Tuscany travel: top travel guide for real travellers

If you are thinking of travelling to Tuscany and you are looking for a travel guide, you can find some suggestions here.

The most important travel guides about Tuscany are:

• Lonely Planet: This is one of the most famous travel guides thanks to its dynamic spirit and style. In this travel guide, you can find more than 29 different tours and along with car routes. This way, you will discover more than 4000 years of architecture, culture, arts and typical dishes.
• Rick Steves: This 17^th edition it is dedicated to Tuscany and particularly to Florence. This travel guideadvices on  how to get the most out of your time and money, how to connect with local culture, detailed maps, and so on.
• Fodor’s Travel: One advantage of this travel guide is that a local expert has written it. On it, you can find incredible pictures about monuments, food, architecture and all the most important things that make Tuscany the Italian masterpiece. Furthermore, it is possible to find complete “Best of” list about the best things to do, visit, eat and much more.

Pack your suitcase and travel through the fantastic history, culture and natural beauties of Tuscany.

Tuscany trip where to go

Tuscany is an Italian Region full of impressive landscapes, history medieval villages, and countryside.

In Tuscany, you can taste some of the best Italian wines and, of course, delicious dishes.

A trip to Tuscany is more than a journey. It is a collection of adventures, flavours and emotions. It will be a different trip than usual, to discover new cities and even yourself.

Once you are in Tuscany you have to go to the main cities of the Region: Florence, Pisa, Siena, Lucca and Arezzo.

Tuscany trip what to visit: Florence

Florence is the capital city of Tuscany. It is undoubtedly the most famous and attractive city in Tuscany. The Romans have founded it in the first century B.C., and later, it became the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance.

From the 14^th to the 16^th century, Florence was the most important city in Europe thanks to its political, cultural, and economic power.

Florence’s most magnificent splendour was during the XV Century, under the rule of the Medici Family. Since then, many artists visited the city and fallen in love with it.

We still can admire their paintings, sculptures and masterpieces such as the Duomo Santa Maria del Fiore, that attracts thousands of tourists every day, the Brunelleschi Cathedral, the Giotto’s Bell Tower, the Baptistery of San Giovanni, who is the protector saint of the city. It is covered in white Carrara Marble and Prato green.

The Uffizi Gallery, where is located the private collection of the Medici Family, composed by ancient statues and busts. This museum opened for its first time in 1591, and it is one of the most famous and visited gallery in the world.

In the museum are preserved the masterpieces of important painters and sculptors such as Botticelli, Giotto, Leonardo, Caravaggio, Goya, Tiziano, Mantegna, Raffaello and, in addition, many works by European painters: mostly German, Flemish and Dutch. The collections are from the XIV Century and Reinassance period.

Once you are in Florence, you have to visit also Palazzo Pitti and its beautiful and private Boboli Gardens. In the garden, you can find statues, the Museo degli Argenti, the Galleria del Costume and the Porcelain Museum.

Don’t miss the chance to visit also Palazzo Vecchio, the Medici Chapels, the National Museum of Bargello, the Academy Gallery.

Just as the artists of the past, you will fall in love with this incredible and unique city.

Tuscany trip what to visit: Pisa

Pisa is an old city in Tuscany with Etruscan origins, which later became a Roman settlement. Thanks to the Roman colony, today there are many remains such as religious and civil buildings, streets and squares.

During the XI century, the city reached its most significant prestige as an important naval base and trade.

The Leaning Tower, or Pisa Tower, is undoubtedly the most important monument in Pisa and its main feature is the precarious leaning angle which attracts millions of tourists every year. It is the Bell Tower of the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta. Construction of the tower occurred in three stages over 199 years, from 1173 to 1319, when the seventh floor was completed. In this Tower, there are seven bells that represent the note of the major musical scale.

In Pisa you can also visit many other monuments such as the Cathedral, the Church of Santa Maria della Spina, and the ancient Church of S. Paolo a Ripa d’Arno. This one is an example of Roman architecture.

While you are in Pisa you should also visit the Borgo Stretto. It is the historical street of the city, where you can discover ancient buildings from the XIV and XV centuries. At the end of this street, there is Borgo Largo. These two “Borghi” are the main commercial areas of the city, full of shops and restaurants where you can taste some typical dish from Pisa.

Tuscany trip what to visit: Siena

Siena is famous for its cuisine, art, museums, culture and the “Palio”, horse races held twice each year that attract many local and foreign people.

Siena, similar to Pisa, is an old and Etruscan city. This city reached its peak during the Middle Ages.

Today it is still possible to walk admiring the ancient narrow alleys and aristocratic buildings. If you go to Siena, then you have to visit the Cathedral, Piazza del Campo, where the Palio is located and where since the XIV century the economic and social life was built. The Civic Museum, holds a collection of masterpieces from the Tuscan artists. The Palazzo Pubblico is one of the civil buildings in Italy, and what makes it unique is its gothic shape.

If you are in Siena, make sure to visit the Salimbeni Palace, the Medicean Fortress, and many other historical places that will make you feel like in the Medieval Ages.

Tuscany trip what to visit: Lucca

Lucca is famous for its Renaissance-era city walls, built between 1504 and 1645, and they are still intact.

The city acquired great importance during the XV century thanks to the art of silk, which became the main economic source.

Lucca is full of monuments, palaces, churches and museums full of stories. The Ducal Palace began its construction began in 1577 and continued until the XVIII Century. The National Museum of Palazzo Mansi and Villa Giunigi, the botanical garden, Museum of the Archaeology and the Lucca Cathedral.

Furthermore, Lucca Comics and Games festival is the largest European Festival dedicated to comics, videogames, movies and related genres that attracts many visitors from different Italian cities and around the world.

Tuscany trip what to visit: Arezzo

Arezzo is an old and medieval town. In the city centre you can find one of the most beautiful squares in Italy, Piazza Grande, surrounded by palaces, churches and towers, all of them built in different centuries.

The Cathedral of San Donato has a gothic style. Its construction began at the end of the XIV century and ended after three centuries.

Another church that is important and magnificent in Arezzo is the Basilica di San Francesco. It was built in the XIII century. The interior walls are decorated with Renaissance frescoes, made by Piero Della Francesca, one of the greatest painters during the Italian Renaissance art.

Passeggio del Prato Park is close to Piazza Grande and it is the perfect place for a quiet and relaxing walk.

Tuscany trip when to visit

Any season is perfect to visit Tuscany. Each season has different colours and different attractions.

If you love swimming and beaches, summer is the perfect time to enjoy the Tuscany coasts. If your soul is more adventurous, you can enjoy the countryside, have a walk into nature and do some trekking and excursions. During this season it is better to avoid the city centre because it is crowded and hot.

Autumn in Tuscany is a dream. The changes in colours and the landscapes are impressive. The weather is perfect, not too warm and not too cold, to visit the city and enjoy a walk in the city centre. During this season there are also many wine and food tours where you will taste the original Tuscan products.

Winter in Tuscany is quite, not many tourists and more local people. Tuscany, in this season, can be very cold so after a cultural visit in the main cities as Florence, Siena or Pisa, you can relax in one of the many thermal baths around the Region. Don’t miss the Viareggio Carnival, one of the biggest Carnival parades in Europe and it lasts five days.

Spring, as well as autumn, is the perfect season to visit the countryside and explore the cities. The weather is warmer, the countryside blossoms and you can admire amazing landscapes.

Whatever season you choose, Tuscany is always ready to give you charming landscapes and unique emotions.

Tuscany trip: how to get there

There are many different ways to get Tuscany: car, train, plane or bus.

The choice of transportation depends on where you are leaving from. If you are in a Region close to Tuscany, then you can go by car, bus or train. Usually, these are the cheapest solutions.

If you are not close to this Region then, maybe, the best and quickest solution is the plane. The main airport is located in Florence but this could also be the most expensive way to reach Tuscany.

Tuscany trip: the perfect accommodation

During your trip to Tuscany you should enjoy the Italian lifestyle and to do so you need the best accommodation.

Only 10 miles away from Florence, there is a castle in Volognano. Its particular position is perfect for discovering the nearby city of Florence and at the same time to enjoy the typical Tuscan countryside.

In the castle, you will also taste wines and all the typical dishes and products from the Region.

The Volognano Castle is a magical place and it is perfect during any season of the year.

Related post:

Weather in Tuscany

The top tasting tours in Tuscany Region

Unforgettable experience in Tuscany

Tuscany Travel Guide

This post is also available in: Italian