Tuscany Landmarks

If you're looking for the quintessential Italian travel experience, there's no better place to start than Tuscany. The region offers everything, from scenic vineyards to villas dotting hillsides to historical cities. It's the perfect place for a week-long trip, or if you have more time, spread out for two weeks and enjoy a leisurely picnic one day and museum exploration the next.

Along with Venice and Rome, Florence — the capital of Tuscany — forms the third part of a rough triangle that connects Italy’s three most famous cities. Florence should be a must-see on everyone’s list — and many visitors don’t want to leave — but there’s much more to Tuscany than its capital, great as it is.

Watch for Italy tours that make time for other medieval and Renaissance cities such as Siena, Pisa, and Lucca. Explore the backroads and vineyards of Chianti and visit some of the most photogenic hill towns in the world — little villages that cling to the hilltops and seem lost in time.

Don’t let Florence’s traffic and crowds deter you — this amazing city has some of the world’s most outstanding artworks. It enjoys a beautiful location in a valley along the Arno River. It was the heart of the Italian Renaissance, nurturing artistic geniuses such as Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and Raphael.

Start with Michelangelo’s David, the world’s most famous sculpture, now in the Accademia Gallery; get there early to beat the longest lines. (You can view a replica in the square while waiting.) You’ll also find Michelangelo sculptures at the Bargello Museum and the Medici Chapels, among other sites in the city.

The Uffizi Gallery contains the world’s greatest collection of Renaissance paintings — along with works by Michelangelo, da Vinci, Raphael, and Giotto. Don’t miss Botticelli’s masterpieces, Birth of Venus and Primavera, here.

Other stops include the ornate 14th-century Palazzo Vecchio — where the Medicis once ruled and which remains the seat of government. Across the river is the Pitti Palace, which displays Renaissance paintings in a palatial setting.

A number of Florentine churches also contain notable artworks. The Duomo, the city’s cathedral and major landmark, is an unforgettable sight with its red dome and white, green, and pink marble exterior. The immense Gothic structure dominates the city skyline, and you can climb winding stairs to the top of the dome’s interior—not for the faint of heart.

Florence is also a shopping mecca, especially for leather goods. The open-air market stalls near the Duomo and the shops along the Ponte Vecchio (old bridge) over the Arno are fun places to browse.

The Leaning Tower has been leaning since its completion in the 13th century. Built on soft soil next to Pisa’s cathedral—it’s actually the church’s bell tower—the tower’s 5.5-degree tilt made it one of Italy’s most renowned historical landmarks.

But in danger of eventually toppling to the ground and causing the Pisa economy to crash, it was anchored in the 1990s with its lean reduction to 4 degrees—thus (presumably) saving it for the foreseeable future. 

Seven stories high, it contains some 300 climbable steps. The adjacent cathedral and baptistery are worth a look as well. Pisa is just 50 miles west of Florence.

Lucca is much less known than Pisa — it lacks a leaning tower — but many visitors consider it a more exciting destination.  Like most Tuscan cities, it has the requisite medieval winding streets, a cathedral, a thriving flea market where you can find just about anything, and excellent food.

But Lucca’s top attractions are its historic walls, which are wide and flat enough to walk or even bike along for lovely city views. Just 40 miles northwest of Florence, Lucca also makes a possible stopover en route to Pisa.

About an hour by car or bus from Lucca, Barga is one of those impossibly beautiful hill towns you often see in Tuscany — but Barga is more equipped than most to accommodate visitors.

The roads leading up the hillside through town are too narrow to accommodate automobile traffic, so you park your car at the base of the hill and walk up, passing trattorias, bars, and little shops selling enticing edibles along the way. 

A church crowns the top of the hill, typical of Tuscan hill towns, and views sweep over the countryside below.

Siena, located south of Florence, is an ideal base for exploring nearby hill towns and vineyards. All streets lead off of fan-shaped Piazza del Campo, one of Italy’s largest and most attractive central plazas, and the site of the Palio, a biennial horse race drawing competitors from the city’s 17 districts. It’s one of the most colorful and exciting pageants in Italy. 

Siena’s heart is primarily medieval, with steep, narrow streets snaking up the hills from the Piazza del Campo.

Tuscany’s wine country is known for its food and wine, of course, but also for its rustic atmosphere and authentic feel, made more so by its centuries-old — and sometimes crumbling — villas and farmhouses.

Its sun-kissed cuisine and wines served on trellised terraces, rolling hills, picturesque villages, and pastoral landscapes dotted with vineyards and olive groves make for an irresistible combination.

Tuscany’s — and Italy’s — most renowned wine is the soft red Chianti. Sangiovese and Montepulciano are other varietals to try. 

Castelo Banfi and Biondi Santi in the Siena region are two of Tuscany’s largest wineries, but that little vineyard down the dusty path miles from nowhere may be the ideal Tuscan setting you’ve pictured in your imagination.

Hill towns in the Tuscan wine country include Montepulciano, Volterra, Montalcino, and San Gimignano. Between them, they feature sufficient castles, fortresses, walls, medieval streets, and vistas to satisfy anyone’s fantasies of how truly authentic Italy should look and feel.

Tuscany offers many activities that cater to various interests, from cultural experiences to outdoor adventures. Here are some must-do activities for tourists visiting this beautiful region.