Travel to Tuscany: Inside Information for your Tuscany Holidays

Travel to Tuscany knowing heaps before you go on your Tuscany holidays! We give you inside information with our Tuscany travel guide on what to see and do, what wine to look out for, what villas to rent, when it is the best time to visit as well as restaurant reviews, and regional dishes of this area of Italy.

Travel to Tuscany: Introduction for your Tuscany Holidays

                               Tuscany, Italy in the Arezzo Province

Tuscany is a beguiling lover. When you visit you are overwhelmed by the beautiful countryside of vine-clad hills, Cyprus trees that line winding roads, olive groves with their silver leaves and hill-top towns built in stone that haven't changed in a thousand years. Tuscany gets under your skin, and she beckons to be visited again and again, long after you have left.

When to Travel to Tuscany? The Spring

The Tuscan countryside changes with the seasons, each season showing a different face of her beauty. In the spring from April to June you can see swathes of red poppies growing in the wheat fields of Tuscany. The hills are covered in wild flowers and new grasses. Wild irises line ditches and river beds, and roses and magnolias start to bloom.

When to Travel to Tuscany? The Summer

Travel to Tuscany in the summer when the farmers are busy with their summer produce. Sun-kissed melons can be eaten; the sweetest melons I have ever had and the tomatoes in Italy cannot be beaten. They also have flat, white peaches that look a little like a doughnut that are sublime; juicy and sweet and delicious.

Tuscany's wine and food is famous around the world. The food is rustic and simple but made with passion and care. The red wine is heady, full-bodied and robust. Grape harvesting differs from region to region, but in Tuscany, the grape harvest starts in September. By mid-September, the grape harvest is in full swing and there are a number of grape harvest festivals in villages around the province.

Travel to Tuscany and you will come across layers of history in town walls where buildings have been built on top of existing structures. Go to San Gimignano and look for Etruscan sculptured block work in the town's walls. They are easily visible and a reminder of how casually Italy accepts her rich history.

           Autumn fields in Tuscany, Arezzo

When to Travel to Tuscany? Autumn

In the autumn the Tuscan countryside starts to change from green to autumn hues of gold and brown an the many oak trees deepen in colour as the season progresses. The farmers are busy with their grape harvests and in November it is olive picking time. The weather is fresh now, and winter is fast approaching.

When to Travel to Tuscany? Winter

Finally, after 3 seasons of productivity and produce, the winter months bring a biting cold, snow in many places and a time of rest for the farmers, the vines and the olive trees waiting until spring for the cycle of life to begin again.

And I think that it is this cycle of life that is so evident in Tuscany that makes us so fond of this region when we visit. The people fall in with the seasons of planting and harvesting, they eat locally produced food that is seasonal, most of which has been grown organically. They remain unhurried. They close their shops for lunch to spend time with their families to enjoy their main meal of the day.

Travel to Tuscany: The Various Areas to Visit on your Tuscany Holidays

                           The Casentino Valley where we have a farm.

As Italy is regional, so is Tuscany, even though it is a region of Italy in its own right.

We tend to think of Tuscany as being just the Chianti area, or the area next to it called the Valdarno. Most people when they travel to Tuscany will only see this area. Which is a pity really, as there is so much more to Tuscany than this. 

Provinces of Tuscany:

• Arezzo
• Florence
• Grosseto
• Livorno
• Lucca
• Massa-Carrara
• Pisa
• Pistoia
• Prato 
• Siena

Arezzo Province:

There are 4 main areas, or valleys that make up the Arezzo Province: The Casentino where we have our farm, the Valdarno, the Valtiberina or the Tiber Valley as it is also known by, and the Val di chiana.

There are many places outside of the main touristy areas where you can continue to enjoy the beautiful Tuscan countryside. One such place is in the Casentino Valley. I think that this is a little slice of paradise, because it is not overrun with tourists, even in the height of summer, and it has some wonderful gems to visit such as Poppi and its wonderful Poppi Castle, Arezzo for its stunning Medieval architecture and monthly antique markets, Caprese Michelangelo where Michelangelo was born,  Anghiari a perfectly walled Medieval town, the Casentino National Forest just to name a few.

Arezzo is a gem that is often missed by those who travel to Tuscany. It has wonderfully preserved Medieval architecture in the places that weren't ravaged by World War II and has Piero della Francesca's famous "The Legend of the True Cross" in the 13th century church of San Francesco. Not forgetting, of course, the popular Cortona.

Florence Province:

However, when you travel to Tuscany no doubt the Siena and Arezzo provinces are the the first places you will visit. However, there is so much more to see, and when you travel to Tuscany one of the places you cannot miss is of course the capital city of this province with the same name. Florence, home to Michelangelo's David, the Arno River and the Ponte Vecchio, Pitti Palace, Uffizi Gallery and the Palazzo della Signoria.

This is the heart of the region and the landscape that matches the quintessential Tuscany. It is here that you will see fields of sunflowers and poppies, vineyard clad hills and olive groves.

Florence is a small town crammed with art and history and seethes with tourists during the summer months. It is a beautiful example of the Renaissance period, and Botticelli, Michelangelo and Donatello turned the city into one of the world's greatest art capitals.

Grosetto Province:

The Maremma is seldom visted by tourists and yet it has many Etruscan sites reminding us of how ancient this area of Tuscany is. The red-soil is fertile and produces tonnes of fruit and vegetables every year, as well as olive oil, flowers, grain and wine. Some places that are not to be missed in this area are Massa Marittima is no where near the sea despite its name and is an ancient Etruscan site with hot springs, Pitigliano rising straight out of the tufa rock that it is built on with caves and tower-houses, and the nature reserve of Monti dell'Uccellina.

When you travel to Tuscany try and see more than just Chianti. Travel to the Mugello area north of Florence which is a wide, green valley protected by the Apennine mountains to the north and is well-watered by the mountain springs that feed into the Arno. Visit Scarperia, an interesting fortified village and the principal town of Borgo San Lorenzo.

Lucca Province:

And then there is the Garfagnana. The landscape is varied with a variety of climates and vegetation. It is a particularly striking and beautiful part of Tuscany owing to its mountains and it is here that you can find the walled town of Lucca, and Barga, a pretty hill-top village. The hills are covered with chestnuts in the autumn and with snow in the winter.

In the province of Lucca you can explore the coast strip to the north of Italy known as the Versilia. It is a haven for sun-worshipers with miles and miles of white sandy beaches and a mild climate. Forte dei Marmi is sought out by the Italians for their holidays. However, be careful where you go along this strip as you can find yourself thinking that you are in Benidorm, or Blackpool rather than in a Tuscan coastal haven as there are places here that are squalid and overrun with tourists and unsympathetically built hotel blocks.

Siena Province:

However, Florence didn't have it easy in the past with Siena rising up against this city, jostling for power and position. And it is a beautiful medieval city. The historic centre of Siena has been declared by UNESCO a World Heritage Site and the surrounding countryside is equally as breathtaking as the city itself.

Recommended Restaurants in Tuscany

Most restaurants in Tuscany serve good food, but there are others that serve great food. The food that you will remember long after you have left Tuscany, and you dream of those halcyon summer days spent winding your car round cypress-lined roads through olive groves and wine estates. See our page on  restaurants offering Tuscan food that you won't regret trying.

Villa Rentals in Tuscany

Tuscany villa rentals don't need to be expensive, and often, if you are staying for a while, they end up being cheaper than hotels. Have a look at some wonderful villa accommodation in Tuscany with Tuscany Holiday Villa. They don't just offer villa rentals, but they also offer cookery classes, and if you are looking for a Tuscany wedding, they are also wedding planners as well, offering you a full service.

If you are looking for some more pictures of Tuscany, you can see them here. Pictures of Italy. And if you travel to Tuscany please add some of your photos here.

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