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.
Must-see attractions in Tuscany
Elba
The salmon-pink Star Fort, so called due to its shape, is one of Portoferraio's defining hilltop forts. It was commissioned by Cosimo l de' Medici and…
Livorno
Pietro Tacca's 1626 statue of Grand Duke Ferdinand I of Tuscany and four chained African slaves was commissioned to commemorate Ferdinand's victories over…
Eastern Tuscany
Dante was once a regular guest at this ruined 11th-century castle. Just down the hill is the exquisite Pieve di Romana, a Romanesque church built in the…
Chiesa dei Santi Michele e Gaetano
Duomo & Piazza della Signoria
This baroque church, with a beautiful sculpted facade on Florence's smartest shopping strip, was built between 1604 and 1648 on the site of an old…
Elba
More than 150 Mediterranean species inhabit this modest aquarium, making it a good grey-day option. It’s 2km northeast of town, signposted off the SP30 to…
Arezzo
Cobbled Piazza Grande is overlooked at its upper end by the porticoes of this wonderful palazzo, completed in 1573.
Southern Tuscany
This small baroque church is one of the most prominent sights in Porto Ercole's hillside centro storico (historic centre). Sadly, it is rarely open.
Pistoia
This striking, life-size sculpture of three blindfolded men (1996) by contemporary Pistoia artist Roberto Barni (b 1939) sits in Piazzetta degli Orgaggi.
Museo Civico 'La Città Sotterranea'
Chiusi
Subterranean passages filled with the city museum's collection of monumental inscriptions (mainly urns and grave tiles) can be accessed on guided visits.
Montepulciano
Michelozzo's Chiesa di Sant'Agostino features a lunette above the entrance holding a terracotta Madonna and Child, John the Baptist and St Augustine.
Montepulciano
This medieval tower house is topped by the town clock and the hunched figure of Pulcinella (Punch, of Punch and Judy fame), which strikes the hours.
Museo Statale di Palazzo Taglieschi
Eastern Tuscany
This museum, enclosed within the massive walls of medieval Anghiari, has a modest collection of 15th- and 16th-century sculptures and paintings.
Chiesa di Sant'Andrea Apostolo
Siena
This 12th-century church was one of the original pilgrim churches along Via Francigena but was heavily reconstructed in the 18th century.
Southern Tuscany
Built by the Spanish, this 16th-centry fort, an unusual star shape (hence its name), is the only Porto Ercole fort open to the public.
Northwestern Tuscany
It's a stiff hike up to Barga's imposing cathedral, completed in 1595 and proffering fantastic views from its hilltop position.
Montepulciano
Montepulciano's Chiesa di San Francesco dates from the 13th century, but was largely reconstructed in the 17th century.
Southern Tuscany
Massa Marittima's immense, medieval Arco Senese soars overhead as you pass between the Città Vecchia and Città Nuova.
San Gimignano
A late-13th-century structure featuring the 51m Torre della Rognosa. It's not open to the public.
Montepulciano
Antonio da Sangallo (Sangallo il Vecchio) designed his handsome palazzo. It isn't open to the public.
Montepulciano
This late-Renaissance palazzo was designed by Giacomo da Vignola. It isn't open to the public.
Lucca Center of Contemporary Art
Lucca
Lucca's contemporary-art museum hosts some riveting exhibitions; check its website for details.
Arezzo
This city park was clearly created with mellow, early evening walks in mind.
Pisa
Closed for extensive (seemingly everlasting) renovation, this museum is a repository for works of art once displayed in the duomo and battistero…
Chianti
These four Etruscan burial chambers, dating from the 6th century BC, are located off the main road at the northern edge of town. Devotees of Etruscan…
Basilica di Santa Maria del Carmine
Oltrarno
Fire in the 18th century practically destroyed this 13th-century church, but it spared the magnificent frescoes in its chapel – the entrance to Cappella…
Chiesa di San Gregorio degli Armeni
Livorno
All but destroyed in a WWII bombing, the once-graceful baroque-style facade – gated and chained today – is all that remains of the early 18th-century…
Cortona
At the eastern end of Via Nazionale is this 15th-century church, home to a 1515 painting of the Madonna and Saints by local luminary Luca Signorelli.
Boboli & San Miniato al Monte
Pope Gregory X stayed at this early-Renaissance palazzo (palace) when brokering peace between the Guelps and Ghibellines in the 13th century.
San Gimignano
Occupying a decommissioned 16th-century church, this modest museum has a mournful collection of stuffed birds that dates back to 1886 and looks it.
Eastern Tuscany
Rarely open, this half-ruined tower, part of the medieval fortress crowning Castiglion Fiorentino, commands panoramic views of the Val di Chiana.
Museo della Moda e del Costume
Boboli & San Miniato al Monte
Few visitors to Palazzo Pitti get as far as this Fashion and Costume Museum, host to various fashion-themed temporary exhibitions.
Livorno
This Neo-Gothic Protestant church was built in 1864 for the use of Livorno's Dutch-German community. It's now permanently closed.
Elba
The dimly lit, 17th-century Chiesa della Misericordia is home to Napoleon's death mask.
