Tuscany Travel Guide

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Tuscany

Duomo Museum in Florence © Italian Tourist Board

Tuscany's rolling hills are garlanded with cypress trees, lush vines and olive groves that make way here and there for sleepy villages and medieval hill towns. The area rests languidly in the middle of the Italian peninsula, with parts stretching to the coastline of the Tyrrhenian Sea. Snaking through the Tuscan landscape from Florence to Pisa and soaking its thirsty banks is the Arno River. Akin to the gentle flow of a river is the ebb of life in the region. People work in the fields in much the same way their ancestors did before them, producing some of Italy's finest wines and olive oils. From this same landscape emerges a profusion of art and architecture that has fashioned Italy onto the cultural map. Tuscany was the birthplace of the Renaissance, a period of unprecedented innovation in art, architecture and humanist scholarship. The grandeur of the High Renaissance was enjoyed during the Medici family's reign when they commissioned the art and architecture that lives on within the elegant precincts of Florence.

Resorts

See our separate guides to the following Tuscany holiday resorts: Assisi, Pisa, Cortona, Lucca, San Gimignano and Siena

Attractions

Leaning Tower of Pisa © wsuph001

Leaning Tower of Pisa

The world-famous Leaning Tower of Pisa was built as a freestanding bell tower (campanile) behind the city cathedral. Constructed during the 11th and 12th centuries, the tower is the third oldest building in Pisa's Cathedral Square. Originally intended to stand vertically, the tower now... see full details

Excursions

Chianti Region

A circular route from Siena through the Chianti hills is a scenic and sensory experience. The route covers the villages of the Chianti Classico wine region garnished with ancient castles and rambling farmhouses. The vineyards and wooded hills of the Chianti are best explored... see full details

Etruscan Sites

Attracted by the mineral wealth found in the regions of Tuscany, Lazio and Umbria, the Etruscans made their way to Italy around 900 BC. Traces of Etruscan civilisation can be found in their burial sites and in the artefacts found in their tombs.... see full details

Montepulciano

Montepulciano is Tuscany's highest hilltop town, built along a narrow limestone ridge at 1,950ft (605m) above sea level. Sheltered within the town's fortified walls are charming streets packed with Renaissance-style palaces and churches. Its most celebrated achievement is its Vino Nobile wines. Also of... see full details

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