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This
fertile region lies between the
northern Appennines and the Mediterranean Sea. The landscape of
Tuscany is, typically, one of vine
covered hills, cypress woods,
fields of sunflowers and remote hilltop
villages. Chianti, the
best-known Italian wine, is made here.
There are a number of volcanic spas,
most notably Montecatini, Bagni di
Lucca, Casciana Terme and
Chianciano.
Florence
T
he
principal Tuscan city, is the world’s
most celebrated storehouse of
Renaissance art and architecture. Set
on the banks of the Arno below
the wooded foothills of the Appennines,
this beautiful city has long been the
focus of Italian arts and letters.
Dante, Boccaccio, Petrarch, Giotto,
Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo,
Brunelleschi, Alberti, Masaccio,
Donatello, Botticelli, Vasari and Fra
Angelico are among the many associated
with establishing the pre-eminence of
the city. Brunelleschi’s
revolutionary design for the dome of
the Cathedral of Santa Maria del
Fiore is generally accepted as the
first expression of Renaissance ideas
in architecture. This dome still
dominates the city’s roofs cape, just
as the great Piazza del Duomo at
its feet dominates life at street
level. The square is ringed with cafés
and is a popular meeting point. Between
there and the river are many of the
best-loved palaces – including Palazzo
Strozzi, Palazzo Corsini, Palazzo
Rucellai, Palazzo Vecchio and the Uffizi
Gallery – whilst close by to the
north are the churches of Santa
Maria Novella and San Lorenzo (by
Brunelleschi, Michelangelo and others),
and the Palazzo Medici-Riccordi.
The Palazzo Pitti and the Boboli
Gardens are just across the river
(via the Ponte Vecchio).
The
Uffizi Gallery houses a
celebrated art collection – indeed it
claims to hold the finest collections
of paintings anywhere in the world.
Examples of work start from the
transition period when Europe was
emerging from the Middle Ages, largely
represented by religious paintings and
icons (notably by Lorenzo Monaco,
Giottino and Gentile da Fabriano),
through the highpoint of the
Renaissance to the early 18th century.
Some of the most famous paintings of
each period are in the Uffizi, such as
Botticelli’s Birth Of Venus,
Leonardo da Vinci’s Annunciation,
Michelangelo’s Holy Family,
Titian’s Urbino Venus and
Caravaggio’s Young Bacchus.
One of the most striking paintings is
the Medusa by Caravaggio.
Michelangelo’s
famous statue of David may be
viewed at the Accademia di Belle
Arti near the University.
Siena
The
most prosperous era pre-dated the
Renaissance and consequently much of
the fabric of the city is in the older
Gothic and Romanesque styles. There is
a fine Gothic and Romanesque Cathedral
built in stunning black and white
marble with a magnificent interior
(visitors dressed inappropriately, i.e.
in short skirts, shorts or skimpy
shirts, will be denied entry). The Piazzo
del Campo, overlooked by the giant campanile
of the Palazzo Pubblico, is
possibly the most complete Gothic
piazza in Italy. The city is an
important religious centre, being the
birthplace of St Catherine, and there
is a church here devoted to her
worship. The 700-year-old university
holds a summer school in Italian. Siena
is probably most famous for its Palios,
bare-backed horse-races which take
place every year on July 2 and August
16 around the huge Campo in the
centre of Siena. It has been a special
event since the 14th century and
attracts crowds from all over the
world.
Pisa
North of Siena, is famous for its Leaning
Tower, a free-standing campanile
or bell tower associated with the
11th-century Gothic Cathedral
nearby. Near the Quadrilateral
is the Campo Santo Cemetery.
Built in the 13th century to enclose
earth brought from Jerusalem, it is a
unique colonnaded quadrangle in the
Tuscan Gothic style.
Other towns of note in Tuscany
include Lucca, famous for its
one hundred churches and robust city
walls; San Gimignano, known as
the ‘city of beautiful towers’ and
one of the best-preserved medieval
towns in Italy; Volterra,
another beautifully preserved medieval
town perched on a hilltop; Livorno
(Leghorn), the principal commercial
port; and Carrara, where
high-grade white marble has been
quarried since Etruscan times.
The coast of Tuscany offers many
sandy beaches. Popular beach resorts
include Viareggio, Forte dei Marmi,
Lido di Camaiore, Marina di Pietrasanta,
Marina di Massa, Tirrenia, Castiglione
della Pescaia, San Vincenzo,
Castiglioncello, Quercianella, Porto
Santo Stefano, Porto Ercole, Ansedonia
and Talamone.
The Tuscan Archipelago is a
group of scattered islands lying
between Tuscany and Corsica. The best
known are Elba and Giglio. There are
regular hydrofoil and ferry links with
mainland ports. Elba is 17.5km
(28 miles) long and 7.5km (12 miles)
wide, and can be reached by steamer or
hydrofoil from Piombino. Famous
as the place where Napoleon was briefly
exiled before his final defeat at
Waterloo, it has lovely beaches and
campsites shaded by pines. Napoleon’s
two homes can be visited: one, the Palazzina
Napoleonica dei Mulini, which he
created out of two windmills, situated
near the Forte della Stella, Portoferraio
and the other, 6km (4 miles) away,
the Villa Napoleonica di San Martino,
which he set up as his country seat.
Near to this villa is the Pinacoteca
Foresiana, a neo-classical art
gallery built in 1851.
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