Tuscany

Tuscany is the Italy of postcards: Florence and its Renaissance masterpieces, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the medieval squares of Siena and Lucca, and the towers of San Gimignano. Between the cities lie the Chianti hills, the Val d'Orcia with its cypress-lined roads, and wine towns such as Montalcino and Montepulciano.

The coast is just as varied, from the marble mountains of Carrara to the Etruscan Coast, the Maremma and the islands of Elba and Giglio. In every village the food is simple and generous: bread soups, Florentine steak, pecorino and olive oil.

The landscape everyone has in mind

When people think of Italy, the image that comes to mind is often Tuscan: gentle hills, rows of cypresses along a white gravel road, a stone farmhouse on top of a knoll, vineyards and olive groves as far as the eye can see. This landscape, shaped by centuries of farming, is only one side of the region. Tuscany is also the cradle of the Renaissance, with an artistic heritage beyond comparison, a coastline of more than three hundred kilometres with islands, beaches and pine forests, mountains of marble, natural hot springs and a cuisine based on simple ingredients of great quality. No other Italian region has so many UNESCO sites: among them the historic centres of Florence, Siena, San Gimignano and Pienza, the Piazza dei Miracoli in Pisa, the Val d'Orcia and the Medici villas.

Florence, cradle of the Renaissance

Florence is a city to enjoy slowly. The Cathedral with Brunelleschi's dome, the Baptistery with Ghiberti's Gates of Paradise and Giotto's Bell Tower form one of the most famous ensembles in the world. In the Uffizi you meet Botticelli, Leonardo, Michelangelo and Raphael, and in the Accademia the statue of David. The Ponte Vecchio, lined with goldsmiths' shops, leads to the Oltrarno, the artisans' district, home to Palazzo Pitti and the Boboli Gardens. At sunset the best view is from Piazzale Michelangelo or, more peacefully, from the church of San Miniato al Monte. Florence is also the ideal base for visiting the Chianti hills, Fiesole and the Medici villas.

Siena, Chianti and San Gimignano

Siena is Florence's great historic rival: a Gothic city built of earth-coloured brick around Piazza del Campo, the shell-shaped square where the Palio horse race is run twice a year. The Cathedral, with its inlaid marble floor and the Piccolomini Library, is one of the masterpieces of Italian Gothic. Between Florence and Siena lies the Chianti, a land of wine, castles and villages such as Greve, Radda and Castellina, crossed by the scenic Chiantigiana road. To the west, San Gimignano still shows its medieval towers, built by rival families as symbols of their wealth, and produces Vernaccia, the first Italian wine to receive the DOC designation. Not far away, Volterra preserves Etruscan walls and a long tradition of alabaster carving.

Val d'Orcia and southern Tuscany

The Val d'Orcia, south of Siena, is the quintessential Tuscan landscape and a UNESCO site: rolling hills, solitary cypresses, isolated chapels and villages such as Pienza, the ideal town created by Pope Pius II, Montalcino, home of Brunello wine, and Montepulciano, famous for its Vino Nobile. Bagno Vignoni has a square that is in fact a pool of thermal water, and around Monte Amiata there are hot springs and chestnut woods. Further west, the Maremma is the wildest part of Tuscany: the Maremma Nature Park with its cowboys, the butteri, and their horses, the tuff villages of Pitigliano and Sorano, the free hot cascades of Saturnia and the coast of Monte Argentario.

Pisa, Lucca and northern Tuscany

In Pisa the Leaning Tower is the city's symbol, but the whole Piazza dei Miracoli, with the Cathedral, the Baptistery and the monumental cemetery, is a masterpiece of Romanesque architecture. A few kilometres to the north, Lucca is enclosed by intact Renaissance walls that have been turned into a tree-lined promenade for walking and cycling; inside, Piazza dell'Anfiteatro keeps the elliptical shape of the Roman amphitheatre on which it was built. Further north lie the Garfagnana, a green valley of villages and chestnut forests, the Apuan Alps with the marble quarries of Carrara, where Michelangelo chose the blocks for his sculptures, and Versilia, with the beaches and clubs of Forte dei Marmi and Viareggio, also famous for its carnival.

The sea and the islands

The Tuscan coast alternates long sandy beaches with rocky stretches. South of Livorno, the Etruscan Coast has pine forests, villages such as Castagneto Carducci and Bolgheri, with its famous avenue of cypresses and great red wines, and the Gulf of Baratti with the Etruscan necropolis of Populonia. The Tuscan Archipelago is a national park: Elba, the largest island, has beaches of every kind, ancient mines and memories of Napoleon's exile, while Giglio, Capraia and Giannutri offer remarkably clear water. Further south, the Argentario promontory with Porto Santo Stefano and Porto Ercole is one of the most elegant destinations in the region.

Food and wine

Tuscan cooking is built on unsalted bread, extra-virgin olive oil, beans and grilled meat. Bistecca alla fiorentina, ribollita bread soup, pappa al pomodoro, panzanella salad, pici pasta with garlic sauce, chicken-liver crostini and lampredotto, the tripe sandwich sold from kiosks in Florence, all tell the story of a peasant and popular tradition. Pecorino from Pienza, lard from Colonnata, Livorno's cacciucco fish stew and cantucci biscuits dipped in Vin Santo complete the table. Tuscany is one of Italy's great wine regions: Chianti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, the Super Tuscans of Bolgheri and Vernaccia di San Gimignano.

Arezzo and eastern Tuscany

The eastern part of the region is often overlooked, which is a mistake. Arezzo keeps Piero della Francesca's fresco cycle of the Legend of the True Cross in the basilica of San Francesco, and its sloping Piazza Grande hosts one of Italy's largest antiques fairs every month. Cortona, perched above the Val di Chiana, has Etruscan museums, steep lanes and views stretching as far as Lake Trasimeno. Further north, the Casentino is a valley of forests, castles of the Guidi counts and sanctuaries such as La Verna, where Saint Francis received the stigmata, and Camaldoli, at the heart of the Casentino Forests National Park. Anghiari and Sansepolcro, Piero della Francesca's birthplace, complete an art itinerary that is less crowded but of the highest quality.

When to go and how to get around

May, June, September and October are the ideal months, with pleasant weather, hills that are green or coloured by the grape harvest and shorter queues at the museums. In July and August the art cities are hot and crowded, and it is better to alternate visits with days at the beach. Autumn is the season of new wine, fresh olive oil and the white truffles of San Miniato. Florence, Pisa, Lucca, Siena and Arezzo are linked by train, but for the countryside, the Chianti and the Val d'Orcia a car is almost essential. The main airports are Pisa and Florence, and ferries for Elba leave from the port of Piombino.