Tuscany
From Wikitravel
Tuscany (Italian: Toscana) is a region on Italy's west coast, on the Tyrrhenian sea.
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Regions
Cities
- Arezzo
- Carrara
- Chiusi
- Cortona
- Empoli
- Fiesole
- Florence (Firenze) - Capital of Tuscany
- Grosseto - modern town
- Livorno
- Lucca
- Massa
- Montepulciano
- Pienza
- Pisa
- Pistoia
- Prato
- San Gimignano
- Siena
- Volterra
Other destinations
The Tuscan islands:
- Elba
- Giannutri
- Giglio
- Montecristo
- Pianosa
Understand
Tuscany has two very diverse faces - the art cities such as Florence, Siena, Lucca and Pisa on the one hand, and the countryside on the other. The small towns, villages, castles, villas and vineyards of Tuscany make a welcome change from the traffic and noise of some of the larger Tuscan cities.
Talk
Get in
By air
International flights commonly come in to Milan or Rome, where one can rent a car and do the three-hour drive to Tuscany.
Florence and Pisa have important airports. Every major city has a railway station.
By train
Florence is an important rail destination.
Get around
Renting a car already at the airport can be recommended.
See
Do
Eat
Chianti has almost as many fine restaurants as vineyards. One example is the Ristoro Di Lamole [1] (http://www.ristorodilamole.it/eng_index.htm). It has a wide balcony with panoramic views out over the hills, and depending on the time of year you will get a great sunset as you eat. The staff speak good english, and the customers are a mix of locals and Americans, with a few British as well. A starter, main and bottle of local vintage wine will cost around 30 Euros per head, plus tip, and they won't let you leave until you've made a serious dent on the bottle of complimentary limoncello.
Drink
Tuscany is famed for its wines, most notably Chianti, Montepulciano, Morellino di Scansano and Brunello di Montalcino.
Sleep
Agritourism
For anyone planning to stay in the Tuscan countryside, "agritourism" (agriturismo) is the way to go. In broad terms this means finding your accommodation on farms and vineyards, where many farmers make additional income by renting out rooms, apartments or free-standing houses to tourists. Swimming pools are usually available.
The Chianti Classico zone of Tuscany, which lies between Florence and Siena, offers many possibilities. Agritourism accommodation here is usually less expensive than hotels or pensiones and of course provides the facilities for preparing your own meals.
Get out
You can reach from the central station of Florence the regions of:
- Bologna
- Ravenna
- Cinque Terre
- Assisi
- Orvieto
External links
Tuscan Tourist Board (http://www.turismo.toscana.it/ttgg/htmle/ttidgge.htm)