Our experience visiting the tourist attractions that Tuscany, Northern Italy has to offer.
Link to video image montage of our Tuscany, Florence visit:-
Link to video image montage of our Tuscany, Pisa visit:-
Link to video image montage of our Tuscany, Siena visit:-
Link to video image montage of our Tuscany, Lucca visit:-
Link to video image montage of our Tuscany, Montecatini-Alto visit:-
Link to video image montage of our Tuscany, San Gimignano visit:-
Link to video image montage of our HighLights of Tuscany visit:-
Tuscany, Northern Italy 2023
In considering a trip to Tuscany, we decided to take a guided tour with the Travel Department, with the same guide on-hand throughout the entire holiday.
The tour comprised a seven nights stay in a four star hotel in Montecatini-Terme (Monsummano Terme) on a half-board basis. All of our daily coach trips began and ended at our hotel.
While staying in central Tuscany, if you get a free day consider a trip to Cinque Terre on the north west coast (ie the Italian Riviera), in our opinion, you will not be disappointed.
After our seven nights at the Grand Hotel Plaza we flew directly back to Dublin from Bologna Airport.
Montecatini-Terme
We visited the Tuscan region of Northern Italy during April 2023. We based ourselves centrally in the small town of Montecatini-Terme (Monsummano Terme) .
Staying in the Grand Hotel Plaza in Montecatini-Terme, an old hotel, centrally positioned in the town and close to shops, restaurants and the central train station. This town is known for the art nouveau Parco Delle Terme spa complex. Also, works by Joan Miro and Claes Oldenburg hang in the local art gallery. One gets a sense that the town is past its hay-day. Back in the 1940-1960, it was a very much frequented town due to the local spas, with related health benefits. Nevertheless a nice base from which to tour Tuscany.
Access to the funicular train up to the hilltop village of Montecatini Alto, is via the station on the north east edge of the park. This small village offers panoramic views and photo opportunities from its elevate positioning. This village is also known for its Torre dell’Orologio, a medieval clock tower, plus the Romanesque church of Santa Maria a Ripa.
Montecatini Terme is well connected by train to Pisa, Florence, Lucca, Viareggio, La Spezia (the start of the cinque Terre) and Rome. Montecatini Terme has two train stations, Montecatini Terme – Monsummano and Montecatini Centro.
Remember that you must validate your ticket before boarding the train. You can do this by inserting your ticket into one of the green and red machines on the platform or in the station. Failure to validate your ticket could result in a fine.
Florence
The old town centre of Florence is super walkable and relatively small as far as cities go.
Piazza del Duomo – which translates to “Cathedral Square” in English – isn’t only one of the most frequented sites in Florence, it’s also one of the most visited places in Europe. This magnificent square consists of several different buildings, including the Florence Cathedral with Brunelleschi’s Dome (affectionately known as “The Duomo”), Giotto’s Campanile (Bell Tower).
Piazza Santa Croce and the Santa Croce Basilica are a little less known, however, its cafes and street performers make the square an excellent place to sit down, relax, and absorb a more earthy charm and Florence vibe. In June each year, the square is converted to an open air arena for the Calcio Storico games. Local teams play a rough, no rules, football game dressed in medieval costume. It earns huge local interest, but, it is definitely not for the faint hearted.
Things to do in Florence
You can pay to climb the Dome of the Cathedral, and pay to climb Campanile di Giotto, the tower next to the Duomo.
Florence is full of classic souvenir shops, but you can also find many gems selling unique crafts and all manor of leather goods. Eating gelato is one of the best things to do in Florence!.
You could hike up to Piazza Michelangelo and watch the sunset. The hike up to the plaza is only about 15 minutes.
Visit the Galleria dell’Accademia art museum. It is home to one of the world’s most magnificent marble statues: Michael Angelo’s David, or indeed visit the Gucci Fashion Museum.
Make your way along the Arno river to the Ponte Vecchio bridge, built in 1345. It was Florence’s first bridge over the river. It is so unique because it is the only bridge that wasn’t destroyed during the world wars. Nowadays, the bridge has shops selling gold and silver jewellery, so you won’t directly have the feeling you are crossing a bridge.
Just walk around the streets of Florence and wallow in its unique mix of culture and fashion. A great place for a bit of retail therapy!!!!!
Pisa
The majority of things to do in Pisa are all centrally located at the Piazza dei Miracoli (aka Square of Miracles, aka Piazza del Duomo). This includes the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Pisa Cathedral, the Pisa Baptistery, Opera del Duomo Museum, Sinopie Museum, and Il Camposanto Monumentale.
The main attraction and one of the architectural masterpieces in the city square, you will want to see, is the world famous (UNESCO World heritage Site) Leaning Tower of Pisa. Out of all the Pisa attractions, it tops the list of the must see sights in Pisa.
Things to do in Pisa
Visit the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Pisa Cathedral, the Pisa Baptistery, Opera del Duomo Museum, Sinopie Museum, and Il Camposanto Monumentale.
The Leaning Tower – Pisa’s most visited attraction and probably the most famous tower in the world, also known by the name La Torre Pendente.
The Tower of Pisa is the bell tower for the Pisa Cathedral. Construction started in 1173, and it was completed in 1372 (200 years later!). While the tower was meant as a showy piece to display the wealth of the city, it became known for its lean. The city of Pisa lies on marshy soil, and its loose underground subsoil caused the tower to lean due to a sinking foundation on one side. In 2001, engineers managed to stabilise the building for at least the next 200 years. For the first time in history, the Leaning Tower of Pisa has managed to stay in place, even though it’s still technically leaning.
Lucca
Lucca is a city on the Serchio river in Italy’s Tuscany region. It’s known for the well-preserved Renaissance walls encircling its historic city centre and its cobblestone streets. Broad, tree-lined pathways along the tops of these massive 16th and 17th century ramparts are popular for strolling and cycling.
For us, the best experience of Lucca is getting lost in its narrow streets and admiring the rich heritage of almost every building that you come across in the old town centre. Its very Italian outdoor culture of bars and restaurants is a joy to experience. In our opinion, Lucca is marvellous old town to visit during your stay in Tuscany.
Siena
One of our favourite cities in Tuscany. Piazza del Campo, nicknamed Il Campo, is the heart and soul of Siena. It’s one of Europe’s great medieval squares. All routes in Siena radiate both to and from Il Campo.
Built on a fortified hill top, for historical defence, it is a steep climb upwards from the shuttle bus drop off point.
The Palazzo Pubblico is another landmark to carve out some time for on your one day in Siena itinerary. The palace was built in 1297-1308 for the Council of Nine, the governing body of Siena.
Siena was a main pilgrimage stop on the way to Rome. It raked in money from manufacturing and banking.
Although Florence gets most of the glory, Siena was a co-equal and rival of Florence in the 14th and 15th centuries. The town had a flourishing culture of humanism and a progressive democratic government.
Artists such as Duccio, Simone Martini, and Ambrogio Lorenzetti were part of the important Sienese painting school, producing some of the best art in Tuscany.
After centuries of battles, Florence conquered the city once and for all in 1555. Siena became a backwater for six centuries. It remained under the rule of the Medici until the unification of Italy in 1861.
On the upside, Siena’s loss became our sightseeing gain. As a consequence of this antiquated period, Siena preserved its medieval architecture and setting.
Siena is also known for a crazy medieval horse race, the Palio of Siena. It’s a twice a year celebration held on July 2 and August 16. Siena’s gorgeous medieval piazza, Il Campo, is transformed into a medieval race track.
The race is a frantic 3 laps, lasting 90 seconds in total. Only 10 horses can race. The horses represent 10 of the 17 contrade of Siena and are drawn at random.
There are no rules. Even an unseated horse can win the race so long as it is first past the post. It’s standing room only. 50,000 people usually attend the races, with much excitement and screaming. It’s important to keep the race dates in mind when planning a visit to Siena. Either you’ll want to join in the frenzy, otherwise avoid the congestion.
Things to visit in Siena
Duomo Museum
Siena Cathedral Complex
Il Campo
Palazzo Pubblico
Santa Maria della Scala
Torre del Mangia or Pinacoteca
Historic Centre
Medici Fortress
San Gimignano
San Gimignano is a medieval village named ‘the Manhattan of the Middle Ages’ because of its majestic towers. It had 72 towers in its heyday. Now 14 remain on this hilltop settlement rising above Tuscany's Elsa Valley.
San Gimignano has stood on this beautiful hilltop for over 800 years, dating back to the Middle Ages. Back in those times, families competed to build the tallest towers, all trying to outdo each other. The higher you could build, the more you elevated your status as the wealthiest family in the town. As a direct consequence of this Gimignano has retained its feudal atmosphere and appearance.
Its location in Val d’Elsa, 56 km south of Florence, provided an important relay point for pilgrims travelling to or from Rome on the Via Francigena. The town became independent in 1199 and between the 11th and the 13th century the noble families and upper middle-class merchants who controlled the free town built many fortified tower houses.
After 1353, the town went into a period of decline due to waves of famine and plague that caused a drastic decrease in population. Within a hundred years, the town was downgraded to the level of the other lands under the Florentine control. This status, however, prevented the town from the urban renewal that transformed many similar Italian historical towns after the Middle Ages.
Do not forget to try an ice-cream from the famous Gelateria Dondoli.
A sense of Tuscany, Northern Italy 2023
The topology of Tuscany is mainly hilly and mountainous with some fertile plains, which are home to a multitude of large garden centres and vineyards. Tuscany is famous for its wonderful wines, with Chianti being the most famous. Its western edge is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea. Two thirds of the region are crossed and bordered by the Apennine Mountains. The coastal areas are fairly mild all year round, while the interior has considerable temperature fluctuations between winter and summer.
The region has a history of Etruscan followed by Roman era. Following on from the Romans, Tuscany was very heavily influenced by the wealthy ruling Medici family. During its final Renaissance and Modern eras, the politics of the region was heavily influenced by the French Imperialism and laterally Fascism. Since 1970s establishment of Italian regional government, Tuscany has always been ruled by the centre left parties.
In terms of Art, Tuscany is regarded as the ‘Art palace of Italy’. That title alone should justify any visit to this culturally vibrant region of Northern Italy.
The best time to visit Tuscany, in our opinion, is April - June or September - October. The temperatures are still mildly warm and cities, towns are less crowded. June is especially festive in this region, with parades, dances and games.
Our must see recommendation for a trip to Tuscany, Northern Italy 2023:-
(1) Our visit to Siena in Tuscany, an UNESCO heritage site, was the highlight of our entire trip.
(2) Our second choice would be visiting Florence, and the Duomo.
(3) Our third would be visiting Lucca, another UNESCO heritage site, with its amazing rampart fortifications.
As always, the people we met on the tour and our Travel Department guide, Laura and the various bus drivers, enriched the whole experience.
“You should travel away from home, to really appreciate the value of what you have at home, on your return.”
“Happiness is found in the journey and rarely in the destination, alone.”