The Most Beautiful Places to Visit during a Holiday in Tuscany
Tuscany is commonly considered the gem of Italy. Situated on the west coastline of Italy, by the Tyrrhenian Sea, is the most popular and beautiful holiday destination for those who decide to travel in Italy and discover the Italian beauty.
Tuscany is well known all over the world for its unique countryside landscapes, the Tuscany Hills with their unique cypresses. In Tuscany, you can also taste the real Italian foods and discover one of the most famous wine worldwide: the Chianti.
Tuscany is also rich in Art and History, and in every Tuscan town, you can discover masterpieces of architecture. The provinces of Siena and Lucca are full of medieval villages, where you can also find many fortress and castles. Firenze and Pisa are rich in Renaissance history and monuments, with the most beautiful churches of Italy: the Duomo of Florence and the Duomo of Pisa, famous for its leaning tower.
There is so much for tourists to see and do in Tuscany, however not enough time to do them all. In order to take the best from your holiday in Italy, we will list the 7 Best Things to Visit, and to Do, during your vacation in Tuscany.
1) Visit Pisa and Discover the town (and its Leaning Tower)
The leaning tower of Pisa is probably the most famous (and the most photographed) Italian monument, after the Colosseum of Rome. But Pisa is more than its leaning tower. Pisa is an international town, well organized to welcome tourists from all over the world. Pisa is well connected with the other Tuscan cities, with local transportation means and private transfer, and with the rest of the world, thanks to its International Airport, so this town is probably the best option if you are looking for a town to accommodate in for your holiday.
The Historic center of Pisa is also rich in monuments and history, that you can easily discover with a walking guided tour in Pisa that ends up with the visit to Piazza dei Miracoli (Miracle Square) where you can admire the Duomo of Pisa, with its leaning tower and the impressive St. John Baptistery.
2) Wine Tasting in Chianti Region
The most trendy place to have an exclusive wine tasting experience is surely the Chianti area, which is very famous for its world-celebrated red wines.
A wine tour in Chianti area will let you discover beautiful villages surrounded by vineyard and olive trees. In these villages, you can taste Tuscan e Super Tuscan Wines directly in local cellars. here you can find real Italian wines that you can’t find elsewhere because local productions are limited in quantities and you can taste them only going there.
In the summer, wine tasting is arranged directly in the vineyards, under the Tuscan sun.
3) Visit Lucca: a jump back in Tuscan History
Lucca is another well-liked place to visit in Tuscany. Here you can see medieval buildings and many churches that are simply incredible. The Roman amphitheater sited in Lucca is approximately 1900 years old and obviously deserve a visit. The city center is entirely encircled by a brick wall that was erected in the 16th century, and you can have a walk along the top of the wall, which is about 4km. Lucca is believed to have some of the best meals in the Tuscany, like the Tortelli Lucchesi. The Tortelli Lucchesi is a handmade pasta that is filled with seasoned meat and a heavily meat-loaded ragù that is exceedingly rich in flavor.
4) Discover Siena, the town of the Palio
Siena is one of the most popular and visited cities in Tuscany, a place extremely rich in medieval history and art. It is famous for its Palio di Siena that takes place twice each summer in the famous Piazza del Campo. The historic center of Siena, also listed as world heritage site by the UNESCO, is built around this square, which was conceived as a work of art in perfect harmony with the surrounding hillside.
Siena is also famous for its characteristic narrow avenues and alleys, flanked by brick buildings.If you are healthy and fit enough, then it is a good idea to go up to the apex of Siena’s tall bell tower and have some extraordinary sights of the town and the Piazza Del Campo below. The Siena people are very welcoming and in this town you can breathe the real Italian atmosphere.
During a tour in Siena, you can’t miss the opportunity to visit a near small town: San Gimignano, also known as the “Manhattan of the Renaissance” for its 13 medieval towers.
5) Discovering Montalcino, the Hometown of Brunello Wine
The medieval town of Montalcino has become famous all over the world for its notorious wine, the “Brunello di Montalcino”.
Montalcino is built on a hilltop, and atop the town, there is a medieval fortress that has pentagonal layout walls designed by the Sienese architects Mono Foresi and Domenico di Feo.
Walking through the cobblestones narrow streets of its town center, you can see a lot of “enoteca” (wine repository) and local cellars, stating that this is the hometown of Tuscan Wines.
Obviously, you can’t visit Montalcino without a wine tasting experience, that must also include degustation of local foods like cheeses and salumi. An expert local guide can grant you to visit only the best wineries in the town.
6) Discover Volterra, one of the most Interesting Towns in Tuscany
Volterra is a vibrant town located in the region of Pisa, not far from Siena, Florence and the seaside as well. Volterra is well recognized for its Etruscan origins and also the many ruins belonging to that period like the wonderful Roman Theatre. On the top of the town, you can admire the Medicean Fortress, a real masterpiece of medieval architecture. The mysterious atmosphere of Volterra has inspired the writer Stephanie Meyerthe in her famous novel “New Moon”, which was made into the movie of the famous saga “Twilight”.
Volterra is also famous for its Alabaster production, in fact during the road to the town you can admire those clay hills where there are a lot of alabaster quarries. Alabaster is mostly used by local craftsmen to make beautiful handmade artifacts. wine tours from portland oregon
