Tuscany
Why go?
Tuscany is picture-book Italy: rolling green hills bissected by
cypress-lined lanes and capped with stunning medieval hill towns;
ancient castles - many of them converted to hotels or holiday
apartments - and marbled monasteries; world-beating wines and
superbly hearty cooking (think beef steaks, bean stews, pasta and
panforte); churches and abbeys galore, boasting delicate
Renaissance frescoes and hulking mosaic-sheened domes.
At its heart is Florence, regional capital and world-famous
epicentre of art and architecture; we've listed it separately as
there's so much to say.
Moving south you come to Siena, a more intimate but equally
appealing hub, surrounded by the vine-clad hills of Chianti and the
castellated hilltowns of San Gimignano and Monteriggioni. Further
southeast are the crete senesi ("clays of Siena") and the
Val d'Orcia, lunar landscapes of undulating hills and vineyards,
dotted with hilltop towns (Montalcino, Montepulciano, Pienza) and
atmospheric monasteries.
Head east, across the A1 autostrada, to the open-skied Val di
Chiana, where you can explore the delightful towns of Cortona and
Arezzo, or try your hand at watersports on Lake Trasimeno across
the border in Umbria.
All these areas have their fair share of tourism, so if you want to
escape the crowds head west to the Maremma, where you'll find tiny
villages atop tufa outcrops (Pitigliano, Sovana), steaming
thermal pools and a few pretty beaches in amongst the agricultural
coastal plain. From here you can catch a ferry to the islands of
Elba and Giglio, or drive south to the half-island of Monte
Argentario and onwards to Rome.
Finally don't overlook the walled town of Lucca in the north, which
not only has bags of charm and lots of musical festivals, but is
also gateway to the spectacular Apuan Alps, and the best base for
visiting Pisa (of leaning tower fame). Nearby are the (very
developed) sandy beaches around Viareggio.