Tuscany is one of Italy’s most renowned destinations and, over the years, many visitors travelling the length and breadth of this splendid country have taken time to stop in this wonderful region.

Certainly, it has not escaped the notice of the astute visitors that this land offers a myriad of holiday opportunities: sea, mountains, hills, nature, bicycle rides, trips by car, mouth-watering food and wine delights, you name it, it’s all here!

Set in the centre of Italy, it looks out onto Tyrrhenian Sea that laps the islands of its archipelago (Island of Elba, Giglio Island), while the Apuane Alps and the Apennines rise up behind it and mark the borders of the region.

The stretch from the sea to the mountains provides the opportunity to travel along charming inland with alternating green hills, rivers and valleys, such as the Valdichiana where farming thrives and the land is cultivated with vines that give rise to wine production, such as Chianti. Nature is one of the main attractions of Tuscany, which is home to many natural parks that are still unspoilt and unpolluted, such as the Natural Park of the Tuscan Archipelago between Livorno and Grosseto, Maremma Regional Park in the heart of Grosseto, right up to the heights of the Apuane Alps Regional Park that stretches between the provinces of Lucca and Massa Carrara.

Thanks to the varied and multi-coloured nature all contained within a single region, Tuscany has been a source of inspiration for painters, writers and poets, not to mention the destination of choice for some of the most famous figures of contemporary history. Napoleon Bonaparte spent ten months in exile on the Island of Elba following the defeat at Lipsia and evidence of his presence is still visible today. He had two villas built there, one overlooking the sea and the other at the threshold of the sumptuous little village, a must-see for any tourist for its examples of neoclassical style architecture.

Since very early history, this region has been the setting for all possible historical, artistic and cultural events. Just think that the Italian language was conceived in this very region, in Florence to be precise! Etruscans and Romans were the first two populations to inhabit this land that, after the fall of the Roman Empire, was occupied by the Osrogoths, the Byzantines and, finally, by the Lombards that made it a ‘ducato’ or duchy centred on Lucca.

During the medieval period, however, the prestige of Tuscany began to reach the ears of powerful figures throughout Europe. The period of the liberi comuni or ‘free municipalities’ began precisely at this time. The arts and crafts guilds were founded and Florence became the most important independent city - Signoria of the region.  The Italian Renaissance began in Florence and the greatest figures of art and literature passed through this elegant city, their indelible traces can still be seen today.

It is thanks to the Medici family that Florence expanded its artistic heritage so resolutely. Many of the current historical buildings such as Palazzo Medici Riccardi, were erected by the Florentine family. This was the family of the very famous Lorenzo de’Medici, scholar and patron and thanks to whom important commissions and countless literary works were created. Florence, head of Tuscany, is considered by many to be the most beautiful city in the world. This is by no means an exaggeration if one considers that UNESCO has declared the historical center a World Heritage Site, precisely because it zealously safeguards all of the gifts left spread around the ancient city streets by the most important artists, writers, philosophers, thinkers and scientists. The Galleria degli Uffizi and Palazzo Pitti are like two big jewellery boxes inside which are the most valuable jewels that artists of the calibre of Giotto, Michelangelo, Leonardo, Raphael, Botticelli and many others have left in the hands of Florence for safekeeping.

But these giant little treasures are not only found where one would expect to come across pieces of art but can also be discovered in the churches (Santa Croce, Santa Maria Novella), along the streets (Piazza della Signoria, Palazzo Strozzi, Palazzo Vecchio, Orsanmichele) and anyone taking a stroll, enthralled by the unique atmosphere of the city, can enjoy these unforgettable contributions. Florence is a city that brims and bubbles with emotion and must be experienced by any visitor to Italy.

Pisa, the city of the Leaning Tower, is also a very interesting place to visit. Here the Piazza del Duomo (Cathedral Square), more commonly known as “Campo dei Miracoli” (Field of Miracles), has also been granted UNESCO World Heritage Site status due to its architectural, as well as artistic, perfection.  In this square, the Cathedral, the first to be built, the Tower, the Baptistry and the Camposanto, share their assigned spaces in harmony, forming an artistic ensemble that is truly one of a kind.

All of Tuscany is well worth a visit, even the most far flung villages, because in each city and every town you can find an example of the genius of mankind and his ability to adapt to his surroundings. Siena, Lucca, Pistoia and Arezzo are some of the other cities to visit and enjoy the peculiarities and details that make each one unique.

Since the region has managed to keep its artistic-environmental aspect intact over the centuries, a series of civil and religious festivals take place during the year.

An always exciting event is the Palio di Siena, a display that originated during the Renaissance and involves the entire city. The various ‘rioni’, city districts, come up against each other in a breathtaking horse race.  The race takes place in the main square of Siena, Piazza del Campo, which is transformed for the occasion from a “city lounge” into a “competition ground” for horses and jockeys.

Demonstration of connections to the past that are still very present in today’s local tradition can basically be found all over Tuscany. The Renaissance and Medieval are two periods in history that have contributed greatly to rendering this region famous and keeping the memory of this heritage alive is the people’s way of expressing gratitude for the gifts left to them by their predecessors.  The Giostra del Saracino (Joust of the Saracen) at Arezzo, in the part of Tuscany that shares a border with Umbria, is yet another example of a festival celebration in the name of tradition. This tournament echoes back to the time of the knights and is preceded by a procession in Renaissance costume. The tournament is a challenge involving all of the city’s neighbourhoods, with the winner being the ‘knight’ who has struck the Baratto (effigy of the Saracen) with a lance from horseback the greatest number of times. The winner is awarded a prized golden lance and the emblem of the Giostra masterfully produced by local artists.  Here, Arezzo is one of the many cities where you can literally step back in time and discover all that is most beautiful and intriguing in the history of the region.

While, as you will be well aware, the history of a city, a region or a nation passes from its own historical roots, its culinary traditions certainly can not be disregarded.

And Tuscany, just like other Italian regions, safeguards an immense food and wine heritage that has since spread throughout the world. Thanks to its food, but more particularly the excellent wine, Tuscan territory has occupied first place as the preferred destination for food and wine connoisseurs for a number of years. The whole region is by now a single, extensive vineyard kissed by the sun that makes sure that the grape picked by the producers and worked with care and attention, is transformed into fine wine. Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino, Rosso di Montepulciano, Sassicaia, are only some of the renowned wines or “nettare degli dei” (nectar of the gods), that Tuscany produces and sells in Italy and abroad.

The good food goes hand in hand with the fine wines.

The lard of Collonata, a typical food of the Massa Carrara area, is one of the regional delicacies that many have tried to imitate and ultimately failed. The additional value that the food and wine products bestow on Tuscany is of extreme importance. Now there are long-time “fans”, and also newcomers, all over the world that set out to travel to Tuscany to explore the cellars where the wine is produced first hand and taste their offerings, or else have a front row seat to the olive picking and their subsequent working in the pressers, to attain the cherished resulting product: olive oil in all its captivating perfume and undeniable goodness.

Craftwork is another extremely important part of the Tuscan culture. Beginning in the north of the region, in the Massa Carrara zone, we find the highly skilled stone and alabaster craft workers, the scalpellini, who use all of their talent and mastery to extract and model whole blocks of white marble, creating objects of outstanding quality.  Moving further south, we find ceramic production, as important and thriving today as ever, in the zone of Impruneta in the south of Florence, right at the border with the land of Chianti. This zone is rich in clayey soil and it is thanks to this that ceramic art began and developed with marvellous results, to say the very least. Here the Marchese Carlo Ginori set up a ceramic shop in the middle of the 1700s that, in just a few years, reached peaks of quality and notoriety that even the founder himself could never have imagined, so much so that today the Ginori brand name is synonymous with unrivalled quality and prestige.

Meanwhile Florence is the home to numerous crafts. Paper working and goldsmith and leather workshops wind along the alleyways of the historical centre. On Ponte Vecchio the numerous precious stone and jewellery shops, all within a heartbeat of one another, leave one breathless.  While moving in the direction of Siena, we find craft workers specialised in the working of wrought iron, another sector of craftwork that requires a great deal of ability and technical skill. The finished products in wrought iron are samples of refinement and extreme elegance.

Regardless of where you choose to take your holidays, the entire days spent wandering Tuscany will be enlivened by a myriad of events that practically all of the large cities and the small villages have in store for their visitors.

Take Lucca for instance. The Lucca Summer Festival is one of the most celebrated festivals in Italy, featuring world class artists such as Lenny Kravitz and James Taylor performing in venues around the city centre, like the Piazza dell’Anfiteatro. And Blues and Jazz lovers will be spoilt for choice by the Pistoia Blues festival that the town of Pistoia has hosted for over thirty years with concerts in various locations, such as Teatro Bolognini, a historical town theatre, and the Piazza del Duomo. This year, just to drop some names, visitors will be treated to performances by Joss Stone and Joe Satriani. Opera lovers, meanwhile, can enjoy early performances during the Puccini Opera Festival. The most famous Puccini Operas are performed in a new amphitheatre with the lovely Torre del Lago (near Viareggio in the province of Lucca) in the background.

Now all that’s left to do after this light reading is to pack your bags and set off for Tuscany, the land of prized beauty and delicious flavours.

The third image from the top (Ponte Vecchio at night) is a courtesy of our loyal customer Kit Hammond. All rights reserved.