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Tuscany, Italy remains one of the top tourist
destinations in the world for good reason. Few if any other
locations can offer the combination of magical scenery, beautiful
cities, unparalleled museums and art treasures, architecture, fashion,
folklore and festivals, food and
wine, plus the unique and inexpensive vacation accommodations that are offered
by Tuscany.
STOP PRESS! Anna
Maria Baldini on why Tuscany is Europe's prime budget vacation
destination.
Tuscany is a Region of Italy - this official expression is
the equivalent of a US state or a UK county. Tuscany has
considerable autonomy although less, in terms of tax, than the
Region of Sicily, for example. Tuscany is divided up into a number
of Provinces named after their principal cities. So, for example,
the Provincia di Firenze (Province of Florence) is a part of
Tuscany and the location of the capital of Tuscany, namely
Florence. One does not therefore "go to Tuscany from
Florence" - Florence is already in Tuscany.
Other cities of Tuscany famous for the history, art and
architecture are Sienna
(spelt Siena in Italian), Pisa
and Lucca.
There are in addition innumerable smaller Tuscan towns and
villages of immense charm and often the home of important works of
art and buildings of great aesthetic interest. Among the more
famous towns are Arezzo,
Cortona,
San
Gimignano, Massa
Marittima, Volterra
and Grosseto.
There are also areas of Tuscany that a famous for their natural
beauty, spectacular landscapes and excellent Tuscan wine
production. The two best known are Chianti
and the Val
d'Orcia. In fact, almost every one of the named valleys
of Tuscany is rich in sightseeing opportunities, despite
some of them being off the tourism beaten track (mainly due to
their distance from Florence or Siena).
One of the greatest developments of the past 30 years for tourists
visiting Tuscany has been the expansion of the form of vacation
accommodation known as an
agriturismo
(plural agriturismi). These are rural holiday
accommodations in the form of entire houses, apartments or rooms
offered to tourists on working farms, usually vineyards and/or
olive producers. For those to whom the amenities of a hotel are
not essential, agriturismi offer excellent value for money. Many
of them are equipped with swimming pools, and the holiday homes and
vacation apartments are self-catering. The rooms are often Bed
and Breakfast accommodations.
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