tennis rackets, a baby carriage, two hand cameras with 10 rolls of film or a digital camera, computer, CD player with 10 CDs, tape recorder, binoculars, personal jewelry, portable radio set (subject to a small license fee), and 400 cigarettes and a quantity of cigars or pipe tobacco not exceeding 500 grams (1 lb.). A maximum of two bottles of wine and one bottle of hard liquor per person may be brought in duty-free.

What You Can Take Home from Italy -- Each U.S. tourist may bring back to the U.S. $400 worth of goods duty-free. Only 1 liter of alcohol (less than 2 bottles of wine) is allowed duty-free, though many tourists successfully ignore this rule and "smuggle" more booze back in their luggage. Bear in mind that if you are unlucky enough to get searched, U.S. Customs may not only confiscate the goods, but also slap you with a hefty fine. The good news is that duty is usually not that high: generally 3% of value (keep your receipts!), plus IRS excise tax of between 21-31 cents per 750ml bottle of wine. There are no federal limits on the total amount of alcohol you can bring back (these are set by states, but are usually quite high). Brits and other E.U. citizens can bring as much alcohol and tobacco home as they can carry duty-free, as long as it's not obviously for re-sale. For detailed information on what you're allowed to bring home, contact one of the following agencies:

U.S. Citizens: U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP), 1300 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20229 (tel. 877/287-8667; www.cbp.gov).

Canadian Citizens: Canada Border Services Agency (tel. 800/461-9999 in Canada, or 204/983-3500; www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca).

U.K. Citizens: HM Customs & Excise at tel. 0845/010-9000 (from outside the U.K., 020/8929-0152), or consult their website at www.hmrc.gov.uk.

Australian Citizens: Australian Customs Service at tel. 1300/363-263, or log on to www.customs.gov.au.

New Zealand Citizens: New Zealand Customs, The Customhouse, 17-21 Whitmore St., Box 2218, Wellington (tel. 04/473-6099 or 0800/428-786; www.customs.govt.nz).

Getting There

By Plane

Many visitors choose to fly into Rome's Fiumicino Airport (FCO; tel. 06-65951; www.adr.it) or Milan's Linate Airport (LIN; tel. 02-7485-2200; www.sea-aeroportimilano.it) or Malpensa Airport (MXP; tel. 02-2680-0613; www.sea-aeroportimilano.it), and then transfer to Florence, Tuscany, or Umbria either via another flight or by train or car.

Flying directly to Tuscany or Umbria is obviously the most convenient option, but it's nearly impossible if you want to fly non-stop from another continent. One exception to this rule, however, is the non-stop New York to Pisa flight on Delta, which runs from JFK to Aeroporto Galileo Galilei (summer only), otherwise known as Pisa International Airport (PSA; tel. 800-018-849; www.pisa-airport.com). Flying directly to Pisa is much more convenient than arriving in Rome or Milan and then taking a car or train.

You might consider flying to another Italian or European hub, and then transferring to a flight to Pisa. Iberia, British Airways, Air France, and Lufthansa service Pisa airport. Pisa airport is also serviced by budget airlines such as easyJet and Ryanair from a variety of locations in Europe and the U.K.

The other major airport in Tuscany is Florence's airport, known as Amerigo Vespucci Airport, but best known locally as Peretola (FLR; www.aeroporto.firenze.it), after the neighborhood where it resides. There are only a dozen airlines that fly into it, none of them major international budget carriers, but it might make sense for you to arrive somewhere else in Europe and transfer to Florence on Air France, Alitalia, or Lufthansa. While it might be more expensive to fly directly to Florence, you will most likely save money on the trains or taxis you would have taken to get there.

The only major airport in Umbria is just outside Perugia, the Aeroporto Internazionale dell'Umbria S. Egidio (tel. 075-592-141; www.airport.umbria.it). It's a small airport that only serves a handful of destinations, the most useful being London Stansted (via Ryanair) and Milan Malpensa (via Skybridge AirOps).

Getting to Tuscany or Umbria from Rome's Airports -- Most international flights to Rome will arrive at Fiumicino Airport (FCO). Some inter-European and transatlantic charter flights may land at Ciampino Airport (CIA), which is closer to the center, but not connected by an express train. You can connect to a plane at either to take you to Pisa's or Florence's airport, but it's often simpler, almost as fast in the long run, and cheaper to take the train. You can also rent a car at either airport.

Fiumicino (tel. 06-659-51; www.adr.it) is 30km (19 miles) from Rome's center. You can take the Leonardo Express train (14€) from Fiumicino to Rome's central train station, Termini. A taxi to the station costs 40€. From Termini, you can grab one of many daily trains to Florence, Pisa, and most other destinations. If you happen to fly into Ciampino Airport (tel. 06-7934-0297), 15km (9 1/4 miles) south of the city, a COTRAL bus 1€ will take you to the Ciampino Città Metro station every 30 minutes, where you can take the Metro to Termini (15 minutes). A taxi to Rome's center from Ciampino is 30€.

Information on getting to most major Tuscan and Umbrian cities and towns from Rome by train is included under each destination guide.

Getting to Tuscany or Umbria from Milan's Airport -- Flights to Milan land at either Linate Airport (LIN; tel. 02-7485-2200; www.sea-aeroportimilano.it), about 8km (5 miles) southeast of the city, or Malpensa Airport (MXP; tel. 02-2680-0613), 45km (28 miles) from downtown -- closer to Lake Maggiore than to Milan itself. Some budget airlines also serve Bergamo-Orio al Serio Airport or Milan-Bergamo, some 45km (28 miles) from Milan, but a lot more inconvenient.

From Malpensa, the 30-minute Malpensa Express (www.malpensaexpress.it) train departs half-hourly to the Cadorna train station in western Milan rather than to the larger and more central Stazione Centrale from which most trains onward to Tuscany will leave (you'll have to take the Metro to get there). This train costs 11€. Alternatively, slower (50 min.) and cheaper (7€) trains run every hour direct to Stazione Centrale. To grab a bus instead, which will also take you directly to the central downtown rail station, take the Malpensa Shuttle (tel. 02-5858-3185) for 7€, which leaves two or three times per hour for the 50-minute ride to the east side of Milan's Stazione Centrale. A taxi to the city center runs about 70€.

From Linate, Starfly buses (tel. 02-5858-7237) make the 25-minute trip to Milan's Stazione Centrale every 30 minutes daily from 6:10am to 11:30pm for 5€ (6:30am-10pm weekends). The slightly slower ATM (tel. 800-808-181) city bus no. 73 leaves hourly for the S. Babila Metro stop downtown (1.05€ for a regular bus ticket bought from any newsagent inside the airport, but not onboard).

From Milan's Stazione Centrale, you can get regular high-speed trains to Florence.

By Bus

Italy is connected by Eurolines (tel. 055-357-059 in Italy, 08705-143-219 in the U.K.; www.eurolines.com), long-distance buses to a variety of European countries. Though fares are relatively cheap, budget airlines can be just as competitive and far less time-consuming. For example, London to Milan can take 26 hours, involve a change at Paris, and cost 70€.

By Car

Tuscany and Umbria are most accessible by car. In fact, one of the most common and convenient ways to take a tour of this area is to fly or take a train into Florence, see the city, then pick up a rental car to wind your way through Tuscany and Umbria toward Rome, where you can drop off the car and fly home.

Getting to Tuscany and Umbria by car isn't hard from either Milan or Rome. The A1 autostrada runs straight down the peninsula, connecting Milan, Bologna, Florence, Rome, and Naples in a straight shot. The trick is getting to it. Both city beltways (in Rome it is the Grande Raccordo Anulare; in Milan, the tangenziale) feed right onto it, but getting onto the GRA or the tangenziale can be nightmarish procedures for an out-of-towner. Insist on specific, detailed directions from the car-rental agencies or make use of a GPS. Drivers used to the traffic in L.A., New York, or London should have few concerns about Italian roads, but driving in Italy can still be nerve-racking -- for both the winding roads and the Italian penchant for driving a Fiat like a Ferrari. (And driving a Ferrari like one, too, for that matter.)

Officially, it is a legal requirement for all foreigners driving in Italy to obtain an International Driver's Permit (IDP; not to be confused with the International Drivers License), though in practice few rental companies will ask to see anything more than your home driving license and a credit card. Nevertheless, should you be stopped by police, they'll expect to see an IDP. In the U.S., only the American Automobile Association (AAA; tel. 800/222-1134 or 407/444-4300; www.aaa.com) and the American Automobile Touring Alliance (through the National Automobile Club; www.nationalautoclub.com) are authorized to issue IDPs (usually $15). In Canada, the permit is available from the Canadian Automobile Association (CAA; tel. 613/247-0117; www.caa.ca). If you have an E.U. driving license it's not usually necessary to obtain an IDP.

Italy's equivalent of AAA is the Automobile Club d'Italia (ACI), a branch of the Touring Club Italiano. They're the people who respond when you place an emergency call to tel. 803-116 for road breakdowns, though they do charge for this service if you're not a member. If you wish, you may join online at www.aci.it or at one of the club's regional offices (in Florence, Viale Amendola 36, tel. 055-24-861; in Rome, Via C. Colombo 261, tel. 06-514-971).

By Train

Traveling around Tuscany by train may not always be the most convenient option, but getting there on a train from Rome or Milan couldn't be easier. The high-speed Frecciarossa and Frecciargento trains stop in Florence (some stop in Arezzo as well), and the slower trains make stops in the smaller cities. It is the best route to Florence from airports in Milan (1 3/4 hr./53€) and Rome (1 1/2 hr./45€). From Milan you can be in Paris in 7 hours, and London (via the Channel Tunnel) in around 10 hours by train. Another option from Paris is the Artesia overnight sleeper train (www.artesia.eu); it departs Gare de Bercy at 6:54pm and pulls into Florence at 7:13am the next morning. The cheapest tickets range from 76€ for a bed in a 6-couchette compartment, to 140€ for a bunk in a 2-bed sleeper compartment.

Getting to Perugia from Rome and Milan by train takes a lot longer, although southern Umbrian towns -- Orvieto, for example -- are under 2 hours and just a few euros from Rome.

Fast Facts

Area Codes -- The country code for Italy is 39. Every city and its surrounding towns have a separate city code. The code for most of the Florence area is 055; Livorno is 0586; Lucca is 0583; Perugia is 075; and Pisa is 050.

Business Hours -- General open hours for stores, offices, and churches are from 9:30am to noon or 1pm and again from 3 or 3:30pm to 7pm. That early-afternoon shutdown is the riposo, the Italian siesta. Most stores close all day Sunday and many also on Monday (morning only or all day). Some services and business offices are open to the public only in the morning. Traditionally, museums are closed Mondays, and although some of the biggest stay open all day long, many close for riposo or are only open in the morning (9am-2pm is popular). Banks tend to be open Monday through Friday from 8:30am to 1:30pm and 2:30 to 3:30pm or 3 to 4pm.

Drinking Laws -- There is no legal drinking age in Italy in the sense that a young person of any age can legally consume alcohol, but a person must be 16 years old in order to be served alcohol in a restaurant or a bar. Similarly, laws in other countries that exist in order to stamp out public drunkenness simply aren't quite as necessary in Italy where binge-drinking is unusual. (In fact, it doesn't take a very keen observer in Florence to note that most of the loud drunks at night aren't Italian.) Noise is the primary concern to city officials, and so bars generally close at 2am at the latest, although alcohol is commonly served in clubs after that. Bars in Florence will stop take-out sales at midnight. Supermarkets generally carry beer, wine, and sometimes spirits.

Electricity -- Italy operates on a 220 volts AC (50 cycles) system (equivalent to the U.K., Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand), as opposed to the United States' 110 volts AC (60 cycle) system. You'll need a simple adapter plug (to make flat pegs fit their round holes) and, unless your appliance is dual-voltage (as most electronic devices are), an electrical currency converter. You can pick up the hardware at electronics, travel specialty stores, luggage shops, airports, and from Magellan's catalog (www.magellans.com).

Embassies & Consulates -- The U.S. Embassy is in Rome at Via Vittorio Veneto 121 (tel. 06-46-741; fax 06-488-2672; http://italy.usembassy.gov). The U.S. consulate in Florence -- for passport and consular services but not for visas -- is at Lungarno Vespucci 38 (tel. 055-266-951; fax 055-284-088; http://florence.usconsulate.gov), open to drop-ins Monday through Friday from 9am to 12:30pm. Afternoons 2 to 4:30pm, the consulate is open by appointment only; call ahead. The U.K. Embassy is in Rome at Via XX Settembre 80a (tel. 06-4220-0001; fax 06-4220-2334; http://ukinitaly.fco.gov.uk/it), open Monday through Friday from 9:15am to 1:30pm. The U.K. consulate in Florence is at Lungarno Corsini 2 (tel. 055-284-133; fax 055-219-112). It's open Monday to Friday from 9:30am to 12:30pm and 2:30 to 4:30pm.

Of English-speaking countries, only the United States and Great Britain have consulates in Florence. Citizens of other countries must go to their consulates in Rome for help: The Canadian consulate in Rome is at Via Zara 30, on the fifth floor (tel. 06-445-981 or 06-85444-3937; www.canadainternational.gc.ca/italy-italie), open Monday through Friday from 8:30am to 12:30pm and 1:30 to 4pm. Australia's consulate in Rome is at Via Antonio Bosio 5 (tel. 06-852-721; fax 06-8527-2300; www.italy.embassy.gov.au). The consular section is open Monday through Thursday from 8:30am to noon and 1:30 to 4pm. The immigration and visa office is open Monday to Thursday from 10am to noon; telephone hours are from 10 to 11:30am. New Zealand's consulate in Rome is at Via Clitunno 44 (tel. 06-853-7501; fax 06-440-2984; www.nzembassy.com/italy), open Monday through Friday from 8:30am to 12:45pm and 1:45 to 5pm.

Emergencies -- If you experience an emergency, dial tel. 113, Italy's general emergency number. For an ambulance, call tel. 118. You can also call tel. 112 for the carabinieri (police), or tel. 115 for the fire department. If your car breaks down, dial tel. 116 for roadside aid courtesy of the Automotive Club of Italy.

Hospitals -- Thanks to its tax-funded universal health care (Servizio Sanitario Nazionale), you can walk into almost any Italian hospital when ill and get taken care of speedily with no insurance questions asked, no forms to fill out, and no fee charged. They'll just give you a prescription and send you on your way. The Tuscan Health Service is the regional authority (tel. 800-556-060; www.salute.toscana.it). In Florence, the most central hospital is Santa Maria Nuova, a block northeast of the Duomo on Piazza Santa Maria Nuova (tel. 055-27-581), open 24 hours. For a free translator to help you describe your symptoms, explain the doctor's instructions, or aid in medical issues in general, call the volunteers at the Associazione Volontari Ospedalieri (AVO; tel. 055-234-4567; www.federavo.it) Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 4 to 6pm and Tuesday and Thursday from 10am to noon.

Insurance -- Italy may be one of the safer places you can travel in the world, but accidents and setbacks can and do happen, from lost luggage to car crashes.

For information on traveler's insurance, trip cancelation insurance, and medical insurance while traveling, visit www.frommers.com/planning.

Language -- Italians may not be quite as polished with their English as some of their European counterparts, but Tuscany and Umbria in particular have been hosting Anglophones for a long time now, and English is a regular part of any business day. In Florence and other cities, you will probably be the 20th English-speaking tourist they've spoken with that day. In very rural parts, slow and clear speech, a little gesticulating, and a smile will go a long way -- but learn a few words of Italian and you will always receive a better response. A handy reference guide is Frommer's Italian PhraseFinder & Dictionary.

Legal Aid -- Your embassy or consulate can provide a list of foreign attorneys should you encounter legal problems in Italy. In criminal cases, if you cannot afford an attorney, the local court will provide one for you.

Mail -- At press time, the cost of sending a postcard or letter up to 20 grams, or a little less than an ounce, was .39€ to other European countries, and .41€ everywhere else. Sending via the Premium service is much faster -- rates are .52€ and .62€ respectively. For a full table of prices and weights, visit www.poste.it; there is an English version available for translations.

Newspapers & Magazines -- The International Herald Tribune (published by the New York Times and with news catering to Americans abroad) and USA Today are available at just about every newsstand, even in smaller towns. You can find the Wall Street Journal Europe, European editions of Time and Newsweek, the Economist, and just about any major European newspaper or magazine at the larger kiosks. Tuscany's major Italian-language daily is La Nazione, although you'll find Il Tirreno more widely read in the western part of the region. For local events guides in English, see each individual city's "Visitor Information" listing.

Packing -- For helpful information on packing for your trip, download our convenient Travel Tools app for your mobile device. Go to www.frommers.com/go/mobile and click on the "Travel Tools" icon.

Police -- For emergencies, call tel. 113. Italy has several different police forces, but there are only two you'll most likely ever need to deal with. The first is the urban polizia, whose city headquarters is called the questura and who can help with lost and stolen property. The most useful branch -- the cops to go to for serious problems and crimes -- is the carabinieri (tel. 112), a national order-keeping, crime-fighting civilian police force.

Smoking -- Smoking was banned in public places in Italy, including all restaurants and bars, offices, clubs (discos), as well as most hotels, in 2005. That said, there are still smokers in Italy, and they tend to take the outside tables. Be aware that if you are keen on an outdoor table, you are essentially choosing a seat in the smoking section, and requesting that your neighbor not smoke may not be politely received.

Taxes -- There's no sales tax added onto the price tag of your purchases, but there is a 20% value-added tax (in Italy: IVA) automatically included in just about everything. For major purchases, you can get this refunded. A very small number of hotels still don't include the special 10% hotel IVA in their quoted prices. Ask when making your reservation.

Time -- All of Italy is in the same Western European time zone; that is, GMT plus 1 hour (plus 2 hr. in officially designated "summertime," between late March and late October). For help with time translations, and more, download our convenient Travel Tools app for your mobile device. Go to www.frommers.com/go/mobile and click on the "Travel Tools" icon.

Tipping -- In hotels, a service charge is usually included in your bill. In family-run operations, additional tips are unnecessary and sometimes considered rude. In fancier places with a hired staff, however, you may want to leave a .50€ daily tip for the maid, pay the bellhop or porter 1€ per bag, and a helpful concierge 2€ for his or her troubles. In restaurants, 10% to 15% is almost always included in the bill -- to be sure, ask "è incluso il servizio?" -- but you can leave up to an additional 10%, especially for good service. At bars and cafes, tipping the barman is not expected; if you sit at a table, leave 10% to 15% only if the service is good. Taxi drivers in cities expect 10% to 15%.

For help with tip calculations, currency conversions, and more, download our convenient Travel Tools app for your mobile device. Go to www.frommers.com/go/mobile and click on the "Travel Tools" icon.

Toilets -- Public toilets in Tuscany and Umbria are practically nonexistent except at the train stations and highway gas stations, where they are sometimes pay toilets (.50€ usually does the trick). Standard practice in Italy is to pay for a .90€ cup of coffee at a bar and then ask to use the toilet -- although it's best to ask for both simultaneously as the restrooms in heavily touristed parts of Florence, Tuscany, and Umbria are sometimes "out of order."

Water -- Although most Italians take mineral water with their meals, tap water is safe everywhere. (Unsafe sources will be marked acqua non potabile.) In fact, many cities are now urging their citizens to cut back on their plastic-wasting ways and to turn back to the tap. If the water comes out cloudy, it's only the calcium or other minerals inherent in a water supply that often comes untreated from fresh springs. Also, the water from fountains in public parks is not only potable, it's often the best water you've ever tasted.

Visitor Information

For Tuscany in general, visit www.turismo.intoscana.it; for Umbria visit www.umbria-turismo.it.

Hot Tickets

For major events where tickets should be procured well before arriving on the spot, check out Box Office at tel. 055-210-804 or www.boxol.it. They will only deliver tickets to an Italian address, but you can buy ahead of time and pick them up at the booth when you arrive.

Dealing with Strikes

It's always a good idea in Italy to double-check the official hours that museums and sites are open, and to confirm airline, train, and bus reservations the day before traveling. What's open or running today may be closed tomorrow, as strikes can close attractions and shut down public transportation without much warning. For information on pending strikes, visit www.slowtrav.com/blog/italy_transport_strikes.

Tips for Student Travelers

The Florence Student Point (Via San Gallo 25; tel. 055-282-770; www.studentpointfirenze.it) is like a junior tourist office that caters to students; its staff can help you find a reasonable place to stay and can assist you with any other tourism-related dilemma you might be facing. The best reason to stop by, though, is the free Student Card, available to students of any age with some proof of their academic status; it offers discounts on museums, trains, restaurants, bars, and more.

Regions in Brief

Tuscany and Umbria are divided into administrative provinces based around major cities. These official designations aren't perfect for organizing a travel guide, so the following "regions" into which our guide is divided group towns and sights based on similarities, with most focused on a major city. Keep in mind that none of these regions is very large -- Tuscany is, at 22,993 sq. km (8,877 sq. miles), a bit smaller than New Hampshire, and Umbria, at 8,456 sq. km (3,265 sq. miles), makes about two Rhode Islands.

Florence

The capital of Tuscany is Florence, one of Italy's most famous cities. It was once the home of the powerful Medici dynasty, which actively encouraged the development of the Renaissance by sponsoring sculptors and painters such as Donatello, Leonardo, and Michelangelo. Art treasures such as those found at the Accademia (Michelangelo's David), the Uffizi Gallery (Botticelli's Birth of Venus), and the Pitti Palace (Raphael's La Velata) draw millions of visitors every year. Throw into the mix fabulous architecture (the Duomo with Brunelleschi's dome, Giotto's campanile, Santa Croce), fine restaurants and earthy trattorie, and leading designer boutiques and bustling outdoor markets, and the city of the Renaissance becomes quite simply one of the world's must-see places.

The Chianti, Siena & the Western Hill Towns

The land of high hills stretching from Florence south to Siena is among the most vaunted countryside on Earth, the vine-covered Arcadia of Chianti. Here you can drive along the Chiantigiana roadway, stopping to soak up the scenery and sample the vino. Siena is Tuscany's medieval foil to the Renaissance of Florence. It's a city built of brick, with Gothic palaces, excellent pastries, and its own stylized school of Gothic painting. With steep back streets and a mammoth art-packed cathedral, it's the region's second most popular city. The hill towns west of it -- medieval tangles of roads perched atop small mountains -- are almost as famous: San Gimignano, with its medieval stone skyscrapers; and Etruscan Volterra, with its alabaster workshops. The province of Siena stretches south to about Umbria in a landscape of soft green hills, lone farmhouses, stands of cypress, patches of cultivated fields, and the occasional weird erosion formations known as the Crete Senesi and biancane. This area is postcard-perfect Tuscany.

Lucca, Pistoia & Northwestern Tuscany

The Apuan Alps, along the shore of the Tyrrhenian Sea, kick off a series of mountain chains that rides across the northern edge of Tuscany, separating it from Emilia-Romagna to the north. In their foothills lie the little visited regions of the Garfagnana and Lunigiana, empty paradises for lovers of long walks and hearty mountain cooking. In the valley below this string of mountains sit several worthy towns also little visited by most travelers rushing from Florence to Lucca or Pisa. The medieval textile center of Prato is one of Italy's fastest-growing cities and about the friendliest town in Tuscany. Its historic core is filled with Renaissance art treasures overlooked by many who don't realize a city just 16km (10 miles) from Florence can be so different and rewarding. Its neighbor Pistoia, an old Roman town, is firmly stamped with the art stylings of the Romanesque Middle Ages. Farther along in the Valdinievole (Valley of Mists) you'll find relaxation at Montecatini Terme, Italy's most famous spa, and Monsummano Terme, where a Dantean underworld of natural "steam room" caverns hides beneath an upscale hotel.

The elegant old republican city of Lucca is packed with Romanesque churches, livened by the music of native sons Puccini and Boccherini, and teeming with grandmothers on bicycles going shopping.

Pisa, Tuscany's Coast & the Maremma

This region consists of much of Tuscany's coast, from the ancient maritime republic of Pisa and its tilting tower to Livorno, a Medici-built port city and seafood mecca, and, farther down the coastline, the Maremma, Tuscany's deep south. Once a stronghold of the Etruscans, the Maremma was a swamp from the Dark Ages to the 1600s and is still a highly undeveloped region. A short journey inland, the historic capital of the "High" Maremma is undervisited Massa Marittima, a medieval mining town with a gorgeous cathedral and fine museums. Also covered is the old iron-mining island of Elba, once Napoleon's reign in exile and now one of Italy's best summer seaside resorts.

Southeastern Tuscany

"Southeastern Tuscany" is a bit of a misnomer here, because the Maremma is technically the most southerly region. The medieval hill towns of Montalcino and Montepulciano craft some of Italy's finest red wines, and Pienza, prodigious producer of pecorino sheep's cheese, sits like a balcony surveying the Val d'Orcia and is the only perfectly designed town center of the Renaissance. If the spa waters of Chianciano Terme don't catch your fancy, perhaps you'll enjoy the ancient Etruscan center of Chiusi, with its tombs, archaeological museum, and excellent restaurants, or your unforgettable first sight of Pitigliano, a former Jewish town which seems to sprout from living rock.

Arezzo & Northeastern Tuscany

Arezzo was once an important Etruscan city, and today boasts some exceptional Piero della Francesca frescoes and a world-class monthly antiques market. East of Arezzo, near the Umbrian border, is Piero's hometown of Sansepolcro, a modest industrial city with an old core devoted to preserving Piero's great works. South of Arezzo stretches the Chiana Valley, where the cattle for Florence's famous steaks are raised, and the thriving art city of Cortona, which contains some of Tuscany's finest small museums.

Perugia, Assisi & Northern Umbria

Perugia, the capital of Umbria, is a refined city of soft jazz, velvety chocolates, medieval alleys, and one of Italy's top painting galleries, featuring the works of Perugino, master of the modeled figure and teacher of Raphael. Just east is one of Italy's spiritual centers, the hill town of Assisi, birthplace of St. Francis. The basilica raised in his honor is the nerve center of the vast Franciscan monastic movement and home to some of the greatest fresco cycles of the early Renaissance. Umbria gets even wilder to the north, where the rocky border city of Gubbio is home to one of Italy's wildest pagan festivals, and the oft ignored Città di Castello contains its own stash of art treasures.

Orvieto, Spoleto & Southern Umbria

Spoleto was once seat of the Lombard duchy that controlled most of Umbria in the Dark Ages, but it's most famous these days for its world-class music-and-dance Spoleto Festival. Spoleto's beautiful Duomo and the odd reliefs on its early Romanesque churches draw a small but select crowd of admirers. Moving west we hit Montefalco, home of fine Sagrantino wines, and Todi, a quintessential Italian hill town that just oozes medieval charm. Orvieto, in the far south, is an implacable city of tufa rising above the valley on its volcanic outcropping, with a giant gem of a cathedral and perhaps the best white wine in Italy.

Money

Frommer's lists prices throughout this guide in the local currency. (US$ are sometimes used for overseas tour operators, denoted with a "$"). However, rates fluctuate, so before departing consult a currency exchange website such as www.oanda.com/currency/converter to check up-to-the-minute rates.

Despite the ongoing financial crisis in much of the world, Tuscany is as popular as ever and it remains a relatively expensive destination. In Florence, you can expect to find roughly the same prices for services as you would in Rome and Milan, which are generally lower than London, New York, and Paris, but higher than the rest of Southern Europe. Like anywhere else, prices for everyday goods and services like groceries and haircuts will always be greater in a high-rent city like Florence than in the countryside. Still, travelers from North America and the U.K. will be giddy about the savings on what they might consider luxuries but are basic staples in Italy -- fine wine, cheese, cold cuts, and an impeccable cappuccino that costs less than two euros.

Euro coins are issued in denominations of .01€, .02€, .05€, .10€, .20€, and .50€ as well as 1€ and 2€; bills come in denominations of 5€, 10€, 20€, 50€, 100€, 200€, and 500€.

Traveler's checks, while still the safest way to carry money, are going the way of the dinosaur. The aggressive evolution of international computerized banking and consolidated ATM networks has led to the triumph of plastic throughout the Italian peninsula -- even if cold cash is still the most trusted currency, especially in smaller towns or cheaper mom-and-pop joints, where credit cards may not be accepted.

You'll get the best rate if you exchange money at a bank or one of its ATMs. The rates at "Cambio/change/wechsel" exchange booths are invariably less favorable but still a good deal better than what you'd get exchanging money at a hotel or shop (a last-resort tactic only). The bill-to-bill changers you'll see in some touristy places exist solely to rip you off.

The easiest and best way to get cash away from home is from an ATM, referred to in Italy as a "Bancomat." ATMs are easily found in the cities of Tuscany and Umbria, but are not as common in smaller towns and villages. While every town usually has one, it's good practice to fuel up on cash in urban centers, ideally during business hours. (International circuits seem to go off-line on occasion late at night and on weekends.) The Cirrus (tel. 800/424-7787; www.mastercard.com) and PLUS (tel. 800/843-7587; www.visa.com) networks span the globe. Go to your bank card's website to find ATM locations in Florence, Tuscany, or Umbria. Be sure to check with your bank that your card is valid for international withdrawal, and that you have a four-digit PIN. (Most ATMs in Italy will not accept any other number of digits.) Also, be sure you know your daily withdrawal limit before you depart. Note: Many banks impose a fee every time you use a card at another bank's ATM, and that fee can be higher for international transactions (up to $5 or more) than for domestic ones (where they're rarely more than $2). In addition, the bank from which you withdraw cash may charge its own fee, although this is not common practice in Italy. For international withdrawal fees, ask your bank. If at the ATM you get a message saying your card isn't valid for international transactions, don't panic: It's most likely the bank just can't make the phone connection to check it (occasionally this can be a citywide epidemic) or else simply doesn't have the cash. Try another ATM or another town.

Credit cards are widely accepted in Tuscany and Umbria these days, especially in hotels and larger establishments. However, it is always a good idea to carry some cash since some small businesses may only accept cash or may claim that their credit card machine is broken to avoid paying fees to the credit card companies. Visa and MasterCard are almost universally accepted at hotels, plus most restaurants and shops; the majority of them also accept American Express. Diners Club is gaining some ground, especially in Florence and in more expensive establishments throughout the region. Note: It is an unfortunately common practice among many restaurants in Italy to claim that the credit card machine is down when, in fact, it is more often the case that the owner simply doesn't want to pay the merchant fees. On more than one occasion we've insisted that they try it just in case, as we had no cash, and -- surprise -- it's been instantly fixed! The best way to avoid this chicanery is to inform the waitstaff upfront that you intend to use a credit card. If they tell you it's broken, you have the option of finding a restaurant where the machine "works."

Chip and PIN cards represent a change in the way that credit and debit cards are used. The program is designed to cut down on the fraudulent use of credit cards. More and more banks -- across Europe -- are issuing customers Chip and PIN versions of their debit or credit cards. In the future, more and more vendors will be asking for a four-digit personal identification number or PIN, which will be entered into a keypad near the cash register. For now, traditional "swipe" cards are commonly accepted in central Italy even though they are being phased out elsewhere, and "chip" cards are also commonly accepted.

Finally, be sure to let your bank know that you'll be traveling abroad to avoid having your card blocked after a few days of big purchases far from home. Note that many banks now assess a 1% to 3% "transaction fee" on all charges you incur abroad (whether you're using the local currency or your native currency). Check with your bank before departing to avoid any surprise charges on your statement.

For help with currency conversions, tip calculations, and more, download Frommer's convenient Travel Tools app for your mobile device. Go to www.frommers.com/go/mobile and click on the "Travel Tools" icon.

What Things Cost in Florence (€)

Taxi (from the train station to Santa Croce) 15.00

Public bus (to any destination) 1.20

Double room at Helvetia & Bristol (very expensive) 420.00

Double room at Antica Dimora Johlea (moderate) 170.00

Double room at Locanda Orchidea (inexpensive) 75.00

Continental breakfast (cappuccino and croissant standing at a bar) 3.00

Lunch for one at Da Rocco (inexpensive) 8.00

Dinner for one, with table wine, at Giostra (expensive) 65.00

Dinner for one, with table wine, at Il Santo Bevitore (moderate) 30.00

Dinner for one, with table wine, at Le Mossacce (inexpensive) 18.00

Glass of wine 2.50-7.00

Coca-Cola (standing/sitting in a bar) 2.00/3.50

Cup of espresso (standing/sitting in a bar) 1.00/1.75

Admission to the Uffizi Gallery 6.50-11

Sustainable Travel & Ecotourism

Environmentalism in Italy has always been an area of stark contrasts. Italians conserve fuel and energy like most Europeans do, they go to great lengths to limit air pollution, and their shopping habits of consuming locally grown vegetables and bringing a bag to the store would put a smile on just about any environmentalist's face. Meanwhile, local entities' recycling efforts can be dubious (investigative journalism reveals that most of the recyclables and trash in Rome, for example, recently ended up in the same place anyway).

That aside, the tourism industry here leads the charge in protecting the resources of a country where visitor spending accounts for a whole lot of the nation's income. Rural Tuscany might very well be the capital of the green movement in Italy, and the region is regularly credited with leading the charge for sustainable tourism. Most hotels in Florence, Siena, and other Tuscan cities, as well as higher-end agriturismi in the countryside, have implemented green practices; farms in particular have begun to install natural waste water treatment systems, and guests are strongly encouraged to participate in composting and recycling programs. Organic agriculture is widespread, especially on smaller farms around Central Italy that host visitors, so when you eat in a restaurant in Tuscany, chances are that the food didn't travel very far to get to your table. (The insistence on bottled water, however, is one blemish on an otherwise good record.)

Italians in general are also very protective of their beaches -- and their efforts have been rewarded with several Blue Flags. Each year, a Blue Flag (www.blueflag.org), a voluntary eco-label that honors high water quality and environmental management, is awarded to beaches throughout the world. Thirty-three beaches on Tuscany's coast have received Blue Flags, including our favorite on the mainland, Feniglia.

Overall, as a nation that needs to import the majority of its energy, and with 60 million people living in relatively close proximity, Italians have always been a culture to live and consume at a sustainable rate and a very human scale. Towns and provinces push for more intercity cycling paths to connect tourist sites, and public transportation is generally reliable. However, there is no escaping the fact that most often a family with luggage will need a car to get around the Tuscan and Umbrian countryside.

You can do your part by reusing towels, taking public transportation whenever possible, discarding trash and recyclables in the appropriate colored bins around the region, and eating locally grown produce. And don't shy away from central Italy's tap water; it's very good. In addition to the resources for Tuscany and Umbria listed here, see www.frommers.com/planning for more tips on responsible travel.

Tips for Senior Travelers

Italy is a multigenerational culture that doesn't tend to marginalize its seniors, and older people are treated with a great deal of respect and deference throughout Italy. But there are few specific programs, associations, or concessions made for them. The one exception is on admission prices for museums and sights, where those ages 60 or 65 and older will often get in at a reduced rate or even free. There are also special train passes and reductions on bus tickets and the like in various towns. As a senior in Italy, you're un anziano (una anziana if you're a woman), or "ancient one" -- consider it a term of respect and let people know you're one if you think a discount may be in order.

Tips for Women Travelers

It is hard not to notice that, on the streets of Florence, young foreign women far outnumber any other category of people. Women feel remarkably welcome in Tuscany and Umbria, and the stereotype of the young Italian male -- out to prove himself the most irresistible lover on the planet -- applies more to Rome and the South. Having said that, the more exotic you look to an Italian -- statuesque blondes, ebony-skinned beauties, or simply an American accent -- the more attention you can expect to get, especially at night. This will almost certainly be of the mild flirtatious type; take your cue from Italian women, who usually ignore the men around them entirely unless it's someone they're already walking with. Although most foreign women report feeling far safer wandering the deserted streets of an Italian city to their hotels at 2am than they do in their own neighborhoods back home, use some common sense. Rape is much rarer in Italy than in the United States, but it does happen.

A more subtle issue -- one you are unlikely to encounter on a short stay -- concerns Italian stereotypes of foreign women (especially northern European and American students) as uninhibited and passionate sex kittens. Not only does this tend to encourage would-be Romeos, it can have far more sinister overtones, as the troubling case of U.S. student Amanda Knox suggests. Convicted of murdering her English roommate in Perugia in 2007, Knox was sentenced to 26 years in prison after a highly emotive trial. The tabloids went into overdrive as "Foxy Knoxy" became demonized as the symbol of licentious American female behavior, guilty or not (she had an Italian boyfriend at the time). Things have calmed down somewhat since then, though, at press time, Knox was still appealing her conviction.

Health & Safety

There are no special health risks you'll encounter in Tuscany and Umbria. The tap water is safe, and medical resources are high quality. With Italy's universal healthcare system, you can usually stop by any hospital emergency room with an ailment, get swift and courteous service, receive a diagnosis and a prescription, and be sent on your way with a wave and a smile -- without filling out a single sheet of paperwork. However, the benefits of Italy's partially socialized medicine strictly speaking only apply to E.U. citizens, so those from elsewhere should be prepared to pay medical bills upfront. Before leaving home, find out what medical services your health insurance covers. Your health insurance in your home country may not cover any extended treatment abroad. However, even if you don't have insurance, you will be seen and treated in an emergency room, just as you would at home.

Pharmacies in Italy are ubiquitous (look for the green cross) and offer essentially the same range of generic drugs available all over the developed world. Pharmacies are also the only place you'll find simple stuff such as aspirin and run-of-the-mill cold medicines: You won't find Tylenol at any old corner store (even if there were such a thing as a corner store). Pharmacies in Florence and other cities take turns doing the night shift. Normally there is a list posted at the entrance of each pharmacy, telling customers which pharmacy is open which night of the week.

Safety

Tuscany and Umbria are remarkably safe regions, and you generally won't encounter the pickpockets that sometimes frequent touristy areas and public buses in Rome and Naples. There are, of course, thieves in central Italy, as there are everywhere, so be smart; don't leave anything valuable in your rental car overnight, and leave nothing visible in it at any time to avoid tempting a would-be thief. If you do happen to be robbed, you can fill out paperwork at the nearest police station, but this is mostly for insurance purposes -- don't expect them to actually hunt down the perpetrator or find your lost valuables. In general, avoid public parks at night and public squares in the wee hours of the morning, situations that attract the seediest elements looking to prey on late-night partiers.

Italy for centuries was and, to a large degree, still is a homogenous culture. Add to that the fact that issues of race here are discussed so frankly and openly -- there's apparently no taboo to saying, in a loud voice, "That black guy over there . . ." Moreover, the reality is that most people of African descent in Italy are working as street vendors, not bankers. All this may make travelers with darker skin feel -- correctly at times -- as if they're being singled out. Pockets of racism do exist in Italy just like anywhere else in the world, but on the whole, it is an extremely warm and tolerant country.

Tips for Families

Italy is still a family-oriented society, and kids have free rein just about anywhere they go. A crying baby at a dinner table is greeted with a knowing smile rather than with a stern look. Children under a certain age almost always receive discounts, and maybe a special treat from the waiter, but the availability of such accouterments as child seats for cars and dinner tables is more the exception than the norm. There's plenty of parks, offbeat museums, markets, ice-cream parlors, and vibrant streetlife to amuse even the youngest children. Prénatal (www.prenatal.com) is the premier toddler and baby chain store in Italy, with branches in Arezzo, Florence, Lucca, Perugia, Pisa, Siena, and many other towns. You can buy Huggies and Pampers (ask for pannolini) at most supermarkets, and a decent selection of formula (powdered milk) at pharmacies.

When to Go

The best times to visit Tuscany and Umbria are in the spring and fall. Starting in late May, the summer tourist rush really picks up, and from July to mid-September the country is teeming with visitors. August is the worst month to visit. Not only does it get uncomfortably hot, muggy, and crowded, but the entire country goes on vacation at least from August 15 until the end of the month, and many Italians (especially in the cities) take off the entire month. Pisa is virtually deserted in August, and Florence's low season includes August. Many hotels, restaurants, and shops are closed -- except at the spas, beaches, and islands, which are where 70% of the Italians are headed. In winter (late Oct to Easter), most sights go to shorter winter hours or are closed for restoration and rearrangement, many hotels and restaurants take a month or two off between November and February, spa and beach destinations become padlocked ghost towns, and it can get much colder than most people expect -- it may even snow on occasion.

Weather

Tuscany and Umbria cover some pretty diverse terrain and climate areas. Tuscany has lowlands along the coast with the most moderate of Mediterranean climes, but there are also snowcapped Apennine mountains in the north of Tuscany and eastern Umbria that stay cooler throughout the year and can get downright frozen in winter. Both regions are made up primarily of hills, however, and the climate varies with the seasons and the landscape. It can get uncomfortably hot at the height of August in valley cities such as Florence, but the breeze-cooled hill towns are usually eminently livable in summer. The long spring is temperate and very comfortable, with occasional showers. Fall is also fairly mild, with lots of rainfall being the only drawback. Winter, though mild for most months, can get quite cold in late December or January; it can drizzle a great deal, and snowfall isn't impossible.

Holidays

Official state holidays include January 1, January 6 (Epiphany), Easter Sunday and Monday, April 25 (Liberation Day), May 1 (Labor Day), August 15 (Ferragosto and Assumption Day), November 1 (All Saints' Day), December 8 (Day of the Immaculate Conception), December 25, and December 26 (Santo Stefano). Florence also shuts down to honor its patron, St. John the Baptist, on June 24.