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Tuscany to Enjoy All Year Round

From month-long August holidays to 7–10 day stays and long weekends: the way we travel is changing. And so are the destinations that are ideal for taking a real break.

There was a time when “going on holiday” in Italy almost automatically meant leaving in August. Cities emptied out, companies closed, families packed their cars and headed to the seaside, the mountains or their hometowns, often staying away for three weeks or even an entire month.

This was the traditional Italian summer holiday model, which became established during the economic boom of the 1950s and 1960s and, for several generations, turned into an almost collective ritual.

It also represented an important social achievement: holidays were no longer a privilege reserved for a few, but became a genuine period of rest available to an increasingly large part of the population.

Today, that model largely belongs to the past.

A recent article published by Repubblica explored precisely the gradual disappearance of the long Italian summer holiday. Not because people have lost their desire to travel, but because society, work, family life and, inevitably, household finances have all changed.

Not Fewer Holidays. Different Holidays.

Spending an entire month away from home has become difficult for many people.

Working calendars are less uniform, families need to balance different schedules and commitments, and the cost of a long stay — especially during the busiest weeks of August — can have a considerable impact on the family budget.

The result is a new way of organising leisure time.

Instead of one long summer holiday, we are seeing more 7–10 day stays, more departures in June and September and, above all, more three- or four-day long weekends, spread throughout the year.

In other words, holidays are not disappearing.

They are becoming shorter — and perhaps, for that very reason, more frequent.

Instead of concentrating twenty or thirty days into August, there are now more opportunities to interrupt the daily routine, change scenery, discover new places and simply take some time for ourselves.

Seven or Ten Days in the Heart of Tuscany

For this new way of travelling, a place such as Torrita di Siena can be an ideal base.

A 7–10 day stay gives you enough time to explore the area without turning your holiday into a race from one destination to another.

You can start by wandering through the streets and historic walls of Torrita, spend a day in Montepulciano, another in Pienza and the Val d’Orcia, visit Cortona, Arezzo or Lake Trasimeno, discover small villages, wineries and traditional restaurants and, most importantly, leave a few days completely unplanned.

Because one of the real differences between simply visiting somewhere and actually staying there is this: having the time to stop.

Having breakfast without rushing. Going back to the restaurant you discovered the evening before. Visiting a local market. Taking an evening walk. Deciding where to go only after waking up in the morning.

Seven or ten days allow you to see a great deal, but also to rediscover some of the slower rhythms of the traditional holidays of the past, adapted to the way we live today.

The Long Weekend: A Small Holiday in Every Season

And then there are long weekends.

Three or four nights can be enough to genuinely disconnect from everyday life, especially when the destination does not require you to fill every hour of the day.

Southern Tuscany changes with every season and offers a different reason to return throughout the year.

In spring, the countryside of the Valdichiana and Val d’Orcia becomes green again, the days grow longer and the mild temperatures are perfect for walks, easy hikes and exploring historic villages.

In June and July, evenings become the highlight: outdoor dinners, local events, performances, village festivals and walks after sunset allow you to enjoy the area well into the evening.

September and October are perhaps among the most fascinating months of all. Temperatures are milder, the crowds of high summer begin to disappear and the landscape takes on the colours of the grape harvest and autumn. It is the perfect time for a stay centred around wine, food, historic villages and panoramic country roads.

Even winter can be a reason to get away: a few days spent among old towns, wine bars, traditional restaurants, thermal baths and cities of art are an opportunity to discover a quieter, more intimate Tuscany, far from the busiest tourist season.

Every season can become a small holiday of its own.

Perhaps this is the most interesting change of all. For a long time, we thought of holidays as something that had to be concentrated into one single period of the year: you worked while waiting for August and, once August was over, you began waiting for the following summer.

Today, the calendar can look very different.

A week in spring. A long weekend at the beginning of summer. Seven days in September. Three nights in autumn. A few days away during a winter holiday.

The month-long summer holiday of the 1960s will probably never return. But in its place, a more flexible way of travelling is emerging, made up of more frequent departures, different seasons and destinations that can be discovered at a slower pace.

A Home in Tuscany to Start From

In the historic centre of Torrita di Siena, Dimora del Campanile is a home from which to discover this corner of Tuscany at your own pace.

It can be the perfect starting point for a week exploring the Valdichiana and Val d’Orcia, but also a peaceful retreat for a long weekend devoted simply to slowing down.

Because perhaps we no longer have an entire month to dedicate to our holidays.

But we have many more moments throughout the year when we can decide to get away.