Santa Maria Novella
Stroll along Borgo d'Ognissanti from Piazza Carlo Goldoni towards ancient city gate Porta al Prato, past antiques shops and designer boutiques, to reach…
Must-see attractions in Tuscany
Piazza della Santissima Annunziata
San Lorenzo & San Marco
Giambologna's equestrian statue of Grand Duke Ferdinando I de' Medici commands the scene from the centre of this majestic square, dominated by the facades…
Southern Tuscany
Head down Via Zuccarelli and turn left at a sign indicating 'La Piccola Gerusalemme' to visit this fascinating time capsule of Pitigliano's historic but…
Arezzo
Built and sumptuously decorated by Arezzo-born painter, architect and art historian Giorgio Vasari (1511–74), this museum is where Vasari lived and worked…
Pistoia
Take a breather from the ancient with this airy modern- and contemporary-art museum, host to riveting temporary exhibitions and a permanent collection…
Museo dell'Accademia Etrusca e della Città di Cortona
Cortona
Spread over five floors and 40 rooms in the 13th-century Palazzo Casali, the collection here includes substantial local Etruscan and Roman finds,…
Northwestern Tuscany
In 1880 Puccini left Lucca to study at Milan's music conservatory, returning to Tuscany after his studies to rent a lakeside house in Torre del Lago, 15km…
Chianti
Occupying an 18th-century convent complex attached to a 10th-century church, this facility is operated by the Consorzio di Chianti Classico and pays…
Santa Croce
This square was cleared in the Middle Ages to allow the faithful to gather when the church itself was full. In Savonarola's day, heretics were executed…
Parco Nazionale dell'Arcipelago Toscano
Tuscan Archipelago
The Parco Nazionale dell'Arcipelago Toscano safeguards the delicate ecosystems of Elba's seven islands as well as the 600 sq km of sea that washes around…
Abbazia di Monte Oliveto Maggiore
Central Tuscany
Concealed amid dense forest on the edge of the Castelnuovo Berardenga region, this 14th-century abbey was founded by Giovanni (John) Tolomei – later Saint…
Southern Tuscany
A rather risqué surprise lurks in the street-level loggia (balcony) of a 13th-century former wheat store close to Piazza Garibaldi. The loggia shelters…
Livorno
The highlight of a visit here is the 19th-century building. Known as Villa Mimbelli, it has an ornately decorated interior featuring an extraordinary…
Siena
Built to demonstrate the enormous wealth, proud independence and secular nature of Siena, this 14th-century Gothic masterpiece is the visual focal point…
San Gimignano
There are three museums in this complex. The ground floor is home to a part-reconstructed 15th- to 18th-century pharmacy known as the Speziera di Santa…
Museo Civico Archeologico 'Isidoro Falchi'
Southern Tuscany
Piazza Vatluna off Vetulonia's main street boasts spectacular views over the surrounding countryside and is also home to this small museum, which brings…
Val d'Orcia
This now-ruined 13th-century Cistercian abbey was one of the finest Gothic buildings of its day. On a hill above is the tiny, round Romanesque Cappella di…
Chiesa di Sant'Andrea Apostolo
Pistoia
This 12th-century church was built outside the original city walls, hence its windowless (fortified) state. The partly white-and-green striped marble…
San Gimignano
This late-13th-century church is best known for Benozzo Gozzoli's charming fresco cycle (1464–65) illustrating the life of St Augustine. You'll find it in…
Chianti
Mona Lisa Gherardini, subject of Leonardo da Vinci's world-famous painting, married into the family that built this villa in the 14th century. After a…
Riserva Naturale Provinciale Diaccia Botrona
Southern Tuscany
The marshes surrounding the coastal town of Castiglione della Pescaia are an important shelter for migrating birds, and this 12.7-sq-km nature reserve off…
Pistoia
The beautifully restored facade of this former hospital, operational from 1277 until 2013, stuns with its 16th-century polychrome terracotta frieze by…
Northwestern Tuscany
Grandiose white-marble steps flank Pietrasanta's attractive cathedral, built in the 14th century on the site of an earlier church dating from 1250. Its…
Val d'Orcia
Stand in this magnificent square and spin 360 degrees. You've just taken in an overview of Pienza's major monuments. Gems of the Renaissance constructed…
Chiesa della Santissima Annunziata
San Lorenzo & San Marco
Established in 1250 by the founders of the Servite order and rebuilt by Michelozzo and others in the mid-15th century, this Renaissance church is most…
Central Tuscany
The name (isola means island) reflects the fact that until the 18th century, this 11th-century abbey was surrounded by swampland. It has hosted many…
Parco Archeominerario di San Silvestro
Central Coast & Elba
The area's 3000-year mining history is explored at this intriguing industrial site in Campiglia Marittima, approximately 10km inland from San Vincenzo…
Southern Tuscany
In 2009 a small team of archaeologists began excavating these foundations of a 2300-year-old Etruscan domus (house), on the main road just below Vetulonia…
Northwestern Tuscany
At the foot of the cathedral bell tower is the entrance to this serene cloister museum safeguarding ecclesiastical treasures bestowed upon the cathedral…
Boboli & San Miniato al Monte
Built in 1324, the best preserved of the city’s medieval gates stands sentinel on the banks of the Arno. In summer, with a guide you can scale the steep…
Southern Tuscany
Cinnabar, the red-coloured mineral from which mercury is extracted, was mined in the hills around Abbadia San Salvatore from Etruscan times until quite…
Siena
The tranquil terraces of this botanical garden (1856), which is spread over 2.5 hectares of the verdant Sant'Agostino Valley, provide gorgeous views…
Museo Archeologico all'Aperto 'Alberto Manzi'
Southern Tuscany
This open-air museum south of Pitigliano on the road to Saturnia contains sections of vie cave (sunken roads hewn out of tufo) and several Etruscan…
Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta
Volterra
A handsome coffered ceiling is the standout feature of Volterra's duomo, which was built in the 12th and 13th centuries and remodelled in the 16th. The…
Chiesa e Battistero dei SS Giovanni e Reparata
Lucca
The 12th-century interior of this deconsecrated church is a hauntingly atmospheric setting for summertime opera and concert recitals (www…
Fiesole
Make the Area Archeologica your first stop. A pretty site to stroll, the archaeological area ensnares an Etruscan temple (Fiesole was founded in the 7th…
Basilica della Madonna dell'Umiltà
Pistoia
For anyone familiar with Florence, it is impossible not to notice the bright red–tiled dome of this 15th-century backstreet church, built by Ventura…
Northwestern Tuscany
Inside the convent adjoining Chiesa di Sant'Agostino, this small museum explores the evolution of modern sculpture through 700-odd bozzetti (maquettes or…
Siena
To enjoy spectacular bird's-eye views of the interior and exterior of Siena's cathedral, buy a ticket for the 'Gate of Heaven' escorted tour up, into and…
Lucca
One of Lucca's many architecturally significant churches, this glittering Romanesque edifice marks the spot where the city's Roman forum was. The present…
