Brief Introduction & History

Tuscany is one of twenty regions in Italy. The region is located in the central, western part of the country, north of Rome and south of Genoa. It is bounded by the Apennine Mountains to the North and East, the Apuan Alps on the northwest and by the Tyrrhenian Sea on the West. Its land area is about 9,000 square miles (23.300 square kilometers). Its major cities are Florence, Pisa, Siena, Lucca, Arezzo, and Pistoia. Its major river is the Arno, which begins in the Apennines, and on which Florence and Pisa are located.

FROM THE BEGINNING...

Tuscany was the home land of the Etruscans, which was annexed by Rome in 351 BC. After the fall of the Roman empire, the region, which became known as Tuscany (Toscana in Italian) came under the rule of a succession of rulers (Herulians, Ostrogoths, etc.) and emerged as a political entity with its own rulers. By the twelfth century, the Tuscan cities were gradually gaining their independence as republics and forcing the nobility to live in the cities. By the high Middle Ages, the cities of Pisa, Siena, Arezzo, Pistoia, Lucca, and especially Florence had become wealthy because of textile manufacture, trade, banking, and agriculture. There were many wars between the city states to conquer territory and power. Gradually, Florence came to overshadow and conquer all other cities in the region.

THE RENAISSANCE AND REIGN OF THE MEDICI

After several experiments with representative government, Florence was ruled by an oligarchy of wealthy aristocrats, among whom the Medici family became dominant in the fifteenth century. Under the patronage of these wealthy families, the arts and literature flourished as nowhere else in Europe and thus this period is known as the Renaissance, the rebirth after the Middle Ages. Florence was the city of such writers as Dante, Petrarch, and Macchiavelli, and artists and engineers such as Botticelli, Brunelleschi (who built the magnificent dome on the church of St. Mary of the Flowers, Santa Maria dei Fiori), Alberti, Leonardo Da Vinci, and Michelangelo. Because of its dominance in literature, the Florentine language became the literary language of the Italian region and is the language of Italy today. Lorenzo de' Medici, who ruled Florence in the late fifteenth century was perhaps the greatest patron of the arts in the history of the West.

DECLINE AND RENEWAL

Times changed and upon the death of Lorenzo, the Medici power seems to fall apart. The Dominican friar Girolamo Savonarola ruled Florence when the Medici were exiled. After Savonarola turned against the pope, he was excommunicated and in 1498, tortured and burned in Piazza della Signoria. With the shift of commerce away from the Mediterranean and toward the Atlantic taking place after 1492, the economy of Tuscany went into a slow decline. By 1530, the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V conquered Florence and re-established the Medici family in power. They were now dukes of Florence, and within a few decades, Cosimo de' Medici was made Grand Duke of Tuscany.

Cosimo aggressively pursued a policy of economic revival, building the great harbor at Livorno because the harbor of Pisa had silted up, founding universities, sponsoring the work of another famous Tuscan, Galileo Galilei, promoting the exploratory voyages of Amerigo Vespucci. Their successors began the decline of the Medici; in 1737, the last male member of the dynasty, Gian Gastone, died without an heir. Fortunately for the future of Florence, his sister Anna Maria Luisa bequeathed the entire Medici estate and art treasures to the city so that they could be forever enjoyed by Florentines and the world.

MODERN TIMES

After the Medici, Tuscany was ruled by the Austrian Dukes of Lorraine. In the seventeenth century, Florence and Tuscany had increasingly faded into relative obscurity and did not revive until the nineteenth century. The Dukes of Lorraine modernized the local administration, reorganized religious houses and enacted agricultural improvements, most notably the draining of the areas of the Maremma and Valdichiana. The march toward Italian independence, however, led to the end of the Lorraine rule in 1861 when Tuscany voted in favour of annexation to a united Italy. Florence was capital of the kingdom of Italy from 1865 to 1871.

Today, Tuscany is a major cultural center, with museums, galleries and churches full of great sculptures, paintings and frescoes and magnificent monuments built by the greatest masters of all time. Tuscany attracts millions of tourists each year. If you are interested in visiting Tuscany, we hope our guide will be useful in planning your visit and in learning more about Tuscany in general.

Festivals and Seasonal Events in Tuscany

There are many events all year round throughout Tuscany, but many are concentrated during the summer. Many sagre, food festivals, start in early summer and continue on through the fall as local specialties (truffles, wine, olive oil) come into season. If you are coming to Tuscany during other periods of the year, don't worry as there is always something to see or do then as well. For specific events, it is best to contact the local tourism office of the locality you will be visiting.

•Luminara, Regatta and Battle of the Bridge - Pisa

On the night of June 16, the Luminara begins the festivities to honor Saint Ranieri, the patron saint of Pisa, the following day. Over 70,000 candles light up the palaces along the Arno river, with a fireworks display afterwards.

•To celebrate the patron saint of Pisa, four boats representing the most ancient districts of the city compete in the Regatta of Saint Ranieri along the Arno river, heritage of the past glory of Pisa as an ancient maritime republic.

Generally a week later, Pisa reenacts the Battle of the Bridge, a medieval "push of war" contest which takes place on the central bridge in Pisa. The contest is preceded by a huge procession in costume through the city.

•Calcio Storico Fiorentino - Florence

Fabulous fireworks along the Arno conclude Florence's celebrations to St. John the Baptist, the city's patron saint, on June 24. First, there is a parade in historical costume that starts at the Church of Santa Maria Novella and ends at the Church of Santa Croce, where the Calcio Storico is then played in the dirt-covered square in front of the church. The game is a combination of soccer, rugby, and big time wrestling, all played while wearing 16th century costumes. The four teams represent the four traditional neighborhoods of the city: Santa Croce (blue), Santo Spirito (white), Santa Maria Novella (red), and San Giovanni (green). The prize is a whole Chianina calf.

•Giostra del Saracino - Arezzo

Arezzo's Piazza Grande is the setting of the Giostra del Saracino, or Saracen Tournament. Held twice a year, a night version on the third Saturday in June and the second on the first Sunday in September, this tournament has its origins in the early 16th century and in its present form, commemorates Christian efforts to hold back the tide of Islam in the 14th century. There is a lively and colorful procession preceding the event in which eight costumed knights charge towards a wooden representation of the Saracen, aiming to hit the Saracen's shield with lances. The target is mounted as to swivel around and can actually hit back! Each pair of knights represents one of Arezzo's four rival districts and their supporters each occupy a side of the piazza. The winner receives a golden lance.

•Palio di Siena - Siena

The Palio horse race is a colorful, bareback horse race round the dirt-packed Piazza del Campo, Siena's main square, that takes place every July 2 and August 16. The contrade (traditional neighborhoods) compete for the palio, or banner, dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The square is filled with costumed pageantry before the race, and massive feasts are set up on long outdoor tables that can stretch for blocks on the medieval side streets.

•Pistoia Blues Festival, Giostra dell'Orso - Pistoia

Two important events take place in Pistoia every July: the Pistoia Blues Festival and the Giostra dell'Orso. Taking place in the first half of July, the Pistoa Blues draws international blues artists who perform in the city's main square.

After a magnificent procession held on the 25th of July to honor St. James, the patron saint of the city, twelve knights take part in the Giostra dell'Orso, a medieval jousting tournament. The knights' goal is to hit two stylized bears with their lances to the sound of drum rolls and fanfares. The bear (orso) is the heraldic animal of Pistoia and the Giostra is the highlight of the towns's "Luglio Pistoiese" festival.

•Bravio delle Botti - Montepulciano

The Bravio delle Botti, which takes place on the last Sunday in August, is a barrel rolling race between the eight Contradas (divisions) of Montepulciano competing for a Palio, a painted cloth banner. The barrels (which weigh 80 kilos) have to be rolled up about 1800 meters along the main street of the town of Montepulciano to end in the Piazza Grande. Costume processions precede the competition and a street banquet follows.

•Giostra del Saracino - Arezzo

Good old-fashioned medieval jousting in Arezzo on the first Sunday in September. This is the second tournament of the year, the first one already held in June. See above for more details.

•Palio della Balestra - Sansepolcro

On the last Sunday in May, the crossbowmen of Sansepolcro travel to Gubbio (Umbria) for the Palio della Balestra, a crossbow contest between the men of of Gubbio and Sansepolcro who dress in medieval costume and use antique weapons. On the second Sunday in September, the crossbowmen of Gubbio visit Sansepolcro for a rematch.

•Display of the Virgin's Girdle - Prato

Prato keeps the Virgin Mary's girdle under heavy lock and key year-round in the Duomo, but takes it out five times a year amid much religious pomp and some medieval drum rolling to show it to the crowds massed on the piazza. Two of these occassions include September 8 (celebration of the nativity of the Virgin Mary) and December 25 and 26. The rest of the time, Prato's most revered relic is housed in the beautiful "Pulpit of the Sacred Girdle" off the facade's right corner. The story of how the girdle arrived in Prato is detailed in the chapel immediately to the left of the entrance in Agnolo Gaddi's fresco cycle of "The Legend of the Holy Girdle (1392-95)".

•Carnavale - Viareggio

During the period before Ash Wednesday, many towns stage carnivals and enjoy their last opportunity to indulge before Lent. The popular carnival celebrations held at Viareggio are among the best known in all of Italy, with masked pageants, fireworks, a flower show and parades along the Tuscan Riviera. Carnevale in San Gimignano and Florence are much smaller, with locals dressed up in colorful costumes marching through the streets. The biggest celebration is, of course, held in Venice.

•Easter, Scoppio del Carro - Florence

The big event in Florence for Easter is the Scoppio del Carro, or the "explosion of the cart", an event which dates back 300 years. Today, an elaborate wagon built in 1622 and standing two to three stories high is dragged through Florence behind a fleet of white oxen decorated in garlands to the square between the Baptistry and Cathedral. The cart has been properly rigged with a suitable arsenal of fireworks so that when a dove-shaped rocket (symbolising the Holy Spirit) slides down a steel cable at full speed from the Cathedral altar, it will set off a ferocious dance of fire on impact. A big bang ensures a good harvest, and a parade in medieval costume follows. The Explosion of the Cart takes place around 11 a.m. so watch out for the cart on the streets of Florence an hour beforehand.

•Maggio Musicale Fiorentino - Florence

From late April through June, the Florence Maggio Musicale, May Music Festival, is a series of internationally acclaimed classical music concerts and recitals, opera and ballet in venues across the city. Tickets can be hard to come by, so check the online schedule and purchase tickets in advance.

Top Museums to visit across Tuscany

Tuscany houses many musuems with masterpieces by the greatest artists of all time, from Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, to Botticelli, Giotto and Donatello. Depending on your interests in history, art or sculpture - Tuscany has it all, spanning across time, styles and periods. Below, a list of the top museums in Tuscany that you should not miss!

Florence

•Galleria degli Uffizi

The Uffizi Gallery is one of the world's top art museums - it houses some of the most important works of the Renaissance, including Leonardo da Vinci's Annunciation, Giotto's Maestà, Botticelli's Birth of Venus and Allegory of Spring and Michelangelo's only panel painting, the Holy Family. Lots of sculptures too. Most of the rooms you go through have a few masterpieces... Plan to spend the entire day there to thoroughly see it.

•Galleria dell'Accademia

The Accademia houses Michelangelo's David, easily the most famous sculpture in the world. The line and wait can be long, so be prepared. Once inside, you'll also see Michelangelo's unfinished and powerful Prisoners, along with a few works by Perugino, Giambologna, and Botticelli.

•Museo Nazionale del Bargello

Primarily a sculpture museum, you'll be treated to early Michelangelo marbles and Giambologna bronzes and then on to a room full of famous works by Donatello, considered by many the greatest sculptor since antiquity.

Siena

•Palazzo Comunale

Siena's medieval town hall houses the Museo Civico, with masterpieces of the late Gothic Sienese school, and the Torre del Mangia, which offers an extraordinary view of the Piazza del Campo and of Siena.

Pisa

•Museo dell'Opera del Duomo

Near the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the museum features many artworks from the tower, cathedral and baptistry, including a magnificent ivory carving of the Madonna e Crocifisso by Giovanni Pisano. Another highlight is the bust known as the Madonna del Colloquio, also by Pisano, taken from the exterior of the baptistry.

Volterra

•Museo Etrusco Guarnacci

Over 600 Etruscan cinerary urns fill dozens of rooms here. The tiny sarcophagi play out in stony relief the Etruscans' views on death, art, and life. The museum also displays Roman mosaics and rare examples of Etruscan, Greek and Roman coins and jewelry.

Tuscany Hotels

If you will be staying a few days in each city you plan to visit, the most convenient choice will be to stay at a hotel. You are usually in the center of the town, a few minutes away from most of the city's monuments and museums so hotel accommodation is practical. There are hotels of all types to meet your needs and budget across Florence and Tuscany.