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Tuscany
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Once travelers have exhausted the
treasures of Rome, Venice, Florence and Milan, they often take time to relax
and savor the exceptional beauty and intriguing culture of Tuscany You can
experience the Tuscan countryside when driving between Rome and Florence,
but it is likely that this will just whet your appetite for more exposure.
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Tuscany is an attractive
agricultural area, replete with vineyards, inviting small towns, and a slow
but appealing pace of life.
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Be sure to examine our Photo
Guides to Tuscany
as they provide additional information about attractions and some great
photographs of places we think you will want to visit.
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Florence
 (covered in
our city guide) is the crown jewel
of Tuscany (Toscana), although the entire region is known for its
numerous important contributions to the art
and culture of Italy and world history. Once you are outside of Florence, the attractions of
Tuscany are mostly found in its hill towns, attractive settlements whose endowments include a
unique culture, beautiful landscapes and a pleasant climate. The
gorgeous countryside of Tuscany includes coastal plains, rolling hills and
modest mountains. As you may know, the "magic" of Tuscany has
been used as the background for many wonderful works of literature.
We have prepared a short photographic tour of the
beautiful landscapes of Tuscany
to get you started on your travels in this enjoyable section of
Italy.
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Tuscany is a region to be
savored and it has become the section of Italy most favored by visitors
interested in taking lengthy
vacations. Its hill towns are known for their scenic settings,
interesting history, good food and pleasant quality of life. An
increasing number of vacationers who visit Tuscany do so in hopes of
savoring the pace and quality of Tuscan life, rather than flitting from
one eye-popping attraction to the next, as is common when visiting Rome,
Venice, or Tuscany’s own Florence.
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Tuscany is the ideal
place to practice what we like to call “plop and hop”, that is, pick a
pleasant town as a base and take day-trips from there to see the areas'
other attractions. By using one town as a home base, you avoid packing and
repacking, while accruing the advantages of experiencing the area towns when they
return to normal after the day-tourists have left. In addition, by
establishing a base you will fall into the local, rhythmic
pattern of daily life, which allows you to better understand and
appreciate Tuscany and the intensive bond that has been forged between
this beautiful region and its people.
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Noteworthy destinations
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Siena is a lovely town that has managed to retain its medieval look
and feel. Its Piazza del Campo, featuring the Palazzo Pubblico, is considered by many to be the finest
town square in Italy. Siena has several interesting art museums
(especially the Pinacoteca Nazionale) that are small but filled with
treasures. The town's Gothic-style Duomo is a
showstopper. Siena offers a variety of attractions and should be
included in any tour of Tuscany.
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Visit
Pisa to the see the Leaning Tower, as well as its companions the Duomo and
Baptistery. Other attractions in Pisa
are limited and most visitors find that a few hours exhausts the town's
possibilities. One other item that you may
find interesting is that Pisa was the birthplace of Galileo Galilei.
One of his earliest discoveries was made while observing a swinging
chandelier in the Pisa Cathedral. He realized that the motion of
the swing was regular, a notion that helped make accurate clocks. In
addition, he is purported to have experimented with gravity by dropping
objects from the Leaning Tower.
If you need information about another travel destination, try
our
Destination Guide Index
or Googling ThereArePlaces.
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Tuscany is primarily an agricultural area
The hill towns of Tuscany and Umbria are delightful places that feature a
"rich" quality of life.
Fine wines and fine times await you in Tuscany
It seems to be the simple things that make Tuscany so attractive
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Great food and wine are hallmarks of Tuscany living
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