Fall in love with Tuscany

Boasting a blend of delicious food, beautiful wine and also the birth of Renaissance, Tuscany is classic Italy. The region’s most prized art and historical relics live in the larger cities; while hilltop medieval towns offer comfortable, inexpensive villa holiday living and breathtaking views of rustic vineyards and olive groves.

Beautiful Tuscan countryside
Whether you are available in search of pure relaxation and rural charm, or perhaps an experience packed with local culture and tradition - exactly, you are sure to fall in love with Tuscany.

Idyllic hill-top towns
Because of it famous towers, the walled, medieval capital of scotland- San Gimignano is perhaps the most famous of Tuscany's hilltop towns. However, in summer the city can attract far more day-trippers that it may comfortably handle.

For a quieter, classical experience, visit neighbouring Volterra, explained D H Lawrence as "a kind of inland island," because of its sense of being somewhat stop from the rest of the region. Like Cortona, it had been a major Etruscan settlement, and the town's museum are full of relics of that enigmatic civilisation.

Volterra offers a insightful historical and artistic treasures in addition to some wonderful architecture. Included in this are two beautiful castles, a well-preserved Roman amphitheatre, along with a number of Etruscan sites.

Another gorgeous Tuscan hill-town is Montalcino, located inside the province of Siena, which is characterised by typical, Tuscan stone buildings set among a maze of little streets and passages. It can make an excellent base from which to explore southern Tuscany and it is the source of one of Italy's finest wines, Brunello di Montalcino.

A feast for that senses
Speaking of wine, it's really no secret that Tuscany hosts the very finest cuisine, it's genius lying within the simplicity of its ingredients and recipes... homemade ribbons of egg pasta in hare sauce, game or free-range meats grilled over wood coals, and beans simmered in earthenware pots. Accompany all of them a Chianti, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano or the aformentioned Brunello di Montalcino wine and you've got the perfect meal.

Sun-drenched trattorias are the perfect spot to soak up the Tuscan way of life, where eating at restaurants is a real event, while pizzerias, restaurants and village eateries serve only traditional cuisine to guarantee the true flavour of Tuscany arrives at every plate.

All Tuscan roads result in Florence
More than just the capital of Tuscany, the birthplace from the Renaissance is one of the world's greatest cities.?Florence's iconic landmark, Brunelleschi's famed cathedral dome, dominates the cityscape, rising near the Romanesque Baptistry with its marble-cladding and gilded bronze doors.

However, the city's real treasures lie within the interior of its palaces, churches, museums and galleries, where one can choose to experience first hand the sublime art developed by geniuses such as Michelangelo, Da Vinci, Donatello and Botticelli.

Our some tips for visitors:

• Visit Florence during the day - start at the wonderful Duomo that dominates the city’s skyline; consume Michelangelo’s famous Statue of David over lunch in the Piazza della Signoria and tour Italy’s greatest memorial, the Uffizi.
• Take a twilight walk along Florence’s ancient Ponte Vecchio bridge, lined with jewellery shops and renowned for inspiring marriage proposals.
• Explore the peaceful, narrow streets of charming Lucca using its Renaissance walls, Romanesque churches, Roman amphitheatre and delicatessens.
• Have a boat trip from Piombino to Napoleon’s exile, the Isle of Elba, and relish the white sand beaches and superior waters. A cable car ride to the peak of Monte Capanne offers magnificent views.
• Go to a world famous attraction, the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
• Visit one of several natural thermal baths over the region for a spa therapy treatment to boost your wellbeing.