Pistoia
Just steps from Piazza del Duomo is this beautiful gem of a Romanesque church, thought to date from the 8th to 10th centuries within the ancient city…
Must-see attractions in Northwestern Tuscany
Pistoia
Pistoia's Gothic Palazzo Communale is strung with works by Tuscan artists from the 13th to 20th centuries. Don't miss Bernardino di Antonio Detti's…
Pistoia
This gallery inside Palazzo del Tau is devoted to Pistoia's most famous modern son, sculptor and painter Marino Marini (1901–80). Dozens of his drawings…
Centro Per l'Arte Contemporanea Pecci
Northwestern Tuscany
The striking work of Holland-based, Indonesian architect Maurice Nio at Prato's contemporary-art museum lures art lovers into its lair with a dazzling…
Northwestern Tuscany
In San Pancrazio, 11km north of Lucca, the gardens of Villa Oliva surrounding a 15th-century country residence designed by Lucchesi architect Matteo…
Lucca
Tucked across the walkway from the Baluardo San Regolo are Lucca's pretty botanical gardens, well worth a meander and a contemplative moment in the shade…
Pisa
Straddling the southern bank of the River Arno, this attractive city park – complete with children's playground and benches aplenty – is ensnared within…
Chiesa di San Giovanni Fuorcivitas
Pistoia
Gargantuan black-and-white striped marble facade aside, the star turn of this striking Romanesque church fronting Via Cavour is Luca della Robbia's glazed…
Pistoia
Across the square from the cathedral is its 14th-century octagonal baptistry, elegantly banded in green-and-white marble to a design by Andrea Pisano. An…
Pistoia
Don't miss this beautiful small square, with its laid-back cafe life and striking, life-size sculpture of three blindfolded men, Giro di Sole (Around the…
Northwestern Tuscany
To learn how the Romans worked with marble, visit this surprisingly informative, open-air museum adjoining the souvenir shop across from the quarry…
Lucca
The great Giacomo Puccini, who came from a long line of Lucchesi musicians, was born in Lucca and grew up in an apartment at Corte San Lorenzo 9, today a…
Northwestern Tuscany
This cave, 9km west of the SS445 along a very narrow road, showcases a world of underground abysses, lakes and caverns. April to October, choose between…
Northwestern Tuscany
Around the corner from the cathedral on pedestrian Via Garibaldi is this atmospheric old-world baptistry. The pair of baptismal fonts – one originally in…
Northwestern Tuscany
This impressive bulk of a history museum opened in 2013 as one of Tuscany's smartest museums after a record 20-year renovation job. An entire room is…
Northwestern Tuscany
Opposite the tourist office, Carrara's Marble Museum tells the full story of the marble quarries outside town, from the old chisel-and-hammer days to the…
Mura di Pisa (Eastern Entrance)
Pisa
Access the eastern end of Pisa's 12th-century city walls via a purpose-built staircase inside Torre di Legno, in a gated courtyard next to Piazza…
Northwestern Tuscany
Behind the clock tower on the seafront, this family-friendly bathing establishment rents out slide-equipped pedalos and canoes to beach-goers and has a…
Chiesa di Santa Maria della Spina
Pisa
Don't miss this waterside, triple-spired church, an exquisite Pisan-Gothic gem encrusted with tabernacles and statues. It was built between 1230 and 1233…
Orto Botanico delle Alpi Apuane 'Pietro Pellegrini'
Northwestern Tuscany
This delightful botanical garden in Pian della Fioba is ideal for discovering alpine flora. Opening hours can be variable; check the day's opening hours…
Northwestern Tuscany
An eye-catching sea of bright orange-and-white parasols and deckchairs polka-dot the vast stretch of sand at this vintage beach, as popular as it was when…
Northwestern Tuscany
No visit to San Miniato is complete without a stiff hike up to this reconstructed medieval fortress tower – the panorama at the grassy top is wonderful.
Northwestern Tuscany
Prato's textile museum, in the town's former Campolmi textile mill, explores the history and use of textiles through the ages.
The Lunigiana
From central Piazza della Repubblica and adjacent Piazza del Duomo, walk along Via Garibaldi then bear left along Vietata l'Affissione or Sdrucciolo del…
Lucca
Legend has it that Lucca's 13th-century clock tower – at 50m tall, the highest of the city's 130 medieval towers – is inhabited by the ghost of Lucida…
Pistoia
Delve into the underbelly of subterranean Pisa with a one-hour guided trek (in English) of passageways snaking beneath 13th-century hospital Ospedale del…
Pistoia
Sister gallery to Palazzo de' Rossi on the same street, this palazzo is a fine example of 15th-century Tuscan architecture thanks to leading Florentine…
Pistoia
Modern art from 1900 to 1945 is the focus of seasonal exhibitions at Palazzo de' Rossi, an elegant palazzo built for the wealthy Rossi family…
Casa-Studio di Fernando Melani
Pistoia
The house studio where Pistoia-born abstract artist Fernando Melandi lived and worked can be visited – a perfect opportunity to view works by the artist…
Chiesa Abbaziale dei Santi Pietro e Paolo
Northwestern Tuscany
Castelnuovo's small duomo (cathedral) was rebuilt in the 15th century on the ruins of an 11th-century Romanesque church. Its baroque interior safeguards a…
Pistoia
Break between sights with a frolic in this whimsical city park designed by local artists where contemporary works of art mingle with playful slides,…
Northwestern Tuscany
Elisa Bonaparte, Napoleon's sister and short-lived ruler of Tuscany, once lived in handsome Villa Reale, 7km north of Lucca in Marlia. The house isn't…
Northwestern Tuscany
Tucked between shops on Via Mazzini is this precious chapel, frescoed with the Gate of Paradise and Gate of Hell by Fernando Botero (b 1932). Spot the…
Northwestern Tuscany
Visit this lovely ethnographic museum, in San Pellegrino's former hospital, to learn just how little traditional mountain life has changed over the…
Northwestern Tuscany
The far end of Piazza del Duomo is dominated by the 13th-century stone hulk of this deconsecrated church. Once dedicated to St Augustine, today the…
Torre Camponaria della Cattedrale
Northwestern Tuscany
Climb this 12th-century bell tower, built as a watch tower for the adjoining Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta e di San Genesio, for a lovely city view.
Pistoia
This striking, life-size sculpture of three blindfolded men (1996) by contemporary Pistoia artist Roberto Barni (b 1939) sits in Piazzetta degli Orgaggi.
Northwestern Tuscany
It's a stiff hike up to Barga's imposing cathedral, completed in 1595 and proffering fantastic views from its hilltop position.
Lucca Center of Contemporary Art
Lucca
Lucca's contemporary-art museum hosts some riveting exhibitions; check its website for details.
Pisa
Closed for extensive (seemingly everlasting) renovation, this museum is a repository for works of art once displayed in the duomo and battistero…
