PLAN YOUR TRIP

Welcome to Florence & Tuscany ....... 218 Top Experiences ........ 6Need to Know ................. 16First Time ........................ 18What’s New ..................... 20If You Like ........................ 21Month by Month ............. 24Itineraries ........................ 27Staying in Tuscany ......... 31Eat & Drink Like a Local ..................... 35Outdoor Experiences..... 42Travel with Children ....... 49Regions at a Glance ....... 52

YOUR PLANNING TOOL KIT

Photos, itineraries, lists and suggestions

to help you put together your perfect trip

UNDERSTAND FLORENCE & TUSCANY

Florence & Tuscany Today ............................... 276History ............................. 278The Tuscan Way of Life ... 291The Tuscan Table ........... 294Tuscany on Page & Screen ............................. 301Art & Architecture .......... 306

Florence &Tuscany Today Famously Red Tuscany has been a stronghold of the Italian left ever since rapid indus-trialisation post-WWII. And regional elections in 2010 proved no excep-tion. Much-loved incumbent Regione Toscane president Claudio Martini(p289) chose not to stand for a third term, only for fellow centre-left can-didate Enrico Rossi (b 1958) to storm into o ce with an easy landslidevictory over the centre-right. What made the red Tuscan politician’s vic-tory so poignant was the fact that other like-minded, traditionally leftregions (such as neighbouring Lazio) fell to Berlusconi’s governing centre-right coalition (p 289 ). But famously red Tuscany stood rm.

Tuscany 2.0 Tuscans rapidly warmed to their region’s new president, who tweets at rossipresidente and uses Facebook to chat with them, answer questionsand communicate key developments in Tuscany – such as the region-wideswitch to digital TV in November 2011; Pisa being hailed as one of Italy’smost wi- –connected cities; and the opening of the rst leg of the controversial, Rome-bound toll motorway that will run from just south of Livorno to Civitavecchia, 206km further south, when com lete in 2016.

Green or G

ulation: illion

: 22,994

: €106 (6.7% of al GDP)

ual infla-9%

mploy-ate:

≈ 163 people

Art & Architecture In many respects, the history of Tuscan art is also the histoart. Browse through any text on the subject and you’ll quickunderstanding of how in uential the Italian Renaissance, o and reached its greatest owering in Florence, has been500 years. Indeed, it’s no exaggeration to say that architectand sculpture rely on its technical innovations and take insits major works to this very day.

Tuscany itself is one huge art gallery, full of museums,aces) and churches housing a treasure trove of art that ianywhere in the world. There’s no way you’ll be able to sebut a few days in Florence, Siena and Pisa should give you duction – as well as an excellent excuse to return and see m

The Etruscans Roughly 2800 years before we all started dreaming of a hiin Tuscany, the Etruscans had a similar idea. Dottin the cotowns that they founded to keep a watchful eye on the crowell as on the neighbours across the valley

From the 8th to the 3rd century BC, Etruscans held theirfriends Romans and countrymen worshi ed their own g

Etruscan ne-cropoli (tombs)

are found throughout

Tuscany. Excava-tion of these often yields

Living History Home to some of the world’s most recog-nisable tourist icons, Tuscany has been enticing visitors ever since the Etruscans arrived here to party and decided to stay. The Romans came to pave roads and stock their grain silos, Christians came to walk the stages of a medieval pilgrimage route, and British aristocrats came to admire art, drink way too much of the local wine and complete their Grand Tour. Once here, these visitors swiftly fell into the local swing of things, partaking of the food and wine with gusto and soaking up the region’s

An Artistic Pow Then there’s the art. And oEtruscans indulged their classy send-o with exquisjects that are still being excaand the Romans, always partheir own importance, left tof monumental sculptures.ing the medieval and Renthat Tuscany really hit its arpainters, sculptors and arthe masterpieces that now echurches, museums and garegion. Giotto, Brunellesch

Welcome to Florence & Tuscany

“All you’ve got to do is decide to go and the hardest part is over. So go!”TONY WHEELER, COFOUNDER – LONELY PLANET

PAGE

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275GET MORE FROM YOUR TRIP

Learn about the big picture, so you

can make sense of what you see

Vacationing in a Villa 9 If only life could always be

this good! Book a room in a country villa, or go for broke and rent the whole joint – it’s the quintessential Tuscan holi-day experience (p 31 ). Villas come in every shape and size: former medieval monasteries, ornate Renaissance country houses, simple but charming fattorie (farmhouses) and de-signer retreats sporting every mod-con you can imagine. For the perfect holiday formula, day-trip in the morning, laze by the pool in the afternoon and dine in rustic local eater-ies at night. A villa near Pienza

Medieval Festivals 10 Tuscans have more than a few peculiarities. They won’t eat foreign food (and that includes

dishes from the neighbouring regions of Lazio and Emilia-Romagna), they don’t put seats on their toilets (go gure) and they adore dressing up in medieval costumes and playing with giant crossbows or lances (p24) Almost every town hosts an annual festival in which locals don fancy

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�z Luminaria On the night of 16

June, Pisans honour their city’s patron saint with thousands of candles and blazing torches along the banks of the Arno, as well as a spectacular reworks display.

�z Giostra del Saracino

A grand, noisy a air involv-ing extravagant fancy dress and neighbourhood rivalry, this medieval jousting tour-nament (www.giostradelsaracino.arezzo.it, in Italian; p 262 ) is held in Arezzo on the third Saturday in June and rst Sunday in September.

July Cyclists and walkers take to the mountains but everyone else heads to the beach, meaning that accommodation prices in inland cities and towns drop as a result. Summer music festivals abound.

�z Festivals in Cortona

The hill town of Cortona is alive with the sound of mu-sic at its annual Festival of

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» (above) The colourful street pageant that takes place as part of Siena’s Palio » (below) A spectacular float in Viareggio’s month-long Carnevale celebrations

2 5

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©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd

THIS EDITION WRITTEN AND RESEARCHED BY

Virginia MaxwellNicola Williams

#̂

SouthernTuscany

(p236)

CentralCoast &

Elba(p164)

EasternTuscany

(p255)

Siena & CentralTuscany

(p190)

NorthwesternTuscany

(p121)

Elba

Florence(p56)

YOUR COMPLETE DESTINATION GUIDE

In-depth reviews, detailed listings

and insider tips

SURVIVAL GUIDE

Directory A–Z ................. 326Transport ........................ 333Language ........................ 339Index ................................ 350Map Legend .................... 359

VITAL PRACTICAL INFORMATION TO

HELP YOU HAVE A SMOOTH TRIP

ON THE ROAD

Modern standard Italian began to develop in the 13th and 14th centuries, predominantly through the works of Dante, Petrarch and Boccaccio – all Tuscans – who wrote chie y in the Florentine dialect. The language drew on its Latin heritage and many dialects to develop into the standard Italian of today. Although many dialects are spoken in every-day conversation in Italy, standard Italian is

nderstood throughout the country. Despite e Florentine roots of standard Italian – and

act that standard Italian is widely used ence and Tuscany – anyone who has

ome Italian will notice the peculiari-l accent. In Florence, as in other

you are bound to hear as a heavy ‘h’. For

people familiar to you or you can use the informal

In Italian, all nouns andeither masculine or femiarticles il/la eel/la (the) a(a) that go with the nou

In this chapter the pmasculine/feminine owhere necessary, sepindicated with ‘pol/

Goodbye.Yes./NoE

Language

PAGE

54

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325

Look out for these icons:

o Our author’s recommendation S A green or

sustainable option F No payment required

On the Road

See the Index for a full list of destinations covered in this book.

FLORENCE . . . . . . . . . .56

NORTHWESTERN TUSCANY . . . . . . . . . . 121Pisa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123Lucca . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136Pistoia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146San Miniato . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148The Apuane Alps & Garfagnana . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150Castelnuovo di Garfagnana . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151Barga . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .153Bagni di Lucca . . . . . . . . . .156Carrara . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157The Versilian Coast . . . . . . 158Pietrasanta . . . . . . . . . . . . .159Viareggio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .160The Lunigiana . . . . . . . . . . . 161Pontremoli . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161

CENTRAL COAST & ELBA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164Livorno . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168The Etruscan Coast . . . . . . 172Castiglioncello . . . . . . . . . . 172Bolgheri & Around . . . . . . . 173Castagneto Carducci . . . . . 174San Vincenzo . . . . . . . . . . . 175Golfo di Baratti . . . . . . . . . . 175Elba & the Tuscan Archipelago . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176Elba . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176Gorgona & Capraia . . . . . .189

SIENA & CENTRAL TUSCANY . . . . . . . . . .190Siena . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194Chianti . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .206Chianti Fiorentino . . . . . . 207Chianti Senese . . . . . . . . . .213Val d’Elsa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215San Gimignano . . . . . . . . . .215Volterra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220Val d’Orcia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224Montalcino . . . . . . . . . . . . 224The Spa Towns . . . . . . . . . .227Pienza . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228Val di Chiana . . . . . . . . . . . . 231Montepulciano . . . . . . . . . .231

SOUTHERN TUSCANY . . . . . . . . . .236The Alta Maremma . . . . . .240Massa Marittima . . . . . . . 240Vetulonia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243Paese del Tufa (Land of the Tufa). . . . . . . . 244Pitigliano . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244Sovana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248Around Sovana . . . . . . . . . 249Sorano . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249The Bassa Maremma. . . . .250Grosseto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250Parco Regionale della Maremma . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252Orbetello . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253Monte Argentario . . . . . . . 253Riserva Naturale WWF Lago di Burano . . . . . . . . . 254

EASTERN TUSCANY 255Arezzo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257Sansepolcro . . . . . . . . . . . . 263The Casentino . . . . . . . . . . 266Castello di Romena . . . . . 266Stia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268Poppi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268Parco Nazionale delle Foreste Casentinesi, Monte Falterona e Campigna . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269Val di Chiana . . . . . . . . . . . . 271Castiglion Fiorentino . . . . . 271Cortona . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271

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CHIANTI

Siena

Florence

SanGimignano

Volterra

Lucca

Pisa#•

10 DaysOnly the Best

Florence anchors any ‘best of’ tour. You’ll need at least three days to do this magnifi -cent city justice – any less and you’ll be selling both it and yourself short. Spend one day visiting the Uffi zi, another wandering through the San Marco and San Lorenzo neighbourhoods, and the third crossing the Arno to explore the artisan’s neighbour-

hood of Oltrarno. After having eaten, drunk, shopped and seen more Renaissance master-pieces than you would previously have thought possible, it’s time to slow down the pace and move on to the enchanting walled city of Lucca for two days. Hire a bike and use pedal power for a leisurely exploration of its cobbled city streets and villa-studded surrounding countryside. On day six, pop into Pisa to scale its Leaning Tower, leaving after lunch to arrive at a Tuscan farmhouse in Chianti before dusk. Check-in for three nights, visiting wineries, taking a day trip to San Gimignano or Volterra, exploring sculpture gardens and feasting on modern Tuscan food during your stay. On day nine, head to gloriously Gothic Siena, home to museums, cafes and churches that will supply a truly fabulous two-day fi nale to your trip.

Whether you’ve got six days or Whether you’ve got six days or 60, these itineraries provide a 60, these itineraries provide a starting point for the trip of a starting point for the trip of a lifetime. lifetime. Want more inspiration? Want more inspiration? Head online to lonelyplanet.Head online to lonelyplanet.com/thorntree to chat to other com/thorntree to chat to other travellers.travellers.

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TyrrhenianSea

Vetulonia

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Pitigliano

MassaMarittima

Piombino

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Parco Regionaledella Maremma

Elba

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Parco MinerarioNaturalistico Gavorrano

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To Riserva NaturaleLago do Burano;Giardino dei Tarocchi

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12 DaysThe Maremma

To make the most of the great outdoors, head to the region’s south. Start in the little-visited but utterly delightful medieval town of Massa Marittima and spend a couple of days visiting its museums and churches, drinking coff ee at the cafes in its magnifi cent central piazza and sampling Maremmese food and wine in its rus-

tic eateries. On day three, explore the Colline Metallifere, trekking through the strange landscape of ‘Le Biancane’ geothermal park at Monterotondo Marittimo or exploring a fascinating pyrite mine at the Parco Minerario Naturalistico Gavorrano.

On day four, visit an archaeological dig, Etruscan tombs and an impressive museum at the ancient settlement of Vetulonia. From here, follow the sea breezes to the island of Elba, where Venus sported in the waves and thousands of Italians follow her example every sum-mer. After spending a few days swimming, cycling and gorging on seafood, continue along the coast to the wild and wonderful Parco Regionale della Maremma to walk, canoe, cycle or horse-ride alongside the famous cowboys known as the butteri.

On day nine, those interested in bird-watching should visit the Riserva Naturale Lago do Burano or the Riserva Naturale Laguna di Orbetello, both operated by the Italian branch of the WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature), whereas art-lovers should head to the whimsical Giardino dei Tarocchi, a sculpture garden that takes its inspiration from the cards in a tarot pack. End your journey inland amid the stunning surrounds of the Paese del Tufa (Land of the Tufa), where you can visit Etruscan necropolises, and walk along the enigmatic sunken roads known as vie cave.

Also here are three enchanting and historically intact towns: Pitigliano, where you can visit an historic ghetto that was once home to the largest Jewish community in Italy; Sova-na, an atmosphere-rich hamlet with two beautiful Romanesque churches; and Sorano, known for its majestic 11th-century fortress. To make the most of your time here, consider taking the 8km walk from Pitigliano to Sovana, which incorporates stretches of vie cave – a truly unique experience.

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Camaldoli

PoppiLa Verna

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12 DaysInto the East

Mix it up a bit by balancing well-known destinations with some intriguing off -the-beaten-track alternatives. Spend three days admiring the Renaissance splendour of Florence before branching out east into the little-visited Casentino region, home to the idyllically isolated Parco Nazionale delle Foreste Casentinesi, Monte Falterona e

Campigna. Base yourself around the fortifi ed hill town of Poppi for three days, sampling the area’s rustic and delicious cuisine, visiting the medieval monasteries of Camaldoli and La Verna, following the stretch of our driving tour between the Castello di Romena and Pratovecchio, and walking a few trails in the national park. Next, meander southeast to Sansepolcro, proud possessor of charming medieval churches, great restaurants and a museum showcasing the paintings of Piero della Francesca.

Tear yourself away after two nights and continue to your fi nal destination, the Val di Chi-ana. Book into a rural retreat and spend a few days eating and drinking your way around the valley. While here, pop into the provincial capital, Arezzo, where locals outnumber tourists by a healthy margin and where churches are the highlight – don’t miss the Cappella Bacci, Pieve di Santa Maria and Cattedrale di San Donato.

A number of nearby medieval hilltop towns are also well worth visiting – Castiglion Fio-rentino and Lucignano are extremely pretty, but both pale in comparison with Cortona, which deserves a full-day visit at the very least. Be sure to walk up the steep cobbled streets to its Fortezza Medicea, and also check out the collections at the Museo dell’Accademia Etrusca and the Museo Diocesano.

When your time runs out, head south towards Rome on the A1 autostrada, stopping to visit the stunning cathedral at Orvieto en route to admire Luca Signorelli’s famous fresco cycle of The Last Judgement. Alternatively, head into the neighbouring region of Umbria to visit one of Italy’s most famous pilgrimage centres, Assisi, home to the Basilica di San Francesco where Giotto’s extraordinary frescoes portraying the life of St Francis stun all beholders.

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Pisa & its ProvincesThe Heart of Tuscany

One WeekThe Heart of Tuscany

Head to the sun-kissed centre of Tuscany to indulge in some of Italy’s best wine, architecture and scenery. Kick off in Siena, where you should

gravitate towards Gothic glories such as the Museo Civico and Opera della Metropoli-tana. During your two days here be sure to nibble on the city’s famous sweet biscuits – preferably accompanied by a glass of local Vin Santo – and explore the atmospheric streets and piazzas of the incredibly intact centro storico (historic centre). From Siena, head south through the stunning scenery of Le Crete and base yourself at a rural retreat somewhere in the area for four nights. From here, you’ll be able to explore the Val d’Orcia and Val di Chiana, visiting the charming hill towns of Montepulciano, Pienza and Montalcino and sampling the gastro-nomic products that this part of Tuscany is known for – Chianina beef, cinta senese (indigenous Tuscan pig), and Brunello and Vino Nobile wine. In between meals, visit medieval abbeys, take a scenic driving tour and soak in ancient hot springs. End your Sienese sojourn with one night in romantic San Gimignano, home to medieval tower houses and golden-hued Vernaccia wine.

One WeekPisa & its Provinces

Start your peregrination in Pisa, spending two days admiring the marble pulpits in the Baptistry and duomo, the paintings and sculpture

in the Museo Nazionale di San Matteo and the exquisite exterior decoration of the Chiesa di Santa Maria della Spina. Conclude your visit at the Piazza dei Miracoli, home to that famous engineering project gone horri-bly wrong, the Leaning Tower. On day three, spend the morning paying homage to Italy’s famous Vespa scooter at the Museo Piaggio in Pontedera before driving through gen-tly rolling hills covered in olive groves and vineyards to hunt truffl es and sleep in style at the gourmet destination of San Min-iato. From here, head to spectacularly sited Volterra in the Val di Cecina, where visits to alabaster ateliers and an extraordinary museum of Etruscan art await. Spend two nights here and then fi nish your tour in the neighbouring province and city of Livorno, home to an atmospheric central market, the delectable seafood stew known as cacciucco and the world-famous Sassicaia super Tus-can wine.

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Virginia Maxwell Coordinating Author, Siena & Central Tuscany, Southern Tuscany, Eastern Tuscany Based in Australia, Virginia spends part of every year in Italy indulging her passions for history, art, architecture, food and wine. As well as having been the coordinating author of the previous edition of this guide, she works on Lonely Planet’s Sicily guidebook and covers other parts of the country for the Western Europe book. Though reticent to choose a favourite Tuscan destination (arguing

that they’re all wonderful), she usually nominates Florence if pressed.

Nicola Williams Florence, Northwestern Tuscany, Central Coast & Elba Nicola is a British writer, editorial consultant, newbie video journalist and mother-of-three. For over a decade she has lived on the shores of Lake Geneva in France, an easy getaway through the Mont Blanc Tunnel to Italy, where she’s spent years eating her way around and revelling in its extraordinary art and landscape. When she’s not work-ing she skis the Alps, dines fi ne, hunts truffl es… This time around she travelled

camera-in-hand to catch the region on fi lm. Nicola has worked on numerous titles for Lonely Planet, including Florence & Tuscany, Milan, Turin & Genoa and Piedmont. She blogs at tripalong.wordpress.com and tweets @Tripalong.

Read more about Virginia at:lonelyplanet.com/members/virginiamaxwell

Read more about Nicola at:lonelyplanet.com/members/nicolawilliams

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Published by Lonely Planet Publications Pty LtdABN 36 005 607 9837th edition – Jan 2012ISBN 978 1 74179 853 1© Lonely Planet 2012 Photographs © as indicated 201210 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 Printed in ChinaAll rights reserved. No part of this publication may be copied, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, except brief extracts for the purpose of review, and no part of this publication may be sold or hired, without the written permission of the publisher. Lonely Planet and the Lonely Planet logo are trademarks of Lonely Planet and are registered in the US Patent and Trademark Office and in other countries. Lonely Planet does not allow its name or logo to be appropriated by commercial establishments, such as retailers, restaurants or hotels. Please let us know of any misuses: lonelyplanet.com/ip.

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