My husband and I sit down for a leisurely lunch of spaghetti with seafood and a crispy fritto misto at the Bagno Assunta beach club in Forte dei Marmi, an upscale beach town on the Tuscan coast, and we’re the only ones there. It’s a warm spring day in May—lively but not crowded is the vibe we prefer, but it can be challenging to find that balance, especially in Tuscany.
I would know. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve visited Tuscany over the years, for both work and pleasure. I live in Rome, so Tuscany is practically my backyard. Lately, it seems like more and more Italians are getting fed up with overtourism in some of the country’s hot spots. In 2023, more than 46 million tourists descended on Tuscany. The entire region’s population is around 3.75 million.
While the majority of tourists go in the summer, there’s so much to do during Tuscany’s off season—which is from around October through April—if you know how.
Even when it’s not the summer, there’s plenty to do in Tuscany.
Photos by Laura Itzkowitz
Tips for visiting Tuscany in the off season
1. Live like a local
Part of the problem with overtourism in Tuscany stems from the way people treat it as a hit-and-run destination, barely staying long enough to check off the bucket list sights and then moving on to the next place. This kind of tourism is antithetical to the true Tuscan way of life. The months outside of peak season are a great time to embrace simple pleasures, like long lunches and days spent relaxing at the beach with a good book.
In Forte dei Marmi I rode around on a bicycle and ate fresh oysters and seafood-topped bruschette at Pesce Baracca. I wandered around, finding artisanal delights like the beautiful baskets at La Cesteria and Giovanni del Forte’s shoe collection, made by a shoemaker who’s been there for more than 40 years.
2. Consider where to go
The low season seems to be getting shorter every year, especially in popular destinations like Florence, Siena, and Pisa. Peak season is generally the height of summer, from June through August, when kids are off from school and families seize the chance to travel. In Florence, in particular, the only crowd-free time of year now is winter, roughly from January through Easter.
If you’re going to visit Tuscany’s beaches, summer is still your best bet in terms of weather, as beach towns like Forte dei Marmi and Porto Ercole tend to shut down in the winter and reopen in the spring. Be aware that some hotels and resorts close for at least a couple of months in the wintertime, too. If you want more availability, consider visiting in the shoulder seasons (April and May or September and October), which will have relatively fewer crowds.
3. Stay longer
Florence may be a relatively small city, but it’s absolutely packed with artistic treasures that are less of a headache to visit without the summer flock of tourists. You need at least three or four days just to see the essentials. Stay longer and you can dig a bit deeper, exploring neighborhoods like Oltrarno and Sant’Ambrogio for less crowded food markets and boutique shops.
And while you could take a day trip from Florence to Siena, Pisa, Lucca, or San Gimignano, it’s worth spending a few days in the countryside or on the coast. Out in the countryside, in the hill towns and beach towns, things move at a more leisurely pace.
4. Get off the beaten path
There are countless places off the beaten path you can visit in the region. Capalbio is one of Italy’s most charming villages, with a historic center perched on a hill with narrow cobblestone lanes and pristine beaches about a 15-minute drive away. The little hill town of Volterra is known for alabaster, and you can buy items made with the luminous stone at shops around town. Pienza, which has a UNESCO-recognized historic center, is also known for a sheep’s milk cheese called pecorino di Pienza. Wandering around the medieval town of Certaldo feels like stepping back in time; you can take your time over lunch and buy ceramics made by local artisans.
Another way to enjoy Tuscany in its off season is to book experiences, such as winery tours and cooking classes. Many wineries also serve lunch, so you can do a tour and tasting in the late morning and then sit down to a nice meal. Or spend the morning learning how to make local specialties like pici pasta and chicken cacciatore with a local chef like cookbook author Giulia Scarpaleggia.
Borgo Santo Pietro is one of the best places to stay in Tuscany.
Courtesy of Borgo Santo Pietro
Where to stay in Tuscany
Forte dei Marmi has a few luxury resorts, but if you prefer a more intimate experience, book a room at the family-run Villa Roma Imperiale, which was built as a private villa and has just 32 rooms, some of which open directly onto the garden and pool. La Roqqa is a new hotel in Porto Ercole, a town in Tuscany’s southern coast, with a sleek contemporary design and a chic beach club on a secluded cove.
If you’re searching for the perfect base to explore the countryside, check into Borgo San Felice, a Relais & Châteaux hotel in a historic hamlet with a Michelin-starred restaurant, or Borgo Santo Pietro, a member of the Leading Hotels of the World, that feels like a fabled ideal of a rural Tuscan retreat (and is also on Afar’s list of the best hotels in Tuscany). If you’re traveling with a group and want space and seclusion, Villa Ardore is a restored 16th-century farmhouse in the heart of Chianti Classico with eight bedrooms, a full kitchen and vegetable garden, spa, and infinity pool overlooking the rolling hills.
