The Cathedral of Pisa, dedicated to Santa Maria Assunta, is the main example of a religious building in the Pisan Romanesque style, it was built between 1064 and 1118, the year of its consecration, and expanded in the following centuries. Various architects worked on its construction including Buscheto, Rainaldo, Guglielmo and Biduino. A MASTERPIECE OF ROMANESQUE ARCHITECTURE Masterpiece of Romanesque ...

The Piazza del Duomo of Pisa or Campo dei Miracoli is the main tourist attraction of this Tuscan city. The square has been one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites since 1987, overlooked by buildings of great artistic value such as the Duomo (Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta), the Baptistery (dedicated to St. John the Baptist), the Campo Santo monumental ...

If, on Elba, you are following in the footsteps of Napoleon Bonaparte, you absolutely cannot miss a visit to the Palazzina dei Mulini in Portoferraio, where Napoleon resided for almost ten months, between 1814 (on 4 May 1814 he landed on the island of Elba) and 1815 (on February 26, 1815 he left for France), in addition to this, it ...

Autumn is the season of colors, and this also happens in the Chianti vineyards, that is the hilly area located between Florence and Siena. An area rich in history and art, but particularly beautiful for the union created by man and nature. When do the Chianti vineyards take on colour? There may be slight differences depending on the year, but ...

This dome is a 1:8 scale reproduction of the dome of the Florence Cathedral In the countryside around Barberino Val d’Elsa there are some interesting medieval villages, such as those of Tignano and Linari, and religious buildings, such as those of the Pieve di Sant’Appiano and the chapel of San Donnino. On this page we will write about the chapel ...

The small semi-abandoned village of Linari is located in a beautiful position on a hillock 225 meters above sea level overlooking the river Elsa. It is a small fortified village of which some interesting medieval evidence remains. The first historical evidence of this castle dates back to the 11th century. Linari had importance since its foundation due to its strategic ...

Montemassi is a charming medieval village in the Grosseto Maremma, located in the municipality of Roccastrada along the road that connects Roccastrada to Massa Marittima and Gavorrano, about 15 km from the Giuncarico exit of the Aurelia. The village is located on the slopes of a hill full of olive trees, at an altitude of 280 metres. AN IMPRESSIVE MEDIEVAL ...

Massa Marittima is a stupendous town full of interesting medieval artistic testimonies. Probably of Etruscan origin, the city preserves many monuments from its most flourishing period, which can be traced back to the mid-9th century when the bishop, up until then resident in Populonia, took office there. The period of maximum splendor of the city is however that between the ...

Pitigliano is located in the extreme south of Tuscany on the border with Lazio. It is about 75 km from Grosseto (the shortest route is the one that passes through Istia d’Ombrone, Scansano and Manciano) and about 110 km from Siena (along the Via Cassia, you pass through Monteroni d’Arbia, Buonconvento, San Quirico d ‘Orcia, at Ponte a Rigo, turn ...

The ruins of this beautiful church are located just 2 km southeast of Magliano in Toscana. To reach them leaving Magliano you must first take the road that leads to Orbetello, and after traveling a few hundred meters on this road you must turn left at the crossroads taking the road that leads to Marsiliana, after just over a kilometer ...

Tavarnelle Val di Pesa is a town located about 378 meters above sea level in the Chianti hills in the province of Florence, which is about 32 km away. Tavarnelle was born in the Middle Ages as a post station along the Via Regia Romana which led from Florence towards the Via Francigena and the Val d’Elsa, its ancient name ...

San Casciano in Val di Pesa is a town located at an altitude of 310 metres, in the Chianti hills in the province of Florence, which is about 22 km away. San Casciano was already a post station in Roman times. Subsequently, in the Middle Ages, the town developed at the meeting point between the Strada Regia Romana and an ...

Impruneta is a beautiful town located at the beginning of the Chianti hills in the province of Florence, which is about 17 km away. Already in Etruscan times, the sixth century BC, where Impruneta is today there was a place of worship. AN IMPORTANT SANCTUARY But the history of the town itself dates back to the Middle Ages (11th century), ...

Montespertoli is a town of medieval origin that extends on the top of a hill, 257 meters above sea level, which overlooks the Valdarno, the Val d’Elsa and the Apennine range up to the Apuan Alps. Its territory, largely hilly, is made up of vineyards, olive groves and wooded areas. Its strategic position, just 30 km from Florence, allows you ...

The Forte delle Rocchette stands on the sea a few km north of Castiglione della Pescaia, to reach it take the road to Follonica, pass Riva del Sole and Roccamare, immediately after the crossroads for the latter location take the road to the left for Rocchette, a few more kilometers and you reach the beach located under the castle from ...

The Castle of Pogni, known in the past with the name of Pogna, was one of the most important advanced fortifications of the city of Semifonte in the Val d’Elsa. Semifonte was the most important castle of the feudal family of the Counts Alberti. This castle was the last imperial fortification to be defeated by the municipality of Florence in ...

Montecatini Alto is located on a hill, 290 meters above sea level, which dominates the entire Valdinievole plain with an extraordinary panorama. The inhabited center of Montecatini Terme is located just below the village and can be reached by car in ten minutes or on foot, following a hilly path called “La corta” and finally via an ancient funicular. The ...

Gambassi Terme is a well-known spa resort located in the hills overlooking the Val d’Elsa, in the province of Florence, which is 54 km away. Thanks to its position along important communication routes, such as the Etruscan road to Volterra or the Via Clodia between Siena and Lucca, the Gambassi area has been inhabited since ancient times, in the Middle ...

Montecatini Terme, one of the most famous spa tourism destinations in Italy. It is located in the heart of the Val di Nievole, a short distance from the most important art cities of Tuscany such as Florence (40 km), Pisa (50 km), Siena (115 km), Lucca (30 km). Even the sea of Versilia is a short distance away, for example ...

Greve in Chianti is a beautiful town located in a flat area among the Chianti hills in the province of Florence, which is about 30 km away. Greve in Chianti was born on the edge of the important communication networks that headed the via Volterrana and the via Francigena. Originally, in the 11th century, a small settlement was established on ...

Suvereto is a delightful medieval village located between Piombino and Massa Marittima a short distance from the Tyrrhenian coast. From the top of the fortress, located 90 meters above sea level, it dominates the Tyrrhenian Sea and the plain below where the Cornia river flows. The village was a fief of the Aldobrandeschi and then belonged to the Principality of ...

Located along the road that connects Tavarnelle Val di Pesa to Castellina in Chianti and just 6 km from the splendid Badia a Passignano, San Donato in Poggio is located 418 meters above sea level immersed in the typical Chianti countryside made up of hills with olive groves and vineyards. San Donato in Poggio is a walled village of ancient ...

The small village of Tignano, located on a hill facing the medieval village of Barberino Val d’Elsa, is a small castle dating back to the Middle Ages. According to some studies it seems that its existence has been established since the year one thousand. Of its ancient structures, the circular medieval plan is recognizable. Inside the small village you enter ...

Written by Marco Ramerini. My friend Marcello Marcucci introduced me to a corner of our land that I did not know. With a splendid walk in the Chianti of almost 10 kilometers we crossed the area that is located between the provincial road 101, which connects San Donato to Castellina in Chianti, and the regional road 222, the Chiantigiana. This ...

Versilia, that is the Tuscan coast between the mouth of the river Serchio and the city of Massa, with the towns of Viareggio, Forte dei Marmi, Camaiore and Pietrasanta in the center, is certainly the most famous coastal and holiday area in the region. Tourism along this stretch of coast began to develop in the 19th century, initially as a ...