Borghi di Toscana Guida ai borghi e ai paesaggi della Toscana

Handicraft and traditional crafts Speaking of wood carving now may seem like a thing for just hobbyists. Yet Florence gave the world the great masterpieces in this art. This mental Gap can be dispelled if we accept the fact that many small businesses have for centuries contributed in that the continuity of this art were insured over the years. One ...

The city of Siena is situated in a hilly area in the center of the Tuscany region. Siena is located approximately 350 meters above sea level and enjoys a type of Mediterranean climate, characterized by hot and relatively dry summers and relatively cold and wet winters. Rainy season for Siena is however autumn during which fall 227 mm of rain, ...

Located in a dominant position on the Val d’Elsa, the medieval town of San Gimignano is one of the jewels of Tuscany. This spectacular Tuscan village is famous for its medieval towers that characterize its skyline. Because of this characteristic it has earned the name of “city of the beautiful towers”. San Gimignano is characterized by its medieval architecture almost intact where, in ...

Pisa was an important maritime town that between the eleventh and twelfth centuries expanded its trade and its conquests. The Republic of Pisa at that time controlled the Corsica, the Balearic Islands and part of Sardinia, businesses and commercial colonies of Pisa stretched from Spain to Tunisia, to Southern Italy, to the Byzantine Empire, up to arrive in Syria, Lebanon and ...

Florence is an absolute masterpiece of Renaissance art. The city is one of the most famous and known tourist destinations in the world. Here are unique masterpieces such as the dome of Santa Maria del Fiore, built by Filippo Brunelleschi. Brunelleschi’s dome has been for hundreds of years the largest dome in the world, and has been surpassed only in modern times ...

The Medici Villas are among the most original architectural structures of the Italian Renaissance. These villas were built between the fifteenth and seventeenth century by the lords of Florence, the Medici. The Medici Villas represent a kind of new building for its time, which differed both from the typical farms from the stately castles. The Medici Villas are an example ...

Why should someone think of making an important investment and buying a house in Tuscany? In an unstable economic moment, should anyone think of making an important investment and buying a house in Tuscany? The answer is very simple. Because the first value that we should put in front of everything is not economic in nature and is represented by ...

Volterra is one of the most important and ancient towns of Tuscany, with a glorious past in Etruscan, Roman and medieval eras. A treasure of immeasurable size dwells between the walls and the cobbled streets of this village. An infinity of legends, views, mysteries and treasures, guarded with pride and passion, never trumpeting from the rooftops, in contrast to the ...

Pisa is located a few kilometers from the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea, its location near the sea makes the climate of the city temperate Mediterranean. The proximity to the sea has beneficial effects on the climate of the city, in fact mitigates the heat during the summer months and makes milder winters than the inland locations of Tuscany. The ...

What do you really expect from a vacation in Tuscany? Are you ready to discover a charming territory, the authentic aspect of this land? So, let us guide you through the real Tuscany and explore the countryside between Montaione and Castelfalfi, the enticing area surrounding Villa Ciggiano and the Castelfalfi golf club, the best course in this region. Let’s start ...

Corzetti is a round stamped pasta shape typical of the Riviera di Levante, the Ligurian coast east of Genoa, which resembles a medieval coin called a corzetto. Corzetti are made from flour, water and, sometimes, a few eggs. To make them, you would need a corzetti stamp, a two-piece wooden tool made up of a round cutter and a round ...

The Chianti Sculpture Park is located in Pievasciata ca. 10 kilometres north of Siena and it is a permanent exhibition of contemporary installations and sculptures. It is a private initiative of Piero and Rosalba Giadrossi, both lovers of modern art. About 15 years ago they had the idea of an approximately 7-hectare virgin and already fenced wooded area, which was home ...

Gaiole in Chianti (2,300 inhabitants) is a small village of Chianti, that is positioned along the course of the current Massellone, the village has developed from the thirteenth century as a market place, becoming one of the capitals of Terziere of the Lega del Chianti (League of Chianti), with Radda in Chianti and Castellina in Chianti. The League of Chianti ...

The vallombrosana abbey of San Lorenzo a Coltibuono was founded around year thousands, it lived its maximum moment of glory between the 11th and the 12th century: but already in the successive century it began the decline. Even if in 15th century it had an ulterior development under the patronage of Lorenzo de’Medici. The Abbey remained property of the vallombrosani ...

Montepulciano is a beautiful medieval and Renaissance town located on a hill 605 meters high in the south of the province of Siena. Founded at the beginning of the eighth century as a castle, on a hill that controlled the transits between the Val d’Orcia and Val di Chiana. Montepulciano became rich in the Middle Ages thanks to trade and ...

The Church or the Sanctuary of the Madonna di San Biagio is located at the foot of the hill of Montepulciano, in the bottom of a driveway lined with cypress trees. This church was built by Antonio da Sangallo the Elder between 1518 and 1545 and is a masterpiece of the sixteenth century. The origin of the church of San ...

Poggibonsi (29,000 inhabitants) is an important industrial town of Val d’Elsa, situated at 116 meters above sea level, in the province of Siena, of which is the second largest city by population after the chief town. The area where there is Poggibonsi was inhabited since ancient times, this is shown by the many archaeological finds in the area. Poggibonsi is an industrial ...

Staggia Senese is a small village with beautiful walls and an interesting medieval castle. This historic village is located in the municipality of Poggibonsi, from which it’s distant 4 kilometers. The town can be reached from Florence or Siena by exiting the Florence-Siena highway at the Colle Val D’Elsa Sud exit and continuing left (to the right if you come ...

Just beyond Colle Alta, you reach the crossroads in Le Grazie, here you take the provincial road n ° 27 in the direction of Casole d’Elsa, a little more than a kilometer away, turn right following a small road bordered by two cypresses with indication Badia a Conèo. Continue for a couple of kilometers until, on the left you reach ...

Colle Val d’Elsa is located about 45 km from the exit of the A1 Firenze-Impruneta. From Firenze-Impruneta, take the Firenze-Siena highway towards Siena. You exit the freeway at exit Colle Val d’Elsa Nord. Colle Val d’Elsa is located less than an hour’s drive from the city of Siena, Florence, San Gimignano, Certaldo and Volterra. Colle Val d’Elsa, was originally developed ...

The Abbey of Saint Antimo is located about 18 km from Montalcino, near Castelnuovo dell’Abate. To get there take the road that from Montalcino goes toward Seggiano and Monte Amiata, shortly before arriving in Castelnuovo dell’Abate, turn right and you soon reach the Abbey. HISTORY Sant’Antimo is truly a beautiful abbey built in travertine, beautiful is also the landscape that surronds ...

Montalcino is situated on a high hill between the valleys of Ombrone and Asso rivers at 564 meters above sea level. From Siena are about 40 km, along the SS. Cassia in direction of Rome. A few km after Buonconvento turns to the right following the indications for the city. HISTORY The first historical document that indicates the existence of ...

The Abbey of San Galgano is easily to reach from Siena taking the state road n.73 in direction of Rosia and Frosini. Four kilometers before arriving to Monticiano turn to right on road n.441 for Massa Marittima and after 2 kilometers turn on the left for the road that leads to the Abbey. The remains of this abbey, with Latin ...

Chiusdino (almost 2,000 inhabitants) is located in the province of Siena, from which is 37 km away, it’s an interesting medieval village perched on a hill in the Colline Metallifere (Metalliferous Hills) 564 meters above sea level, overlooking the Val di Merse. The first evidence on Chiusdino date back to medieval times, it appears that during the Lombard era, between ...

Prato with almost two hundred thousand inhabitants is after Florence the most populous city in Tuscany and an important industrial center, especially of the textile industry, in particular yarns, fabrics and machinery. The city is located in a flat area at 61 meters above sea level along the Bisenzio valley and is the capital of the homonymous province, the last ...