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Tuscany |
Capital: Florence
Major airports: Pisa (PSA) and Florence (FLR).
Southern Tuscany and Monte Argentario are as
easily reached via Rome (Fiumicino FCO or
Ciampino CIA). |
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It is said that while Rome rules Italy’s body,
Florence (Firenze) rules its heart. Cradle of the
Renaissance and repository of many of that era’s
masterpieces, Florence is also a wonderful city
for walking, shopping and dining.
North of Florence lies one of Tuscany’s most elegant
medieval towns, Lucca, in an area which boasts
glorious 18th century villas, pretty villages
(including Collodi, the ‘birthplace’ of Pinocchio), the
Garfagnana nature reserve and beautiful, albeit
busy, beaches. Chianti, Italy’s most famous wineproducing
territory, lies between Florence and
Siena. The landscape is every bit as beautiful as it
is in Renaissance depictions: vineyard-covered
hillsides punctuated by cypresses and dotted with
lovely old stone villages.
The province of Arezzo, which borders on Umbria,
offers some of the finest Tuscan art in the works of
Piero della Francesca, as well as a host of splendid
historic towns: Arezzo itself, Sansepolcro, and
hilltop Poppi and Bibbiena in the beautiful Casentino
Valley. South of here lies the Valdichiana where
Cortona, said to be older than Troy, provides an
unforgettable view over Umbria’s Lake Trasimeno.
Siena is architecturally a very close rival to
Florence, and a stroll through the Campo is
essential to a Tuscan sojourn. To its south lie the
famous Crete Senese: rolling clay hills covered in a
patchwork of fields, the ensemble producing a
palette of rich colours.
South-west of Siena is Tuscany’s Maremma region,
where cattle farms, hilltop towns, thermal spas,
Etruscan archeological sites and increasingly
appreciated vineyards nestle in an undulating
landscape. At the very southern extreme of Tuscany
is Monte Argentario, a hilly promontory with sandy
beaches, glorious Mediterranean views and three
small but vibrant towns full of shops and
restaurants. |
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