travelling around the tuscany unesco world heritage

Presentation and exploration of the world heritage monuments defined by the unesco in Tuscany: countryside
villages and castles along the hills and valley between San Gimignano, Florence, Siena and the Chianti.

accomodations

maps

transportation

The hilly territory between Florence and Siena, its beauty of a unique land made of medieval villages, castles breathtaking countryside and touristic resources. A place where it is possible to spend a cultural holiday or simply enjoy the best food and experience all the activities from hiking to riding to swimming or have excursions to the best places being at the center of the unesco world heritage sites and monuments of tuscany staying in accomodation in self contained apartment agritourism or villa.

The best to enjoy all the monuments and sites of tuscany is to be located in the center of tuscany to be able to afford a day trip to every place while have the same accomodation for all the stay. The central point is barberino val d'elsa, half way between florence and siena or san gimignano as you can see on the map.

This web site will show you the must to see beauty (part of the unesco world heritage) of this vast region: vales, castle, medieval village, in a intuitive way to let you plan your holiday in a personalized way trying to suggest you all the best, avoiding the bad surprises that a tourist with a lack of knowledge of italy and the tuscany country could face.

Because when a tourist come here for a week or even less he can not spend his time in looking for the best solution when he is already in italy or in tuscany but have to get the most of the informations when he is at home preparing his holiday in a farmhouse that could be far from places to get informations and timetables, or finding transportation or bus, restaurant or a simple pizza.

Travelling through Tuscany

Uday K. Chakraborty

There is more to Italy than Rome and Venice, as Uday K. Chakraborty found out, when he toured the hills and vales of Tuscany in Central Italy.

Everyone seems to define this Italian province differently. To one, it means masterpieces of Renaissance art; another may describe it as home to some of the best eating joints in the world; yet another thinks of white beaches or snow-capped mountains. Some of its cities and villages number among the oldest in central Italy.

Slightly west of central Italy, the Tuscan route starts at Montepulciano. Our drive takes us through the heady landscape of green rolling hills, spiked with stately dark cypresses, olive groves and vineyards that seem like backdrop from a Renaissance painting. In summer, the area is radiant with wild flowers and scented with blossoms and young grasses. Tuscany has one of the loveliest countryside in Italy, between small towns; it passes through mountain top villages, seafaring towns, and sites of ancient ruins.

The area is dotted with hill towns or `walled grounds', as the Tuscans call them. Smaller towns such as Montepulciano, San Gimignano and Pienza rise up, seemingly anchored atop hills by their campanile, or bell towers. Each of the cities still bears the mark of the patronage of popes, cardinals and princes who embellished and beautified their home towns with grand palaces and churches. Pitigliano to the south seems to barely hang on to the edge of a steep crag, defying gravity. This hill town preserves one of the earliest synagogues in Italy and is testament to Tuscany's varied historical past.

But the most famous of these small wonders is San Gimignano. The town looks from a distance like a tipsy, miniature Manhattan. A republic in its own right until it was annexed by Florentine in 1353, it was once the home of a wealthy mercantile elite whose families competed in erecting taller and taller towers — partly to keep out attackers, but largely as status symbols. Of the original 70, only 13 remain, but they are still an extraordinary sight.

Striking because of its unusual architecture, Lucca is marked by a mixture of styles that date from the 16th century. The town is surrounded by 16th-century ramparts and a short walk shows a predominance of Romanesque and Pisan influence. Visit the huge 18th-century piazza Napoleonese at the centre of town, the National Art Gallery of Lucca, and the 6th-century cathedral that stands in the lush green piazza di San Martino. A famous centre for olive oil, Lucca's market comes alive every morning.

Then we reach the most important and most attractive town on our route, Siena. There is nothing in the world quite like Siena. Built primarily out of reddish-brown stone, and standing on a hillside rising to 1,000 ft, it is surrounded by walls. It also has one of the most beautiful squares in the world — the Piazza del Campo. Shaped like a gigantic, sloping sea-shell and surrounded by cafes, restaurants, gelaterias and curved facades, whose perspectives shift weirdly as one walks about.

Not far from Sienna is one of the best-loved comers of Tuscany — the Chintagnia or Chianti region, from which hails the well-known wine. Inhabitants of the Italian peninsula have been tending their vines since Roman times, taking advantage of the mild climate. Today, their efforts are still visible in the never-ending rows of carefully tended vineyards that spread across the hills. While most of the wineries remain small in scale, they welcome visitors for impromptu tasting. A surprising side of Tuscany is found far from these fortified villages, green hills and villas. Tuscany has one of the longest shorelines in Italy and several beautiful islands, on Monte Argentario looking over the Argentario peninsula. It used to be a marshland swampy and mosquito infested, where Caravaggio is said to have died from malaria. The swamps have long been drained and fresh breezes now kiss the soaring mountain that has become the playground for the rich and famous. While most of the social life revolves around the fast little boats everyone keeps docked in the 16th-century harbour Porto Ercole, the long stretch of beach along the Feniglia offers a unique pine-shadowed stretch of white sand beach, accessible only on foot or by bike.

From the ports on the Argentario, one can reach the jewel-like islands of the Tuscan Archipelago. Rocky coves and white sand of Giannutri and Giglio offer some of the best and snorkelling along the coast. Farther north is Elba, the largest of the group of islands. While the smaller islands can be savoured during a day trip, Elba merits a longer stay to appreciate its varied charms. Its wonderful, dry windswept climate invites a leisurely stay. Leaving the Etruscan hills behind and heading back for the fertile green central Tuscany. Along this final segment of the drive you'll come across many small towns in medieval settings until you reach Arezzo. The Roman called it Arretum — a town that lies in the middle of olive and vine-covered hills in a valley where the Chiana and Arno rivers meet.

Cortona was the last stop for us. On the border of Tuscany and Umbria, atop a hill clustered with olive trees and vineyards, Cortona is like a step back in time to the early Renaissance. Secluded and silent, the walled city consists of steep narrow streets that open onto uneven piazzas. Its cathedrals and palaces display paintings and other artwork, and the Palazzo Communale houses one of Tuscany's richest Etruscan museums.

How to get there: The nearest airport is at Florence. There is a convenient local bus system or you can hire car form Florence. Another airport is in Pisa. For more on transportation visit this link. You can then move by car or by bus. The public service is operate by bus thanks to the bus you can reach the main towns while to visit the countryside it is better a car for transportation.

Where to stay: There are numerous small guesthouses and pensions and self contained apartment in the old tuscan style in medieval villages or in the open countryside. The price range vary a lot, from cheap price accomodation in a self contained vacation apartment to holiday cottage, castles and Villas

What to eat: This is the best part. Tuscan food is simple and famously superb. It's a divine experience to have Bistecca alla Fiorentina (a simple yet superb connotation with local toasted bread, garlic, herb and a heavy dose of olive oil) with a glass of Chianti wine, while watching the splendid countryside and local scene. Than the world famous pizza in all its diversity of stile and ingredients, the bruschette with the extra virgin olive oil of this land.

Visit the whole Chianti Region and budget accomodations