Tuscany with Siena

Tuscany with Siena Travel Guide

Tuscany, or Toscana, lies in central Italy, midway down the peninsula, with miles of coastline on the Tyrrhenian Sea. Rolling hills, snow-covered mountains, and dramatic cypress trees provide breathtaking views seemingly whichever way you look. The Arno, perhaps its most famous river, stretches clear across the region from Florence before making its way to the sea just outside Pisa. The beauty of the Tuscan landscape proves a perfect foil for the abundance of superlative art and architecture found here. That same landscape also produces some of Italy's finest wines and olive oils. The combination of unforgettable art, glorious views, and eminently drinkable wines that pair beautifully with the simple food of the region makes a trip to Tuscany something beyond special.

Today many of Tuscany's cities and towns are little changed. Civic rivalries that led to bloody battles so many centuries ago have given way to soccer rivalries. Renaissance pomp lives on in the celebration of local feast days and centuries-old traditions like the Palio in Siena or the Giostra del Saraceno (Joust of the Saracen) in Arezzo. Many present-day Tuscans look as though they might have served as models for paintings produced hundreds of years ago. In Tuscany, it often seems as though the Renaissance was something that took place within living memory.