What can be better for an artist by heart than Holidays in Tuscany?
Being a highly valued region of art, the lush green landscapes and uniquely Tuscan style buildings inspire tons of serene paintings for centuries.
Florence, the region’s capital city, played a major role in the Middle Ages and Renaissance as a notable location of Italy’s cultural heritage.
Until now, it’s a haven for artists and scientists who longed to trace the footsteps of famous Italians such as Leonardo da Vinci and Galileo Galilei.
You could spend Holidays in Tuscany at the beach
Sunset at the beach in Viareggio
The western part of Tuscany is connected to the Ligurian and Tyrrhenian Sea making its coastal towns rich in ocean sights. Viareggio, a city in the province of Lucca is popular for its sandy beaches.
It could be a great start for a planned Holidays in Tuscany. Sixty percent of which are managed by private resorts, leaving the rest as public. The city can be reached by car and by train from the regional capital.
Or you could visit some of the charming Tuscan Hilltowns
Montepulciano, a town in the province of Siena, sits on limestone hills. You need to do the sight seeing by foot or bicycle, as the city center is closed to cars. However, there is a large parking lot right outside the city walls, and we had no problem finding a place to leave the car when we visited. The city is known for its wine, Vino Nobile, which is one of Italy’s finest. One of its main buildings is the Palazzo Tarugi. It is entirely built of a form of limestone known as travertine. The city was also used as the City of Volterra in the second installment of the Twilight Saga: New Moon.
Montalcino is another interesting town, known for the production of the famous Brunello whine. It has a majestic fortress built on the hill’s highest point and provides a charming view of the villages, vineyards, olive orchards, and fields.
Pienza – A beautiful Renaissance Town
Pienza
Sandwiched between the two wine producing towns is Pienza. One of the most prominent towns that exhibit the Renaissance spirit, it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996. In 2004, the vast green valley of Val d’Orcia— in which Pienza stands—was included as a UNESCO World Cultural Landscape for its picturesque Renaissance beauty.
Another World Heritage Site is the city of Siena, capital of the province of Siena. It was one of the most internationally visited tourist attractions in Italy in 2008. The Piazza del Campo, a shell-shaped public space, is where the popular Palio di Siena horse race is held twice-a-year. Siena is one of those “must sees” during holidays in Tuscany. The clock tower on Piazza del Campo is open to visitors, even if it can be a real challenge to climb all the steps to the top, the fantastiv view is definitely worth it!
Convenient transportations to Siena is available in form of busses, taxis, cars, and train lines running to Pisa and Florence.
San Gimignano, another town in the region that not should be missed during holidays in Tuscany, is a hill town enclosed in walls. It boasts tall medieval towers which can be seen from the nearby places. The Vernaccia di San Gimignano is the white wine specialty of the town.
Porto Venere, which is found in the nearby Italian region of Liguria, is another UNESCO chosen World Heritage Site. The Gothic church of St. Peter and the Romanesque church of St. Lawrence are two of its main attractions.
[...] so helpful and a made the cycling trips a real pleasure. I highly recommend them if you want to see Tuscany by bicycle. We visited Montepulciano, Montalcino, the Monastery of Olivieto de Maggiore and several [...]