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Best attractions in Tuscany
The Leaning Tower of Pisa, with its distinctive tilt, is one of the world's most famous landmarks. Construction began in 1173, but by the time the third floor was added in 1185, the tower had already started to lean due to the soft, sandy ground. Originally intended as a freestanding bell tower for the Cathedral of Pisa, its completion was delayed by construction pauses and adjustments, finally finishing in 1372. Today, the tower tilts at about four degrees and draws millions of visitors each year who brave its 294 steps.
This world class art gallery houses the largest collection of Italian Renaissance art in the world and is a premier destination for art enthusiasts and historians alike. Located in the magnificent Palazzo degli Uffizi in over 100 rooms, masterpieces by Botticelli, Michelangelo, and Leonardo da Vinci astonish millions of visitors every year. The Medici family's legacy is omnipresent, their collection a gift to Florence ensuring the city's eternal connection to the Renaissance.
Val d'Orcia, a picturesque region in southern Tuscany extends from the hills south of Siena to the slopes of Monte Amiata. Recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site for its refined beauty, the valley is famous for its iconic cypress-lined vistas and clay hills. Within its bounds lie historic gems like Pienza, Radicofani, Montalcino, and Montepulciano.
Santa Maria del Fiore is a masterpiece of Renaissance art and architecture. With its magnificent red-tiled dome designed by Brunelleschi and a facade that delights in shades of pink, white, and green marble, the Duomo commands the city's landscape. Build between 1296 and 1436, it claims the title of the third-largest cathedral in Europe, surpassed only by St. Peter’s in Rome and the Duomo in Milan. Inside, the cathedral shelters artistic treasures from Michelangelo to Donatello, alongside stunning frescoes.
The Palazzo Vecchio, with its imposing structure and commanding presence, is one of Florence's top sights. This historic building serves as the city's town hall and casts its gaze over the bustling Piazza della Signoria, an iconic square adorned with a replica of Michelangelo's David.
The highlight of this art museum is Michelangelo's David, his most challenging project. Carved from a single, imperfect block of marble, this iconic statue captivates with its intricate details and lifelike expressions. The gallery also features his unfinished works, the Prisoners and Saint Matthew, alongside a curated collection of Florentine paintings from the 13th to the 16th centuries, including Botticelli and Ghirlandaio. With over 1.46 million visitors (2016), the galleria is Italy's second-most-visited art museum.
The Cathedral of Siena is undoubtedly one of Italy’s most impressive examples of Romanesque-Gothic architecture, rivaling, and perhaps even surpassing, the famed Cathedral of Florence in its splendor.
As you wander through the cobbled streets of San Gimignano, there’s one spot you can’t miss: the Torre Grossa. Rising 54 meters, it’s the tallest tower in the city and has stood as a symbol of power and wealth since the 14th century. The climb—218 steps, no elevator—may be challenging, but the reward is a stunning 360-degree view of Tuscany’s rolling vineyards and the sea of terracotta rooftops below.
The Piazza Grande in Arezzo is the heart of this charming city and one of Tuscany’s most picturesque squares. Surrounded by notable Renaissance architecture, including the Palazzo delle Logge designed by Giorgio Vasari, the square is remarkable for its sloping layout and the seamless blend of buildings from different periods.
Spanning the Arno River in Florence with its medieval stone arches, the Ponte Vecchio is adorned with a vibrant trail of jewellery and souvenir shops. The iconic bridge connects the city's cultural heartbeats:
The Square of Miracles, or Piazza del Duomo, ranks among the world's most stunning plazas. Its centerpiece, the famous Leaning Tower, stands boldly beside the majestic Cathedral with its gleaming white marble facade.
The Palazzo Pitti, just a stone's throw from the Ponte Vecchio, was once the residence of the Medici and now houses some of Florence’s most important museums.
Elba is a Mediterranean island in Tuscany, Italy, from the coastal town of Piombino on the Italian mainland, and the largest island of the Tuscan Archipelago. It is also part of the Arcipelago Toscano National Park, and the third largest island in Italy, after Sicily and Sardinia. It is located in the Tyrrhenian Sea about east of the French island of Corsica. The island is part of the province of Livorno and is divided into seven municipalities, with a total population of about 30,000 inhabitants which increases considerably during the summer. The municipalities are Portoferraio, Campo nell'Elba, Capoliveri, Marciana, Marciana Marina, Porto Azzurro, and Rio. Elba was the site of Napoleon's first exile, from 1814 to 1815.
Monteriggioni is a comune in the province of Siena in the Italian region of Tuscany. It borders on the communes of Casole d'Elsa, Castellina in Chianti, Castelnuovo Berardenga, Colle di Val d'Elsa, Poggibonsi, Siena, and Sovicille. The town is architecturally and culturally significant; it hosts several piazzas, and is referenced in Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy.
The Cathedral of Pisa, the oldest structure on the Piazza dei Miracoli, was begun in 1064 outside the city's walls to showcase Pisa's confidence against potential attacks. The construction was funded by war booty, notably from a victorious raid on the Saracens in Palermo. This cathedral, along with St. Mark's Basilica, is one of the first monumental buildings of medieval Italy, making it particularly significant in art history. It was built either before or around the same time as the Venetian basilica, during a period when both powerful maritime republics were vying to assert their cultural dominance. The origins of the Persian and Byzantine influences in its design remain unclear.
The Piazza della Signoria is the historic and vibrant heart of Florence, located in front of the imposing Palazzo Vecchio. This bustling square houses an impressive collection of statues and monuments, resembling an open-air museum that attracts tourists from around the world. A visit to the piazza is essential for anyone visiting Florence.
The Basilica di Santa Croce, located in the heart of Florence, is an impressive landmark and the largest Franciscan church in Italy. Known as the "Pantheon of Florence," it houses the tombs of famous figures such as Michelangelo, Galileo Galilei, and Machiavelli. The basilica's facade, a masterpiece of neo-Gothic style, is elegant and beautiful. Inside, you will find magnificent frescoes by Giotto depicting the life of Saint Francis, as well as Donatello's splendid "Deposition from the Cross."
The Basilica di Santa Maria Novella is one of the most significant churches in Florence and a masterpiece of Gothic and Renaissance architecture. It is located at Piazza Santa Maria Novella, directly opposite the train station of the same name. The magnificent facade, designed by Leon Battista Alberti, was completed in 1470. The complex includes the church, two cloisters, and several monastic buildings.
The heart of Siena enchants with its unique shell-shaped design and rich history. This iconic square, laid out in the 14th century, is best known as the site of the "Palio di Siena" horse race, held twice a year. You might recognize it from a James Bond movie, where Bond famously races across Siena's rooftops!
Giannutri is a small island in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the coast of Tuscany, Italy; it is the southernmost island of the Tuscan Archipelago and it is a frazione of the comune of Isola del Giglio in the Province of Grosseto.
Piazzale Michelangelo is undeniably one of the most popular viewpoints in Florence. Perched on a hill south of the Arno, it offers stunning panoramic views of the city, including the Duomo, Ponte Vecchio, and the Tuscan hills. At sunset, crowds gather to witness the Renaissance city bathed in golden light.
The Apennine Colossus is a stone statue, approximately 11 m high, in the estate of the Villa Demidoff in Vaglia, Tuscany in Italy. Giambologna created the colossal figure, a personification of the Apennine mountains, in the late 1580s. It was constructed on the grounds of the Villa di Pratolino, a Renaissance villa that fell into disrepair and was replaced by the Villa Demidoff in the 1800s.
The Abbey of Saint Galgano was a Cistercian Monastery founded in the valley of the river Merse between the towns of Chiusdino and Monticiano, in the province of Siena, region of Tuscany, Italy. Presently, the roofless walls of the Gothic style 13th-century Abbey church still stand. Nearby are the chapel or Eremo or Rotonda di Montesiepi, the tomb of Saint Galgano and the purported site of his death in 1181, a sword said to have been driven into a stone by Galgano, and a chapel with frescoes by Ambrogio Lorenzetti.
Pianosa is an island in the Tuscan Archipelago in the Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy. It is about in area, with a coastal perimeter of.
The Florence Baptistery, also known as the Baptistery of Saint John, is a religious building in Florence, Italy, and has the status of a minor basilica. The octagonal baptistery stands in both the Piazza del Duomo and the Piazza San Giovanni, across from Florence Cathedral and the Campanile di Giotto. The Baptistery is one of the oldest buildings in the city, constructed between 1059 and 1128 in the Florentine Romanesque style. Although the Florentine style did not spread across Italy as widely as the Pisan Romanesque or Lombard styles, its influence was decisive for the subsequent development of architecture, as it formed the basis from which Francesco Talenti, Leon Battista Alberti, Filippo Brunelleschi, and other master architects of their time created Renaissance architecture. In the case of the Florentine Romanesque, one can speak of proto-renaissance, but at the same time an extreme survival of the late antique architectural tradition in Italy, as in the cases of the Basilica of San Salvatore, Spoleto, the Temple of Clitumnus, and the church of Sant'Alessandro in Lucca. The Baptistery is renowned for its three sets of artistically important bronze doors with relief sculptures. The south doors were created by Andrea Pisano and the north and east doors by Lorenzo Ghiberti. Michelangelo dubbed the east doors the Gates of Paradise. Up to 1935, the Baptistery was the only place where Florentines were baptized. As a consequence, poet Dante Alighieri, famous Renaissance artists, Amerigo Vespucci, members of the Medici family, etc. were baptized in this baptistery.
The Baptistery rises like a marble crown on the Piazza dei Miracoli. Begun in 1153 under the direction of Diotisalvi, this remarkable structure combines Romanesque austerity with Gothic elegance. Standing 55 meters tall and over 100 meters in diameter, it is the largest baptistery in the world. Its two distinct dome halves create a stunning play of colors at sunrise and sunset.
The Apuan Alps are a mountain range in northern Tuscany, Italy. They are included between the valleys of the Serchio and Magra rivers, and, to the northwest, the Garfagnana and Lunigiana, with a total length of approximately. The name derives from the Apuani Ligures tribe that lived there in ancient times. The mountain range is known for its Carrara marble. Due to its extraction height environmental impact, the No Cav movement strongly opposes this activity.
Chianti, in Italy also referred to as Monti del Chianti or Colline del Chianti, is a mountainous area of Tuscany in the provinces of Florence, Siena and Arezzo, composed mainly of hills and mountains. It is known for the wine produced in and named for the region, Chianti.
Montecristo, also Monte Cristo and formerly Oglasa, is an island in the Tyrrhenian Sea and part of the Tuscan Archipelago. Administratively it belongs to the municipality of Portoferraio in the province of Livorno, Italy. The island has an area of, is approximately wide at its widest point, and is long; the coasts are steep, and extend for. The island is a state nature reserve and forms part of the Tuscan Archipelago National Park. Much of the island's fame is derived from the fact that it provides the title of 1844 novel The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas, and is one of the novel's settings.
Gorgona is the northernmost island in the Tuscan Archipelago, a group of islands off the west coast of Italy. Between Corsica and Livorno, this diminutive island has been valued most for its wildlife, especially marine birds, and its isolation. The latter quality resulted in the foundation of Gorgona Abbey in the Middle Ages. After its closure the monastery grounds and buildings were appropriated in 1869, at the foundation of an agricultural penal colony, which is currently in use.
Mount Amiata is the largest of the lava domes in the Amiata lava dome complex located about 20 km northwest of Lake Bolsena in the southern Tuscany region of Italy. It is located within the provinces of Grosseto and Siena.
On the edge of the famous Cathedral Square lies the Campo Santo, or Holy Field. This cemetery was partially built with soil from Golgotha, a sacred place believed to cause bodies buried there to decay within 24 hours. Crusaders brought this holy soil back to Italy.
The Tarot Garden is a sculpture garden based on the esoteric tarot, created by the French-American artist Niki de Saint Phalle in Pescia Fiorentina, località Garavicchio, in the municipality of Capalbio, province of Grosseto, Tuscany, Italy. The park was opened to the public in 1998. Niki de Saint Phalle, inspired by Antoni Gaudí´s Parc Güell in Barcelona, and Parco dei Mostri in Bomarzo, as well as Palais Idéal by Ferdinand Cheval, and Watts Towers by Simon Rodia, decided to make something similar in design for her monumental sculpture park based on the Tarot. In 1979, she acquired some land on top of an Etruscan ruin in Garavicchio, Tuscany, about north-west of Rome along the coast. There she built the Giardino dei Tarocchi, containing twenty-two monumental figures representing her idea of the greater Mysteries of the Tarot, constructed of reinforced concrete and covered with mirrors and ceramic mosaic. Some of the larger sculptural figures can be walked through; the artist herself lived inside the sphinx-like Empress for several years during the construction of the garden.
On the way to the Leaning Tower of Pisa, this photogenic square is worth a detour. Once the city's political and administrative heart, it’s now a showcase of Renaissance architecture. Impressive buildings like the Church of Santo Stefano dei Cavalieri and the Palazzo della Carovana, former seat of the Order of the Knights of Santo Stefano, surround the square. The Palazzo's facade, adorned with intricate sgraffito decorations and busts of Roman Grand Masters, whispers stories of the past.
The Medici Chapels are two structures at the Basilica of San Lorenzo, Florence, Italy, dating from the 16th and 17th centuries, and built as extensions to Brunelleschi's 15th-century church, with the purpose of celebrating the Medici family, patrons of the church and Grand Dukes of Tuscany. The Sagrestia Nuova was designed by Michelangelo. The larger Cappella dei Principi, although proposed in the 16th century, was not begun until the early 17th century, its design being a collaboration between the family and architects. These are not to be confused with the Magi Chapel in the Palazzo Medici Riccardi, then the main Medici home, that houses a famous cycle of frescoes by Benozzo Gozzoli, painted around 1459.
Lucca Cathedral is a Roman Catholic cathedral dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours in Lucca, Italy. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Lucca. Construction was begun in 1063 by Bishop Anselm.
The Central Market (mercato centrale) is a two-level, indoor food market and part of the larger San Lorenzo market.
Bagni San Filippo is an area in the municipality of Castiglione d'Orcia in the Province of Siena, Italy, not far from Monte Amiata. It is a small hot spring containing calcium carbonate deposits, which form white concretions and waterfalls. The name derives from that of St Philip Benizi, who was a prior of the Servite order, and who lived as a hermit here in the thirteenth century. The grotto is open to visitors.
Capraia is an Italian island, the northwesternmost of the seven islands of the Tuscan Archipelago, and the third largest after Elba and Giglio. It is also a comune belonging to the Province of Livorno. The island has a population of about 400.
Sammezzano, or the Castle of Sammezzano, is an Italian palazzo in Tuscany featuring Moorish Revival architectural style. It is located in Leccio, a hamlet of Reggello, in the Province of Florence.
The Teatro del Silenzio is an open air amphitheater located in the city of Lajatico – the hometown of Andrea Bocelli – in the Tuscany region of Italy. In 2006, Bocelli convinced the municipality of Lajatico to build this outdoor venue whose structure utilizes the natural formations of the hilly landscape. Bocelli contributed greatly to its construction. Bocelli, the honorary president of the theater, performs an annual concert there every July; the theater is silent for the rest of the year.
David is a masterpiece of Italian Renaissance sculpture, created from 1501 to 1504 by Michelangelo. With a height of, the David was the first colossal marble statue made in the early modern period following classical antiquity, a precedent for the 16th century and beyond. David was originally commissioned as one of a series of statues of twelve prophets to be positioned along the roofline of the east end of Florence Cathedral, but was instead placed in the public square in front of the Palazzo della Signoria, the seat of civic government in Florence, where it was unveiled on 8 September 1504. In 1873, the statue was moved to the Galleria dell'Accademia, Florence, and in 1910 replaced at the original location by a replica. The biblical figure David was a favoured subject in the art of Florence. Because of the nature of the figure it represented, the statue soon came to symbolise the defence of civil liberties embodied in the 1494 constitution of the Republic of Florence, an independent city-state threatened on all sides by more powerful rival states and by the political aspirations of the Medici family.
The Basilica della Santissima Annunziata is a Renaissance-style, Catholic minor basilica in Florence, region of Tuscany, Italy. This is considered the mother church of the Servite Order. It is located at the northeastern side of the Piazza Santissima Annunziata near the city center.
The walls of Lucca are a series of stone, brick, and earthwork fortifications surrounding the central city of Lucca in Tuscany, Italy. They are among the best preserved Renaissance fortifications in Europe, and at 4 kilometers and 223 meters in circumference they are the second largest intact example of a fully walled Renaissance city after Nicosia, Cyprus. The current walls of Lucca, which replaced earlier medieval and Roman fortifications, are the result of a construction campaign that started on May 7, 1504 and ended a century and a half later in 1648, with additional structural updates in the second half of the seventeenth century based on new knowledge and construction techniques. These walls play an important role in the cultural identity of the city of Lucca and its surroundings, and as a physical monument to the region's history, and Lucca's longstanding independence as a republic. The walls were also conceived as a deterrent and have never seen military use. At the time of construction, the Republic of Lucca feared the expansionist aims of the Republic of Florence and subsequently, the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. However, there was never an open war against the Grand Duchy. Although the Republic of Lucca did come into open conflict with the Duchy of Modena in the 16th and 17th centuries, these campaigns occurred exclusively in the Garfagnana, so the city of Lucca never underwent any siege and the walls were never used. The only occasion in which the walls were put to the test was during the disastrous flood of the Serchio River in November 18, 1812. The doors were bolted and reinforced with mattresses, achieving a relative water tightness in the center of Lucca. The structure was converted into a pedestrian promenade and public park in the 1820s under the rule of Maria Luisa de Borbón of Spain. The new use of the walls also affected the spaces outside the walls, which were converted from smaller fortifications into large lawns. This public use persists to the present day: the path above the walls remains heavily trafficked for recreation, and in the summer it also acts as a natural stage for shows and events. It is a major tourist attraction in the city of Lucca.
Der Torre del Mangia ragt imposant über der Piazza del Campo und symbolisiert die weltliche Macht von Siena im Mittelalter. Erbaut zwischen 1325 - 1344, wurde der Turm bewusst so hoch wie der Dom gestaltet, um das Gleichgewicht zwischen Kirche und Staat zu symbolisieren. Mit seinen 87 Metern (102 Meter inklusive Blitzableiter) ist er heute der dritthöchste mittelalterliche Turm in Italien. Ein besonderes Detail ist die weiße Travertinspitze, die später von Agostino di Giovanni hinzugefügt wurde.
The Ospedale degli Innocenti 'Hospital of the Innocents', also known in old Tuscan dialect as the Spedale degli Innocenti, is a historic building in Florence, Italy. It was designed by Filippo Brunelleschi, who received the commission in 1419 from the Arte della Seta. It was originally a children's orphanage. It is regarded as a notable example of early Italian Renaissance architecture. The hospital, which features a nine bay loggia facing the Piazza SS. Annunziata, was built and managed by the Arte della Seta or Silk Guild of Florence. That guild was one of the wealthiest in the city and, like most guilds, took upon itself philanthropic duties. The building is considered to be the first pure Early Renaissance structure. Today the building houses a small museum of Renaissance art with works by Luca della Robbia, Sandro Botticelli, and Piero di Cosimo, as well as an Adoration of the Magi by Domenico Ghirlandaio. The building currently serves as the base of operations for the UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre.
The Torre Guinigi is a tower in Lucca, Tuscany, central Italy. It is a typical example of local Romanesque-Gothic architecture. The height of the tower is 45 meters with a total of 233 steps to reach the top. The tower dates from the 1300s, when a number of wealthy families were building bell towers within the walls of Lucca as status symbols. It is one of the few remaining towers within the walls. It is known for the tall trees growing on top of the tower. The tower was donated to the local government by the descendants of the Guinigi family.
San Michele in Foro is a Roman Catholic basilica church in Lucca, Tuscany, central Italy, built over the ancient Roman forum. Until 1370 it was the seat of the Consiglio Maggiore, the commune's most important assembly. It is dedicated to Archangel Michael.
The Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, Italy's oldest private museum, preserves many of the original artworks from the cathedral. A major highlight is the access to the Facciatone Terrace on the top floor, where a fantastic panoramic view of the cathedral and Siena unfolds. Inside the museum, you'll find the impressive stained glass window by Duccio di Buoninsegna and numerous marble statues of prophets, philosophers, and sibyls.
The Palazzo Pubblico is a palace in Siena, Tuscany, central Italy. Construction began in 1297 to serve as the seat of the Republic of Siena's government, which consisted of the Podestà and Council of Nine, the elected officials who performed executive functions. The palace is of medieval and Gothic architecture, and the interior is lined with frescoes--most importantly, the collection known as The Allegory of Good and Bad Government by Ambrogio Lorenzetti.
The Medici villas are a series of rural building complexes in Tuscany which were owned by members of the Medici family between the 15th century and the 17th century. The villas served several functions: they were the country palaces of the Medici, scattered over the territory that they ruled, demonstrating their power and wealth. They were also recreational resorts for the leisure and pleasure of their owners; and, more prosaically, they were the centre of agricultural activities on the surrounding estates. In 2013, the Medici villas were added to UNESCO's World Heritage list.
Piazza dell'Anfiteatro is a public square in the northeast quadrant of the walled center of Lucca, region of Tuscany, Italy. The ring of buildings surrounding the square follows the elliptical shape of the former second century Roman amphitheater of Lucca. The square can be reached through four gateways located at the four vertices of the ellipse. A cross is carved into the central tile of the square with the arms pointing to the four gateways of the square.
Despite its immense size, this sprawling museum remains quite unassuming from the outside. If you're spending more than a day in Siena, it’s well worth a visit. Just across from the cathedral, you’ll find one of the oldest hospitals in Europe, offering a fascinating labyrinth of corridors, halls, and underground tunnels. Among its highlights is the Pellegrinaio, a grand hall adorned with striking 15th-century frescoes. These artworks depict the life of the hospital brotherhood, offering a unique glimpse into medieval life and the social structures of the time. The museum also preserves valuable relics and artworks.
The Palazzo Blu, a former 14th-century noble palace, houses a small art museum. Inside, you'll find a permanent exhibition of Tuscan paintings and antique furniture, along with temporary art exhibitions—including a few pieces by Galileo Galilei. It's an ideal retreat for art lovers looking to escape the crowds and summer heat.
The Basilica of San Domenico, also known as Basilica Cateriniana, is a basilica church in Siena, Tuscany, Italy, one of the most important in the city. The basilica is an example of Cistercian Gothic style.
Santa Maria della Pieve is a church in Arezzo, Tuscany, central Italy.
Ponte della Maddalena is a bridge crossing the Serchio river near the town of Borgo a Mozzano in the Italian province of Lucca. It's one of numerous medieval bridges known as Ponte del Diavolo, the Bridge of the Devil, it was a vital river crossing on the Via Francigena, an early medieval road to Rome for those coming from France that was an important medieval pilgrimage route. The bridge is a remarkable example of medieval engineering, probably commissioned by the Countess Matilda of Tuscany c. 1080-1100. It was renovated c. 1300 under the direction of Castruccio Castracani. The largest span is 37.8 m. The bridge is also described in a 14th-century novella by Giovanni Sercambi of Lucca. Circa 1500 it took on the name of Ponte della Maddalena, from an oratory dedicated to Mary Magdalene, whose statue stood at the foot of the bridge on the eastern bank. In 1670 the General Council of the Republic of Lucca issued a decree prohibiting passage over the bridge with millstones and sacks of flour in order to preserve the structure.
Lake Massaciuccoli is a lake in the Province of Lucca, Tuscany, Italy. Its surface area is 6.9 km². It is located mainly in the municipality of Massarosa and partly in Torre del Lago, a civil parish of Viareggio. It is one of the largest remaining fragments of the large swamps and marshes that once covered entirely the coastal plain of Versilia. The lake was known in ancient times as the Fossis Papirianis, a name used in the Tabula Peutingeriana. The village of Massaciuccoli lies on its shore. The composer Giacomo Puccini lived in a villa at Torre del Lago on the west side of the lake, and frequently hunted around the lake; the nearby village of Torre del Lago is sometimes mentioned with suffix Puccini in his honour.
Vallombrosa is a Benedictine abbey in the comune of Reggello, about 30 km south-east of Florence, in the Apennines, surrounded by forests of beech and firs. It was founded by Florentine nobleman Giovanni Gualberto in 1038 and became the mother house of the Vallumbrosan Order.
The Abbey of Sant'Antimo is a former Benedictine monastery located in Castelnuovo dell'Abate, in the comune of Montalcino, Tuscany, central Italy. It is approximately 10 km from Montalcino about 9 km from the Via Francigena, the pilgrim route to Rome. After many years of disuse, the abbey was reoccupied in 1992 by a small community of Premonstratensian Canons Regular. Since January 2016, the occupants are a community of monks of the Olivetan Benedictine order. A tributary of the river Orcia, the Starcia, runs near the abbey.
The Baptistery beneath the cathedral is a masterpiece of Italian Gothic architecture, constructed between 1316 - 1325. At its heart lies the central baptismal font, a hexagonal marvel of marble and bronze, crafted by some of the most prominent early Renaissance artists like Donatello and Ghiberti.
The Villa di Pratolino was a Renaissance patrician villa in Vaglia, Tuscany, Italy. It was mostly demolished in 1822. Its remains are now part of the Villa Demidoff, 12 km north of Florence, reached from the main road to Bologna.
The Basilica of San Frediano is a Romanesque church in Lucca, Italy, situated on the Piazza San Frediano.
The Monument of the Four Moors is located in Livorno, Italy. It was completed in 1626 to commemorate the victories of Ferdinand I of Tuscany over the Ottomans. It is the most famous monument of Livorno and is located in Piazza Micheli. Created by Pietro Tacca, the monument takes its name from the four bronze statues of Moorish slaves that are found at the base of an earlier work consisting of the statue of Ferdinando I and its monumental pedestal.
Mount Capanne is the highest mountain on the Italian island of Elba and in the province of Livorno, Tuscany, Italy. It is located in the western part of the island, reaching a height of in elevation above the Mediterranean Sea.
Sant'Anna di Stazzema, officially Sant'Anna, is a village in Tuscany, Italy. Administratively, it is a frazione of the comune of Stazzema, in the province of Lucca.
The Collegiata di Santa Maria Assunta or Duomo di San Gimignano is a Roman Catholic collegiate church and minor basilica in San Gimignano, in Tuscany in central Italy. It contains important cycles of Renaissance frescoes by artists including Domenico Ghirlandaio, Benozzo Gozzoli, Taddeo di Bartolo, Lippo Memmi and Bartolo di Fredi. It falls within the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Historic Centre of San Gimignano, with its frescoes being described by UNESCO as works of outstanding beauty.
The Futa Pass or La Futa Pass is a pass in the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines, at an elevation of. It is located in the comune of Firenzuola, in the Metropolitan City of Florence. It separated the valleys of Mugello and of the Santerno River. It is crossed by the Regional Road 65 which connects Florence to Bologna. During World War II it was part of the Gothic Line. A German military cemetery was created nearby in the 1950s.
Grosseto Airport is an airport in central Italy, located west of Grosseto in the Italian region of Tuscany. Although it is classified as a joint use facility, Grosseto Airport is primarily an Italian Air Force Base, home of the 4th Stormo, equipped with the Eurofighter Typhoon. However, the facility is used as a commercial airport by civilian charter flights and private aircraft.
Palazzo Salimbeni is a Gothic style urban palace located on the Piazza Salimbeni, just off Via Banchi di Sopra in the Terzo di Camollia of the city of Siena, region of Tuscany, Italy. The building, associated with an ancient mercantile family of Siena, currently houses the main offices of the Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena, the oldest bank in the world.
The Basilica di San Lorenzo is one of the largest churches of Florence, Italy, situated at the centre of the main market district of the city, and it is the burial place of all the principal members of the Medici family from Cosimo il Vecchio to Cosimo III. It is one of several churches that claim to be the oldest in Florence, having been consecrated in 393 AD, at which time it stood outside the city walls. For three hundred years it was the city's cathedral, before the official seat of the bishop was transferred to Santa Reparata. San Lorenzo was the parish church of the Medici family. In 1419, Giovanni di Bicci de' Medici offered to finance a new church to replace an eleventh-century Romanesque rebuilding. Filippo Brunelleschi, the leading Renaissance architect of the first half of the fifteenth century, was commissioned to design it, but the building, with alterations, was not completed until after his death. The church is part of a larger monastic complex that contains other important architectural and artistic works: the Old Sacristy by Brunelleschi and having interior decoration and sculpture by Donatello; the Laurentian Library by Michelangelo; the Medici Chapels, two structures that include the New Sacristy based on Michelangelo's designs; and the larger Cappella dei Principi being a collaboration between the family and architects.
The Suspension Bridge of San Marcello Piteglio is the longest pedestrian suspension bridge or suspension footbridge in Italy, spanning the river Lima between the neighborhoods of Popiglio and Mammiano Basso, both located within the town limits of San Marcello Piteglio, province of Pistoia, region of Tuscany, Italy. The metal bridge is a pedestrian walkway of nearly 300 meters, built in 1923, to shorten the walk for workers reaching factories on both sides of the river. The construction was patronized by Vicenzo Douglas Scotti, then Count San Giorgino della Scala. The bridge is suspended by four cables and passes over 30 meters above the river. Until 1990, it held the record as the longest such bridge in the world, till it was overtaken by the Kokonoe Yume Bridge in Kokonoe, Ōita, Japan. The bridge over the Lima has been refurbished and reinforced over the years, lastly in 2004.
Poggibonsi is a town in the province of Siena, Tuscany, central Italy. It is located on the River Elsa and is the main centre of the Valdelsa Valley.
The Palazzo Medici, also called the Palazzo Medici Riccardi after the later family that acquired and expanded it, is a Renaissance palace located in Florence, Italy. It is the seat of the Metropolitan City of Florence and a museum.
The Medici Villa of Poggio a Caiano, also called Ambra, is one of the most famous Medici villas and is located in Poggio a Caiano. Today it is state owned and it houses two museums: one of the historic apartments and the Museum of Still Life. The villa is perhaps the best example of architecture commissioned by Lorenzo il Magnifico, in this case to Giuliano da Sangallo towards 1480. It is no coincidence that this is a private building, where there are elements that later modeled for the future developments of the type of villas: internal and external penetration through filters such as loggias, symmetrical distribution of environments around a central salon, dominant position in the landscape, conscious recovery of classical architectural elements.
Marina di Campo Airport is the airport of the Italian island of Elba, located in the village of La Pila, in Marina di Campo. It is also known as Teseo Tesei Airport. It is the third airport of Tuscany in terms of passengers after Pisa International Airport and Florence Airport. The airport served until 31 October 2023 as a focus city of Silver Air which was the only airline operating regularly from the airport.
Cosa was an ancient Roman city near the present Ansedonia in southwestern Tuscany, Italy. It is sited on a hill 113 m above sea level and 140 km northwest of Rome on the Tyrrhenian Sea coast. It has assumed a position of prominence in Roman archaeology owing to its excavation.
The German Futa Pass Cemetery is Italy's largest war cemetery. According to the German War Graves Commission it holds remains of 30,800 German soldiers who died in the Second World War. It is located at the summit of the Futa Pass in the Apennines and in Mugello, near Traversa in the commune of Firenzuola, that is, about 40 kilometers north of Florence and 40 kilometers south of Bologna along National Highway Nr. 65 near the border of Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna.
The Loggia dei Lanzi, also called the Loggia della Signoria, is a building on a corner of the Piazza della Signoria in Florence, Italy, adjoining the Uffizi Gallery. It consists of wide arches open to the street. The arches rest on clustered pilasters with Corinthian capitals. The wide arches appealed so much to the Florentines that Michelangelo proposed that they should be continued all around the Piazza della Signoria.
Santa Maria della Spina, a gem of Pisan Gothic architecture, was built in 1230 from white marble. Despite its small size, it impresses with an intricate façade adorned with statues and ornate pinnacles. The church was named "Spina" because it originally housed a thorn from Christ’s Crown of Thorns.
The Clock Tower in Arezzo, located on the Piazza Grande, is accessible through the Palazzo di Fraternita dei Laici. This tower is renowned for its astronomical clock, among the oldest functioning clocks in Italy, created in 1552 by the master watchmaker Felice di Salvatore da Fossato. The clock is part of a facade designed by Giorgio Vasari, featuring a unique system that includes three bells managed through complex mechanisms. This clock offers not only the time but also astronomical data, according to the Ptolemaic conception of the universe.
San Biagio is a church outside Montepulciano, Tuscany, central Italy.
The Boboli Gardens is a historical park of the city of Florence that was opened to the public in 1766. Originally designed for the Medici, it represents one of the first and most important examples of the Italian garden, which later served as inspiration for many European courts. The large green area is a real open-air museum with statues of various styles and periods, ancient and Renaissance that are distributed throughout the garden. It also has large fountains and caves, among them the splendid Buontalenti grotto built by the artist, architect, and sculptor Bernardo Buontalenti between 1536 and 1608.
Siena’s Fortezza Medicea is a fort built in the city between 1561 and 1563 on the orders of Duke Cosimo, a few years before he became the first Grand Duke of Tuscany. The fortress is positioned on the northern edge of the central Siena in the Terzo of Camollia, in the neighborhood of San Prospero, and since 1923 has overlooked the city’s Artemio Franchi/Montepaschi Arena.
Arezzo Cathedral is a Roman Catholic cathedral in the city of Arezzo in Tuscany, Italy. It is located on the site of a pre-existing Palaeo-Christian church and, perhaps, of the ancient city's acropolis.
San Giovanni Battista or dell'Autostrada del Sole is a church in Campi Bisenzio, near Florence, Italy, within a large motorway rest area shared between two autostrada roads. It can also be reached on foot from a local road outside the autostrada system. The church is formally named after John the Baptist but has also earned the name Church of the Freeway of the Sun for its location between autostrada del Sole and the A11 Firenze-Mare highway. The design of the church is meant to reflect both modern and traditional church design. The cross floor plan and stone facing are meant to evoke a traditional feel, while the tent-like vertical elements and copper roofing reflect modern design tastes. The church stands high. It was built between 1960 and 1963, based on plans by Giovanni Michelucci. The materials used for the building are stone and concrete for the walls; copper for the roof, oxidized to green on the outside; and burnished blond on the inside. Marble, glass, and bronze are used for the interior elements. The floorplan of the building is asymmetrical and follows sinuous curves creating a feeling of fluid space. The church is decorated with works of Marcello Avenali, Jorio Vivarelli, Dilvo Lotti, and Luigi Venturini.
The Basilica of San Francesco is a late Medieval church in Arezzo, Tuscany, Italy, dedicated to St Francis of Assisi. It is especially renowned for housing in the chancel the fresco cycle Legends of the True Cross by Piero della Francesca.
The Villa di Castello, near the hills bordering Florence, Tuscany, central Italy, was the country residence of Cosimo I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany. The gardens, filled with fountains, statuary, and a grotto, became famous throughout Europe. The villa also housed some of the great art treasures of Florence, including Sandro Botticelli's Renaissance masterpieces The Birth of Venus and Primavera. The gardens of the Villa had a profound influence upon the design of the Italian Renaissance garden and the later French formal garden.
La Verna is a locality on Mount Penna, an isolated mountain of situated in the centre of the Tuscan Apennines, rising above the valley of the Casentino, central Italy. The place is known especially for its association with Saint Francis of Assisi and for the Sanctuary of La Verna, which grew up in his honour. Administratively it falls within the Tuscan province of Arezzo and the comune of Chiusi della Verna, Italy. The Sanctuary of La Verna, located a few kilometers from Chiusi della Verna, in the National Park of Casentino Forests, Mount Falterona and Campigna, is famous for being the place where St. Francis of Assisi would receive the stigmata on September 14, 1224. Built in the southern part of Mount Penna at high, the Sanctuary is home to numerous chapels and places of prayer and meditation In August 1921 Pope Benedict XV elevated the church to the status of minor basilica.
The Basilica of San Domenico is a Gothic-style church located in Arezzo. It is dedicated to St. Dominic and is particularly renowned for containing a painted crucifix by Cimabue from 1265. This piece is noted for its historical importance due to Cimabue's stylistic innovation; he deviated from the Byzantine conventions of his time, introducing greater expressionism with themes of death, empathy, and humanism. The basilica itself was constructed between the 13th and 14th centuries, characterized by a sober and minimalistic architectural style.
Step into the world of the famous Renaissance artist and architect Giorgio Vasari (1511-1574). His accomplishments include designing the tomb of his friend, Michaelangelo as well as the loggia of the Palazzo degli Uffizi in Florence and the passage that connects the Uffizi with the Palazzo Pitti. He was also made Knight of the Golden Spur by the Pope. Vasari built his residence in 1547 himself and today this museum showcases Vasari’s works and provides insight into his life. Explore the art-filled rooms and gain a deeper understanding of the Renaissance period in Arezzo. Note: The museum is closed on Tuesdays.