The Many Places to Visit in Tuscany

Tuscany seems to be a favorite vacation spot among tourist these days. Tuscany’s travel attractions include historic cities, art, great wine, good food, medieval hill towns, beaches and a beautiful countryside. All the world knows Florence, Siena, Pisa and even San Gimignano with its medieval towers. But this Italian region also has many secret treasures that I highly recommend that you find a nice villa or farmhouse and settle in for a couple of days.

Arrezo, the home of Petrarch, father of the modern Italian language, and Guido D’Arrezo, inventor of the modern musical scale, is one of the great Renaissance areas in Tuscany. Among Arrezo’s many masterpieces, Duomo and the 15th century church of Santa Maria delle Grazie stand out.

Cortona, home to Frances Mayes ‘Under the Tuscan Sun’, is one of the oldest towns in Tuscany. There’s still much of its Etruscan wall that remains which separates the medieval city from the surrounding olive groves and vineyards.

A few miles of the Tuscan shore is Elba, the island where Napoleon spent his first exile until escaping in 1815. You can visit his 2 homes, sip espresso in the port of Marina di Campo and hire a fishing boat to sail around Monte Cristo. I highly suggest spending a few days in this untamed island because of the great fun and relaxation it brings.

DH Lawrence described Volterra as “grim”. The ancient Etruscan stronghold overlooking the sea is a massive fortress that is surely unique. Volterra’s churches and palaces are also filled with countless masterpieces. You can find yourself immersed in just about every period of Italian history in Volterra with far fewer travellers than if you were in San Gimignano.

Maremma is a party of Tuscany that very few tourists have time to visit but it is quite fascinating if you do get to visit. The Etruscan tombs outside Sovana lie within the quiet confines of a forest. As you wander amongst the groves, you suddenly come face to face with stones that were planted there by a mysterious civilization that we still know very little about. Maremma also has the unique thermal waterfalls of Saturina, the ancient hill town of Pitigliano which is famous for its lace, its Jewish origins and its unspoiled coastline.

There are so many more places to visit in Tuscany but I have to admit that even I haven’t been to all of them. I’ve heard from other traveler friends that the seaside resort of Viareggio is a great place to visit in February. There’s also the home of Giacomo Puccini at Torre del Lago. Lucca with its perfect city walls, Piazza Anfiteatro and the inventive palazzo doors. There’s Pienza, Montepulciano, Monte Oliveto Maggiore, Pistoia and Prato. With all these great places to visit, I think a month-long stay in Tuscany wouldn’t even be enough!