Top Cities Worth Visiting in Tuscany

English: Il Duomo, in Florenece, Italy seen at night from Michelangelo's Piazza. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

By []Giovanni Balboni

When you think of Tuscany you often think of rolling, sunburnt landscapes and it sometimes seems hard to believe that there are many cities that are worth seeing too. Here we have suggested four of the best to explore while you are there, although you would need a long holiday to see them all. However, in Tuscany, villa accommodation will allow you to do just that - and at your leisure.

Travel to Volterra and Discover the Real Tuscany

Vineyards in Gaiole in Chianti in the Chianti Classico region (Photo credit: Wikipedia) By Giovanni Balboni


Volterra is not one of the best-known settlements in Tuscany, however, it is certainly one of the most appealing. Of all of the hilltop towns in the region, there are few that can match it.
There are many reasons so many people decide to make their holidays in Tuscany; villas in this region provide visitors with rolling hills, exquisite landscapes, quaint architecture and a more relaxed way of life. Volterra has all of these in abundance, making it the ideal place to spend some quality downtime.

How to Do Florence in 48 Hours

Image via Wikipedia


By Katy Hyslop


You have just arrived in the Renaissance capital of the art world with a couple of days to spare, so where do you go and what highlights can you see in such a short time? This is the guide for you to get the maximum out of a short stay in Florence.
14:00
Now is probably a good time to familiarise yourself with the central city, if it's late summer it will be beginning to cool down and hopefully the crush of the tourist crowds will be starting to diminish. The centre of Florence is easy to walk around as the streets are narrow and most are closed to traffic.
Starting off around the main station there is the Piazza Santa Maria Novella with the church that gives the train station its name. Opposite the church there is the Piazza Nazionale and a road which leads down to the Piazza del Mercato Centrale. Here there are a few market stalls selling leather goods, souvenirs and other items. The 2 famous buildings to see here are the Cappelle Medici and the San Lorenzo e Biblioteca Laurenziana.
15:00
You will see the Duomo before you reach the piazza it resides in as you walk down Via Borgo San Lorenzo. The squat building in front of the cathedral is the Baptistery, built on the foundations of a Roman temple. The golden doors facing the cathedral are replicas of an original set made by Lorenzo Ghiberti and regarded by Michelangelo as the "doors to paradise". But the sight most visitors are bowled over by is Brunelleschi's dome, the cap on the already impressive Chiesa Santa Maria del Fiori. Standing guard beside it is the campanile, or bell tower built by Giotto.