Tuscany

is a region of Central Italy, bordering  Emilia-Romagna  to the north,    Liguria to the north-west,  Tyrrhenian Sea to the west,  Umbria and Marche  to the east,  Lazio to the south-east.

and divided into ten provinces: Arezzo  Florence (Firenze)  Grosseto  Livorno  Lucca  Massa-Carrara  Pisa  Pistoia  Prato  Siena

The territory is two thirds hilly and one fourth mountainous. The remainder is constituted of the plains that form the valley of the Arno River.
 

Apennine and Villanovan cultures.
The pre-Etruscan history of the area in the late Bronze and Iron ages parallels that of the early Greeks.   The Tuscan area was inhabited by peoples of the so-called Apennine culture in the late second millennium BC (roughly 1350–1150 BC) who had trading relationships with the Minoan and Mycenaean civilisations in the Aegean Sea.   Following this the Villanovan culture (1100–700 BC) came about which saw Tuscany, and the rest of Etruria, taken over by chiefdoms (as was also the case at this time in France and the Aegean after the collapse of Mycenae and Troy).    City-states developed in the late Villanovan (again paralleling Greece and the Aegean) before "Orientalization" occurred and the Etruscan civilisation rose.

Etruscans civilization
The Etruscans were the first major civilization in this region of Italy; large enough to lay down a transport infrastructure, implement agriculture and mining, and produce vivid art. The people who formed the civilisation lived in the area (called Etruria) well into prehistory. The civilisation grew to fill the area between the rivers Arno and Tiber from the 8^th century BC, reaching their peak during the 7^th and 6^th centuries BC, and finally ceded all power and territory to the Romans by the 1^st century BC.  Throughout their existence, they lost territory to the surrounding civilisations of Magna Graecia, Carthage and Gaul.   Despite being described as distinct in its manners and customs by contemporary Greeks, the cultures of Greece, and later Rome, influenced the civilisation to a great extent.   One of the reasons for its eventual demise was this increasing lack of cultural distinction, including the adoption of the Etruscan upper class by the Romans.

Roman
Soon after absorbing Etruria, Rome established the cities of Lucca, Pisa, Siena, and Florence, endowed the area with new technologies and development, and ensured peace.   These developments included extensions of existing roads, introduction of aqueducts and sewers, and the construction of many buildings, both public and private.  The Roman civilization in the West finally collapsed in the fifth century AD and the region was left by the Goths, and others.   In the sixth century, the Longobards arrived and designated Lucca the capital of their Duchy of Tuscia.

The medieval period With pilgrims travelling along the Via Francigena between Rome and France came wealth and development during the mediæval period.   The food and shelter needed by these travellers fuelled the growth of new communities around churches and taverns.  The conflict between the Guelphs and Ghibellines, factions supporting, respectively, the Papacy and the Holy Roman Empire in central and northern Italy during the 12th and 13th centuries, split the Tuscan people. These two factors gave rise to several powerful and rich communes in Tuscany: Arezzo, Florence, Lucca, Pisa, and Siena.  The balance between these communes were ensured by the assets they held; Pisa - a port; Siena - banking; and Lucca - banking and silk.   By the renaissance, however, Florence succeeded in becoming the cultural capital of Tuscany and ensured a bright, and peaceful, future for the region.		Siena's medieval architecture  on panforte packaging
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The Renaissance
Tuscany is considered the birthplace of the Renaissance movement, and its artistic heritage includes architecture, painting and sculpture, collected in dozens of museums in towns and cities across the region.  Perhaps the best-known are the Uffizi, the Accademia and the Bargello in Florence.   Tuscany was the birthplace of Dante Alighieri ("the father of the Italian language"), Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and Botticelli.

Letter-head		Michelangelo

Modern Era
In the 1400s, the rulers of Florence, the Medicis, annexed surrounding lands to create modern-day Tuscany.  The War of Polish Succession in the 1730s, however, ended in the transfer of Tuscany from the Medicis to Francis, the Hapsburg Duke of Lorraine,(below) who would become Holy Roman Emperor.   With the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire by Napoleon, Tuscany was inherited by the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, namely, the Austrian Empire.   With the Italian Wars of Independence in the 1850s, Tuscany was transferred from Austria to the newly unified nation of Italy.

• Habsburg or Hapsburg, the name of the famous family from which have sprung dukes (1282-1453) and archdukes (1453-1804) of Austria, kings of Hungary and Bohemia from 1526, and emperors of Austria (1804-1918).  They were also Holy Roman Emperors for several centuries to 1806, German kings (1438-1806), and kings of Spain (1516-1700), while the minor dignities held by them at different times are too numerous to mention. 
  

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Florence   

Florence (Italian: Firenze) is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany, Italy, and of the province of Florence.

From 1865 to 1870 the city was also the capital of the Kingdom of Italy.  Florence lies on the Arno River and a centre of medieval European trade and finance, the city is often considered the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance and was long ruled by the Medici family.   Florence is also famous for its magnificent art and architecture.  The city has been called the Athens of the Middle Ages.

The "Historic Centre of Florence" was declared a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO in 1982.

Description - full day

Starting from Santa Maria del Fiore, Filippo Brunelleschi’s best work finished between 1420 and 1434, the primitive project belonged to Arnolfo di Cambio who started the construction in 1296.

We proceed with Piazza della Signoria. It is to the medieval town planners that we owe the historic city centre of this city.   Palazzo della Signoria, named also Palazzo Vecchio is located on a corner of the homonymous square.    Initially it was the seat of Priors of arts (heads of guilds) then it became temporarily under Cosimo I of Medici, the place of Medici governement.   

Then we continue to Ponte Vecchio which represents one of the most famous bridges in the world and the most ancient in Florence.    We have a proof of its existence since the 10^th century, but a flood of the Arno in 1333 destroyed the primitive structure.

From here we continue to Palazzo Pitti, planned by Filippo Brunelleschi.  It is the largest and the most important palaces in Florence.

Then Uffizi Museum designed by Vasari for Cosimo I in 1560 which represents a typically 16^th century scenographic conception.

We will move to Academy Gallery palace founded by the Grand Duke Peter Leopold well known museum because it hosts famous sculptures like the “David” of Michelangelo. This palace was restored and organise in the last century.

Lunch in a traditional Florentine “trattoria”

In the afternoon we will stop in Piazzale Michelangelo where you can enjoy the most beautiful panorama of the city.   Finishing the tour about 5:30pm.

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Cuisine - Florentine food grows out of a tradition of peasant eating rather than rarefied high cooking.  The cooking is tasty together with simple ingredients and never elaborated, however the simplicity is more obvious than reality, in every plate the ingredients are perfectly proportioned and amalgamated with the maxium care. 

The vast majority of dishes are based on meat.  The whole animal was traditionally eaten; various kinds of tripe, (trippa) and (lampredotto) were once regularly on the menu and are still sold at the remaining food carts stationed throughout the city.

The classical french cooking, that everyone admires, for most part has its origin from Florence.   During the Renaissance period, Catherina dei Medici took along her personal cook to France introducing the Florentine cuscine to the french court.

Back in the mid and late 70's when tourist picked up in Florence, the restaurant owners complained about their orders being so little, but to overcome that little matter they introduced a set menu so both sides can be happy and satisfied.   

Either at home or at a restaurant antipasti are served for guests so when ordering you have the Antipasti - il primo - il secondo - then main course with a side dish -  dessert and coffee   (some places offer a digestive, very good to knock down all the food one has just eaten!)

Usually at a restaurant you order Antipasti which include crostini toscani; sliced bread rounds with variety of toppings, mushrooms, tomatoes, etc., the most favourite being topped with chicken liver-based pâté, and then we have affettati; assortment of sliced meats, mainly prosciutto and salami, but ask for finocchiona slices this is less known amonge the turists but it is Florentine through and through!

The typically saltless and butter-less Tuscan bread, pane casalingo, frequently features in Florentine cooking especially its famous soups, ribollita and pappa al pomodoro, both usually served with local olive oil, served in winter and panzanella that is served in summer, is made up of firm bread with freshly cut up tomatoes, cumcumbers, onions and basil and dressed with olive oil.    These dishes can be part of the antipasti or as il Secondo.

Then come the next dish - Il Primo which is the pasta of all sorts including rice and soups.

Rabbit		Florentine beef steak, pork and sausages
Spiedini  - pork, sausage and pig liver wrapped up with the organ lining -a favourite during festival time

The main course consist of a small variety of stews and a large amount of roast and grills (pork, quails, pigeons, boar, rabbit or hare etc) the most famous is the bistecca alla fiorentina, a huge steak of Chianina beef, at least 5cm high, cooked over hot charcoal and served very rare with its more recently derived version, the tagliata, sliced raw beef served on a bed of rucola, often with slices of Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.

As for dessert there is also a wide variety, the latest and known world wide is the Tiramisu but only a few, knows that it had its origin here in Florence.

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San Gimignano - full day

It’s possible to visit San Gimignano in one day enjoying it and without rushing.  You can go there early in the morning and come back to Florence (or Siena) late in the afternoon.

San Gimignano & Siena:-  full day

Description:- Pick you up at your hotel and you will be drivent hrough the wonderful country side of Tuscany  to the medival borgo of San Gimignano where you can enjoy the atmosphere  by strolling through the narrow streets that takes you back in time. 

After a light lunch we continue our way to Siena, strolling through historical palaces, castles, visiting Campo di Siena and the duomo.

What to see:

 San Gimignano has managed to conserve fourteen towers of varying height which have become its international symbol.   There are many churches in the town: the two main ones are the Collegiata, formerly a cathedral, and Sant'Agostino, housing a wide representation of artworks from some of the main Italian renaissance artists.

The Communal Palace, once seat of the podestà, is currently home of the Town Gallery, with works by Pinturicchio, Benozzo Gozzoli, Filippino Lippi, Domenico di Michelino, Pier Francesco Fiorentino, and others.  From Dante's Hall in the palace, access may be made to a Majesty fresco by Lippo Memmi, as well as the Torre del Podestà or Torre Grossa, 1311, which stands fifty-four meters high.

The heart of the town contains the four squares, Piazza della Cisterna, Piazza Duomo where the Collegiata is located, Piazza Pecori, and Piazza delle Erbe. The main streets are Via San Matteo and Via San Giovanni, which cross the city from north to south.
 

Culture:
San Gimignano is the birthplace of the poet Folgore da San Gimignano (1270-1332).

A fictionalised version of San Gimignano is featured in E.M. Forster's 1905 novel, Where Angels Fear to Tread as Monteriano.

It is thought that the towers are the inspiration for the design of the campus of the University of Essex and of the residential colleges of Ezra Stiles and Morse at Yale University.

M. C. Escher's 1923 woodcut, San Gimignano, depicts the celebrated towers.

Tea with Mussolini, a 1999 drama about the plight of English and American expatriate women in Italy during World War II, was filmed in part at San Gimignano.

In the fictional novel The Broker by John Grisham, Joel Backman takes his second of three wives on vacation in Italy to keep her from divorcing him.  They rented a fourteenth-century monastery near San Gimignano for a month.

 

Siena:- half day / full day

Museums, Churches, Abbey and Castles can be visited, where you find artistic works of the most famous artists of Siena, like for example Duccio di Boninsegna are guarded, Jacopo of the Oak, Nicholas Pisano, Lorenzetti, Sodoma and many others.

Siena and the flags of Contrade

• Siena is a very interesting historic town, it is famous for the "Palio",  July 2 (Palio di Provenzano) and August 16 (Palio dell’Assunta), two annual Palio held in the Tuscan city.  This August 16^th’s edition of the most famous historical horse race is dedicated to the Virgin Mary.   It is a perfect mix of sacred and profane.

As usual Piazza del Campo, large shell-shaped square dominated by a 300 feet tower, is set to host this 90-second race, where jockeys dressed in medieval costume representing the districts of the city (contrade), ride bareback on horses, by competing for the Palio.
As usual, there is the magical atmosphere infusing the city during the Palio days with the big rivalry among the contrade.

The Siena's Cathedral has it's beginings around 1200 a.d. We know that the transport of the black and white marble blocks was being recorded by 1225.    The color scheme of black and white may derive from some ancient tradition or from the simple availability of the stone. Black and white are also the colors of the Dominican order of preachers that predominated in the religious life of Siena.

In 1339 the cathedral underwent a massive renovation and enlargement, extending a new nave from the old one, which in turn would have become the transept.  The great Black Plague that spread over all of Italy in 1348 reduced the city to a standstill, both artistically and financially, returning several times during the rest of the century.

So the plans to make the church one of the biggest in Europe had to be put aside and when work resumed in 1376 the original nave was kept and embellished by new architects. Year by year new additions were raised, and the present gothic facade was created by Nicola and Giovanni Pisano.   One can still see the remains of the huge unfinished nave, reaching out to the right of the present church.
 

The splendid ceiling of the  Piccolomini Library		The baptistry beneath the Duomo

The interior is one of the most lavish in Italy.  The floor inlays are the most amazing marble work to be seen, covering the entire floor of the cathedral.  The extraordinay marble pulpit was sculpted by the Pisanos with the help of the young Arnolfo di Cambio.   Not to be missed is the Piccolomini Library, inside the church itself with its collection of hand crafted and decorated choir books lining the lower walls which were skillfully frescoed by Pinturicchio.

Unrestored, and keeping their original bright colours, these amazing series of paintings, based on the life of Pope Pius II Piccolomini, might be called the Sistine chapel of Siena.

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Pisa:- full day  

Is much more than the famous Piazza dei Miracoli with its tower and the Cathedral with its Baptistery.   Pisa is as well pure artistic expression with the famous Museum of Sinopies.

Pisa is historical witness with its Etruscan origins and its ancient Roman villages, such as Vicopisano.    Pisa is everything you may like to see in a city which, apart from tourism offers as well good cookery and maritime traditions.

Our walking tour starts with a visit to the world famous Field of Miracles with its unrivalled quartet of medieval masterpieces: Leaning Tower, Baptistery, Cathedral and the Campo Santo cemetery.    Passing medieval Tower houses we head for Piazza dei Cavalieri, the central civic square of medieval Pisa with Italy's academic showpiece, the Scuola Normale Superiore.   Following: a stroll through Piazza delle Vettovaglie, the nearby daily market past the State University where Pisa's most famous native, Galileo Galilei, taught.
 

• Museo dell'Opera del Duomo:-  Inaugurated in 1986, the museum displays a vast array of works of art from the buildings of the Field of Miracles.

During our guided tour we get in touch with splendid examples of Islamic art as the bronze griffon from the Cathedral and with eminent works of the major artists of Pisan sculpture, ranging from Nicola and Giovanni Pisano to Tino di Camaino and Nino Pisano.  The visit of the museum is complemented by a presentation of etchings representing the Campo Santo frescoes as they could be admired before the fatal fire during WW II.   This program is an ideal completion of a guided tour of the Field of Miracles.

•Museo National di San Matteo:- The museum is one of Italy's main museums of Italian medieval art.  It boasts an exceptional collection of Tuscan paintings by Giunta Pisano, Simone Martini, Masaccio, Beato Angelico, Benozzo Gozzoli, and Ghirlandaio as well as an amazing collection of Islamic ceramics (10th-13th century) comprising over six hundred items.    Presenting the major works in their historic, social and religious context, this guided tour is designed for a broad public.

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San Miniato:- half day 

Strategically located to control important medieval crossways, the town became the seat of the Imperial Vicars.   Among the important guests: Federico Barbaresca and Federico II.

On a leisurely walk we visit the San Domenico church with interesting frescos and works of Francesco Curradi, a painter devoted to the Domenican order.  Then we visit the Piazza della Repubblica with its Palazzo del Vescovo embellished by Francesco Chimenti.   

From there we reach the Duomo and finally the Torre di Federico II from where we enjoy an amazing view.   The tour concludes with a visit to the Sanctuary of the Santissimo Crocifisso which houses a wooden crucifix much adored since the fourteenth century.

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Volterra:- half day / full day

The town of the legendary Etruscans and the snow-white alabaster.

We start our guided tour on top of the medieval town wall with a view of the untouched Tuscan landscape.   On bright days, you can even see Corsica from there.   In a 5-minute walk, we reach the Arco Etrusco, Etruscan arch, the 2300-year-old Etruscan gateway, that dates back to the V century BC, and was part of the Etruscan walls.   It has survived until our day because it was included in the medieval walls built around the XIII century.

Through small streets and peaceful little squares, we reach the Roman theatre and the adjacent thermal baths. 

The culmination of our tour is the medieval Piazza dei Priori, heart of the town, it represents one of the most harmonious and scenic medieval squares of Tuscany,
flanked by the, Palazzo dei Prior, town hall, and the Duomo . 

Palazzo dei Prior built in the 13th C, it is one of the most ancient "Palazzo Comunale" of Tuscany, enriched by elegant two-light windows, numerous coats of arms and maiolicas belonging to Florentine families.  Palazzo dei Priori is surmounted by a nice tower with turrets. This palace made up of several buidings and modified in the 19th century was origianally the seat of the podestà and the captain of the people. The tower considered to be one of the first towers built in Volterra is traditionally known as the Tower of the Little Pig for at the top of the tower there is a stone animal poised on a shelf.

In the Duomo -  Romanesque building,12th C, characterised by a nice portal, big rose window and is richly decorated, 3 nave interior, several works of art: the  "Deposizione", The Deposition, a notable ligneous sculpture, a marmoreous ciborium by Mino da Fiesole dating back to 1471 and "Annunciazione" by Bartolomeo della Porta.  Inside a chapel "Natività" and "Adorazione" , 2 painted terracottas attributed to Andrea della Robbia. On the left is the fresco "Cavalcata dei Magi" by Benozzo Gozzoli, 1479.  It preserves also other works by Taddeo di Bartolo, Antonio Vanni, Neri di Bicci, Domenico Ghirlandaio, Luca Signorelli.

Our tour concludes with a visit of the Baptistery, octagonal building dating back to 1283, with a very nice Romanesque portal, situated in front of the Duomo..   Inside are the baptismal font by Sansovino and the decorated altar by Mino di Pietro.
           

A visit to Volterra can be combine with a tour to San Gimignano

Volterra is also a city of museums.     Other than the Etruscan Museum there is the Civic Art Gallery with a fine collection of works from the Sienese and Florentine Schools, among which is the Deposition from the Cross by Rosso Fiorentino. The Museum of Sacred Art has an important collection of reliquary, 14th century Sienese sculpture and miniatures.

The alabaster craft whose history is inseparable from that of the history of the city, represents an other point of great interest.   Browsing around the numerous exhibitions and workshops of the city, visitors will be charmed by the magic atmosphere.

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Vinci: half day

Museum Leonardo da Vinci
The museum houses the most complete collection of models of Leonardo da Vinci's inventions.   Each model has been built according to Leonardo's codices and with materials available in 15th century Italy.   Our guided tour in the museum encompasses a detailed presentation of the various models as well as informations about Leonardo's fascinating life and his revolutionary scientific approach.

The guided tour might be completed by a visit of Leonardo da Vinci's birth place at Anchiano, Vinci.

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Lucca: half day / full day

Lucca has made a virtue of the necessity to stay in the political shadow of his three mighty competitors Pisa, Florence and Siena.   Instead of striving for unlikely military success, the small town has always looked at economic success.   Even today, it boasts a general wellbeing hardly matched by any other Tuscan town.

We start our guided tour where the residents of Lucca spend their free time: on the city wall topped by a line of shady trees.  Our first stop is San Frediano church with its magnificent thirteenth-century mosaic representing Christ in Majesty and an amazing facade.   

Next, we visit nearby Piazza del Anfiteatro, the most beautiful square of Lucca.  Passing by the elegant shops of Via Fillungo and through small, typically medieval streets we reach the Duomo which houses the famous Volto Santo and a splendid marble sarcophagi, a masterpiece of Jacopo della Quercia.   Passing Piazza Napoleone with its distinctive French outlook, we finally arrive at piazza San Michele, the central civic square of Lucca since Roman times.

• Musical Tour:- full day  a tour including the Puccini-Villa at Torre del Lago.

 A tour of the native town of famous composer Giacomo Puccini and other well-known musicians.   Long before Puccini, important personalities of Italian music had lived in Lucca. 

The most eminent builder of organs in the Renaissance, Domenico di Lorenzo, worked here in the romanic churches of the town.    Niccolò Paganini beguiled with his violin virtuosity the people of Lucca.    Lucca is also native town of Luigi Boccherini and of Alfredo Catalani, one of Puccini's contemporary.   Discover with us the musical part of this charming Tuscan town!

We recommend complementing this musical walking tour by a visit of Puccini's native home or by a tour of his beautiful Villa in Torre del Lago, where Puccini composed Manon Lescaut, La Boehème, Tosca, Madame Butterfly and other important operas.   Every year in July and August, Torre del Lago houses a Puccini festival during which the master's famous works are presented at an open air theater.     

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The Maremma

The area known as the Maremma begins south of Livorno and form a coastal plain running to the very southern end of Tuscany.   Famous for cowboys (the butteri), Etruscans, naturally heated springs, this is a different and relatively undiscovered Tuscany, with several large nature reserves, well-kept hill towns and countless Roman and Etruscan ruins.

You will stop by:  Talamone: This is a small town, dominated by the massive Sienese fortress (seat of the Museum of the Natural Park of Maremma) and surrounded by walls, stands on the promontory in front of the sea.

Porto San Stefano: The town is built on a terraced ground and is dominated by an impressive fortress, and Porto Ercole: Hercules is believed to be the founder of this beautiful resort over Tyrrhenian Sea, dominated by a fortress and by the pure shapes of Forte Stella.

Orbetello: It is located in the middle of the lagoon, between the Tombolo di Giannella and the Tombolo di Feniglia.   Its most noteworthy monuments are the Ximenes Fortress and the gothic Cathedral that was built on the ruins of the heathen temple.