Sites & Sounds of Tuscany

- A Tuscan Treasure Chest
- A Rich Cultural Heritage

- Local Festivals
- Simply Delicious

Few places in the world can boast an artistic legacy so deeply rooted in the territory and popular culture as Tuscany.
It is a land of art and civilisation which today continues to be a sought-after place of residence and source of inspiration for numerous Italian and foreign artists. The countless testimonies of art in Tuscany indeed narrate a story as articulated and complex as it is unique and unrepeatable, starting at the dawn of civilisation and continuing up until present day.
For the visitor, a trip to Tuscany today holds much the same fascination that accompanied the travellers on the Grand Tour. The first-time visitor to the lands of Tuscany cannot but be amazed by the heady mix of landscape and culture, history and the expressive means of architecture and town-planning, its art, architecture, monuments and museums.
A cradle of Italian civilisation and one of the greatest crucibles of modern European culture, Tuscany is a workshop of artistic experiences.
The story of art in this region begins with the cave dwellings of Cetona, the stele-statues of Lunigiana, the presence of ancient civilisations on Elba Island, and then continues with the Etruscan necropolises with tangible signs of a Roman past, the countless testimonies of the Middle Ages, the flowering of the Gothic, the explosion of the Renaissance, the opulence of the Baroque, the Macchiaioli, the flowery art nouveau style, finally reaching the expressions and trends of contemporary art.

CLIMATE

The climate is good but it is worth bearing in mind that there are cold and wet winters in addition to the long hot summers. The spring is usually quite mild and pleasant but in the height of summer, it can be quite uncomfortable at times. Expect snow in the winter but generally on higher ground.

This is a region that is drenched in culture, so expect an array of festivals, especially in the summer months that range from simple flag waving village affairs to the world famous horse racing Palio in Siena and the Viareggio carnival.

Shopping is a favourite pastime in Italy and Tuscany offers great style and quality, especially in fashion, leather and also home design and furniture as well as antiques. For clothes shopping, Florence is second to none with fantastic boutiques and out-of-town designer outlets. Siena is also becoming a shoppers paradise but on a smaller and more gentile scale. Arezzo houses the largest outdoor antiques fair in its square and you can also find outdoor antique fairs in Lucca and other towns.

For those looking for nightlife, head for the larger towns, where there is an abundance of bars and restaurants. For a more hectic night, then Florence and the buzzing coastline around Viareggio offer some great bars and clubs.

Italy is not known for its golf but for golf lovers, Tuscany really does steal the march with courses around Florence, Montecatini Terme, Punta Ala, Tirrenia and Orbetello amongst others. Other activities of interest include sailing and diving (especially along the more southern coastline around Argentario), horse riding and fishing.

An unmistakable ingredient in Tuscan life is its cuisine. Although Tuscany may not be regarded as one of the great culinary regions, it does offer good traditional food using fresh ingredients and is full of flavour. The region also produces some of the most famous wines in Italy, with Chianti being the most famous and Brunello di Montalcino being considered to be the best.