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Tuscany |
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| At the top of a forest covered peak in Tuscany the monastery Monte Oliveto Maggiore stands in solitary majesty. You get here by driving up the winding country road before arriving at the impressive building complex. The monastery was built at the start of the 14th century when 3 Sienese noblemen and the holy Bernado Tolomei settled in this rugged place to pray and work. |
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| Abbadia San Salvatore lies on the majestic mountain Monte Amiata. Today the town has a special atmosphere - magical and mysterious. And there is so much to see here and in the surrounding area that we would say it is one of the overlooked treasures of Tuscany.
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| On Monte Amiata, between Campiglia d’Orcia and Abbadia San Salvatore you will find the biggest Italian cinta farm. Here Fabio Pinzi breeds pigs and has 400 of them. |
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| Many would insist that it is impossible to find a large interesting town in Tuscany with rich medieval and Renaissance remains not overrun by tourists. But you can, and it is called Arezzo.
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| Bolgheri is a small old romantic town in the hills south of Livorno, 2 km from the sea. |
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| Castellina in Chianti is a charismatic town nestling in the hills between Florence and Siena. The town is in the middle of Chianti, which is well known for the production of its famous red wine. |
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| Although these days everybody seems to have been to Tuscany and most have visited Florence, Lucca, Siena and Chianti, huge areas of the region remain quite unknown, not only to tourists generally but also to the Tuscans themselves. |
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| Castiglioncello is a charming town along the Tuscan coast. It has a lively centre and small villas and bungalows built around its pinewoods. A feature of the town is the many green areas and the calm environment in the centre. |
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| One of the most sought after and exclusive resorts if you ask an Italian, but no more than an unpronounceable and unknown name to most foreigners. |
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| Chianti wine was incredibly popular especially in the years from 1870 to 1900, which led to the shabby copies from other districts. As long as the wine was poured in the classic fiasco bottle, it could pass as Chianti. In 1924 a group of wine producers from central Chianti formed a consortium, which took its name from the Lega de Chianti’s symbol – a black rooster. |
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| Its location in the centre of Chianti makes Colle Val d’Elsa the ideal spot for those who wish to explore central Tuscany. The town is very picturesque and unbelievably tourist-free, considering it is situated just a few kilometres from the motorway which joins Siena and Florence. |
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| The cultural town of Cortona is packed with Renaissance architecture. Famous architects who have left their mark on this town include Francesco di Giorgio Martini and Giovanni Battista Infregliati (also called Cristofanello) and from the 15th century, Angelo and Francesco di Pietro and later Urbano da Cortona and Ciuccio di Nuccio as well as the architect Domenico Bernabei (also called Boccadoro). |
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| Florence is the capital of Tuscany and has been a cultural centre since the early Middle Ages. If you travel to Tuscany, you really should pay Florence a visit at some point: Ponte Vecchio, Palazzo Vecchio, Piazza della Signoria, the Uffizi Gallery, the churches Santa Maria Novella and Santa Croce, Palazzo Pitti and its exhibitions, the cathedral with Brunelleschi’s vault and Giotto’s bell tower... |
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| Many people believe there is a romantic and magical aura surrounding Greve in Chianti. This small town owes its reputation mainly to the fact that it is right in the middle of Chianti Classico and is one of the main producers of wine in the region. |
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| The church of Our Lady in the Snow (Chiesa della Madonna della Neve) is among Lari’s oldest buildings. Its old medieval walls are still standing and the church can boast of works by Della Robbia. The mansions from the 18th and 19th centuries make the perfect backdrop for the old fortress. |
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| During the Lombard reign (6th –8th century) Lucca was the capital of Tuscany or, more strictly speaking, the seat of its duke. The town’s golden era was from the 11th to the 14th century when it was an independent city-state, with an influential banking community and silk trade. |
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| Massa Marittima is about 20 km from the beaches in Follonica, situated in the hills north of Grosseto. |
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| The cathedral is dedicated to Saint Cerbone, who was bishop of Populonia from 570 to 573. The church was built at the beginning of the 12th century but was rebuilt and extended later. Two building styles are noteworthy: the Romanesque and the Gothic (the latter being masterfully used by the famous Giovanni Pisano for the new facade from the 13th century). |
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| Torre del Candeliere was the main tower on the old fortress built in 1228. When the Sienese later that century conquered the town, a third of the tower was torn down. As soon as the Sienese had completed the second ring of the town walls, the tower was connected to the new fortress via an arch - Arco Senese. |
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| Montalcino is a town with a long and fascinating history. It has been a symbol for the Republic of Siena since 1555 because it gave shelter to Siena’s last remaining freedom fighters, who had suffered defeat at the hands of the armies of Emperor Carlos V. |
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| The monastery was founded in 781. In that year Charlemagne’s troops were returning from Rome and suffering from a plague. The king (not Emperor until 800) swore that he would build a monastery if God would free them from the curse. |
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| Montepulciano is about 60 km southeast of Siena. The town is built on the crest of a hill 605 metres above sea level. The town is Etruscan in origin, but became an independent province in the fourteenth century.
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| In 1213, the province of Siena built this unique castle on the remains of a Lombard settlement from the 8th century to function as an outpost to guard against the Florentines, who often invaded Sienese territory. |
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| Montopoli is on top of a tuff hill between several small streams that merge with the Arno, which flows north of the town, not far from here |
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| Pienza is just as picturesque as it is small. Its beauty is the reason why it has been chosen as a setting for many films, including Zeffirellis "Romeo and Juliette", "The Brewer" and "The English Patient ". |
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| “Pisa is more than just the Leaning Tower – but not much. The town has surprising little to offer the tourist once you have seen the tower and the other famous buildings: Duomo, Battistero (Baptism chapel) and Camposanto.” Gads Guide - Firenze and Toscana |
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| As you walk around Pisa you may be struck by the fact that there are many more churches from the Romanesque period (approx. 1000-1300) than there are in both Florence and Siena. This is a clear testimony to Pisa’s greatness during this period. |
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| It is easier to find churches rather than normal buildings and streets interesting, and therefore the descriptions of the secular delights below are shorter than the previous. This should not be taken to mean that Pisa’s biggest attractions are churches, but rather that the fascination of the small alleys, the charming squares and the inviting cafés is not as easy to describe as the origins and contents of the churches. |
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| You are never completely finished with Tuscany, and year after year you can continue to discover new exciting sides of this fantastic region. But it’s amazing how few people know Pistoia and how few tourists visit the town. |
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| Poppi is definitely not one of Tuscany’s largest or most well known towns, but once visited it is unforgettable. Poppi has 6000 inhabitants, and since very few tourists find their way out here, the town is wonderfully unspoilt. |
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| The little town of San Gimignano has remained largely unchanged since the Middle Ages. |
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| Ardinghelli and Salvucci had been fighting constantly for almost 100 years. The only time when the town was united was during wars with other towns. But the Black Death put an end to the town’s golden age. |
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| The town is absolutely charming with its almost car-free centre, its beautiful buildings and fortified walls, not to mention the many shops, restaurants and cafés. |
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| Sansepolcro nestles in the southeastern corner of Tuscany, just a few kilometers from Umbria and Marche. Although Sansepolcro is today an industrial town, the town centre is a great place to visit and abounds in rich medieval history. |
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| The mountain towns are all very different from each other. Some are rugged, others mysterious, but Santa Fiora is without comparison the most romantic, the most poetic and the most idyllic of all of them. |
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| centre of Siena is quite indescribable. Once you are through the old city gates you are met everywhere by reminders of times when neither electricity nor industry was available to the local inhabitants. Piazza del Campo with its town hall, the cathedral, Basilica di San Domenico, La Torre del Mangia and above all the streets and houses make an unforgettable impression on visitors. |
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| There are two types of people: those who prefer Florence and those who love Siena. The preference is purely personal and a matter of taste. If you like modern cities with traces of the old, you should choose Florence. If you enjoy cities which are more coherent in style and have an air of the magical sleep of Sleeping Beauty then you should go to Siena. |
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| The fine little medieval town of Suvereto lies in the Maremma area of southern Tuscany. The name comes from sughero, which in Italian means cork oak, and on arriving in the town you realise why. |
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| Volterra really should be mentioned alongside Florence, Siena, Lucca, San Gimignano and Pisa, because of its beautiful medieval and Renaissance heritage. This delightful town, with its winding network of streets and walkways, lies high in the hills providing magnificent views of the surrounding countryside. |
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| The town of Volterra today is no more than a third of the size if was during Etruscan times. The other two thirds in the west, the area called le Balze (the slopes), have simply eroded away. |
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