Tuscany Tips
Tips on some interesting places to go in TuscanyMajor Towns, Chianti Region, Hill Towns, Attractions
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These are tips about places to go in Tuscany whcih I have found from various sources.
More information will be added as I find it.
These recommendations are from third parties. I do not have any personal information about these places. Take the recommendations but make allowance for the fact that tastes vary and you may find a different experience than what you read here.
This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.
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When you go to Tuscany, good places to use as a base would be Florence, Siena or an agriturismo in the Chianti region.
Florence deserves a visit of a week or more to appreciate everything there is to see there.
But you can make day trips to other parts of Tuscany or stay a few days in Florence and then move to another part of Tuscany.
There are many places outside of Tuscany that deserve a visit as well, such as Assisi in Umbria for example.
Major Towns
Here are some of the major cities and towns in Tuscany
Florence (Firenze)
About Florence
Florence is the capital of Tuscany and has much to offer in areas of art, architecture, history dining, etc.
Being the birthplace of the renaissance, you can walk in the footsteps of such people as Michelangelo, Da Vinci, Brunelleschi, Donatello, Cellini and many more.
You can get some idea of what is here by going to Italy by Bus, Day 12 or Tuscany by Car, Wednesday and continue through Friday.
Siena
About Siena
One of the most beautiful cities in Tuscany, Siena consists of 17 city states, or contrada, with names like Snail, Dragon, etc.
You can tell what contrada you are currently in by looking for the plaques on every street corner.
You can get some idea of what is here by going to Italy by Bus, Day 13 when we spent a few hours there.
Volterra
Volterra, Toscana
There is much to see here, including the Etruscan Gate, the Roman Theater, the Casa Torre Toscano (Tuscan House Tower,) the Palazzo dei Priori - the oldest town hall in Tuscany, the ancient town walls, alabaster workshops, Fortezza Medicea - one of the mightiest Renaissance strongholds in Italy and much more.
You can get some idea of what is here by going to Tuscany by Car, Tuesday, Exploring Volterra.
Pisa
Pisa
The main draw of Pisa is the leaning tower and the cathedral and baptistry next to it.
Also in the square are the Camposanto, the Opera del Duomo museum and the Museum of the Sinopie.
The nearby Piazza dei Cavalieri was once the heart of power in the city and today is a center of culture and learning.
The Scuola Normale di Pisa is based in the Palazzo della Carovana that faces onto the piazza.
You can get some idea of what is near the leaning tower by going to Italy by Bus, Day 11 when we spent a few hours in the Campo de Miracoli (Field of Miracles.)
The Palazzo della Signoria (Palzazzo Vecchio or Old Palace) in the Piazza della Signoria in Florence
Chianti Region
The rebuilt church of Santa Croce in the Piazza Matteotti Giacomo in Greve in Chianti
Here are some of the towns in the Chianti region of Tuscany
Greve in Chianti
Greve in Chianti, Tuscany
Greve in Chianti is the seat of the Comune di Greve in Chianti in the Chianti Classico region of Tuscany.
Be sure to visit the Antica Macelleria Falorni, a butcher shop in the Piazza Matteotti Giacomo, and Le Cantine di Greve in Chianti where you can taste about 100 different wines.
Nearby is the Castello di Verrazzano where you can do a very nice wine tasting and tour.
You can get some idea of what is here by going to Tuscany by Car, Wednesday, Exploring Greve in Chianti.
Panzano in Chianti
Panzano in Chianti, Tuscany
Panzano in Chianti is a beautiful town on a hilltop in the Chianti Classico region of Tuscany.
Be sure to visit the butcher shop Antica Macelleria Cecchini in Panzano in Chianti
Hill Towns
Here are some of the interesting old hill towns in Tuscany
Civita di Bagnorégio
From Rick Steves: Civita di Bagnorégio: An Italian Hilltown
From Karen Brown: Civita di Bagnorégio
This is actually two towns, Civita and Bagnoregio, connected by a footbridge that replaces the saddle of land that has eroded away.
Don't expect tourist's signs showing the way to attractions in Civita — it is just an old Italian hill town. And since most of the young people have moved away for greener pastures, it is filled with old Italian people.
Sit in the main piazza and drink in the experience; stroll the ancient streets; explore the church which was originally an Etruscan temple, then a Roman temple and is now a church; visit the wine cellar around the corner from the church; stop at Antico Frantoio Bruschetteria for a bite to eat and examine the old olive presses.
There are ancient Etruscan caves and cisterns; the Chapel of the Incarcerated (Cappella del Carcere) cut deep into the rock; and an Etruscan tunnel leading down to the river, where townsfolk huddled during bombing rains in WWII.
Other places to eat are Trattoria Antico Forno ("The Antique Oven") which also rents rooms, and Osteria Al Forno di Agnese.
Cortona
Cortona Online
The book Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes has made this town famous.
But Cortona has a lot going for it on its own.
You can take the train to the Terontola train station and take a bus for the 5 mile trip to Piazza Garibaldi, and from here it is just a short walk to Cortona's attractions.
You can find works of art by by Signorelli and Fra Angelico at the Museo Diocesano, and Egyptian mummies, Etruscan artifacts and other art at the Museo dell'Accademia Etrusca.
And there are plenty of cafes where you can get a fine meal.
If you want to stay the night, check out the Ostello San Marco Hostel which was a 13th century palace.
Via Maffei, 57, 52044 Cortona 52044 AREZZO (Italy)
Telephone: +39 575.601765
Orvieto
Orvieto Online
At the train station, there is a large free parking lot.
If you arrive by train or car, you can take the funiculare from there up to the town.
When you get to the top, you can take a free bus to Cathedral Square.
Be sure to check out St. Patrick's Well.
San Gimignano
Things to Do in San Gimignano, Tuscany
Many of the towers and buildings here were reconstructed in the early 1900s, but it still has a great feeling of a medieval town.
Sansepolcro
Sansepolcro, Italy - history, art and architecture
From the website:
Sansepolcro is a pleasant and interesting town located on the plains of the Upper Tiber Valley, in the southeast of Tuscany, Italy, bordering Umbria and The Marches.
It is worth visiting for its ambiance, for its art works, to a lesser extent for its architecture, and if possible for the Palio della Balestra (crossbow tournament) held every year on the second Sunday of September when large numbers of citizens dress in mediaeval costume and the evocative Piazza Torre di Berta becomes the site for the historical competition of the "Palio of the Ballestra", during which the crossbow-men of Sansepolcro challenge those from Gubbio in neighbouring "Bella Umbria".
The English writer Aldous Huxley described the Resurrection by Piero della Francesca, which is in the Museo Civico, as "the greatest painting in the world".
If you want to stay the night, check out the B&B Sara in an Historical Renaissance Palace.
Via Luca Pacioli, 72, 52037 Sansepolcro, Italy
Telephone: +39 575 161 0292
Attractions
Here are some ideas of things to see and do in the area.
Festivals
Festivals of Tuscany
This website give information about festivals in Tuscany, by month.
Abbazia di Monte Oliveto Maggiore
Abbazia di Monte Oliveto Maggiore
Benedictine Monastery
Mirabilandia Amusement Park
Mirabilandia
Amazing looking amusement park in the capital city of the Province of Ravenna in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy.
San Marino
The Republic of San Marino
A totally separate country entirely within Italy — the third smallest state in Europe, about 24 square miles.
During the Italian unification process, San Marino was a refuge for people supporting the unification. Because of this, Garibaldi accepted the wish of San Marino not to be incorporated into the new Italian state.
Tenuta Le Velette — Azienda Agricola
Tenuta Le Velette
Vino Orvieto Classico
