What to see in Tuscany
Vineyards litter the landscape like autumn leaves, the majority giving chances to walk round or take formal tours of production. Sizes of operation vary like the wines themselves, with some places opening up to huge tour groups, or smaller intimate producers, most offering tasting and direct sales. Check with Tuscany Tourism for info and guidebooks.
This is the main road SS222 linking Florence and Siena, bordered by vineyards, producers, growers of olive oil and local products. You could stage a 'vine-crawl' of tastings or just pop in for lunch. Most places will direct sell at reduced prices.
Most of Arezzo was destroyed by WWII bombing but parts of the mediaeval centre have remained intact. The biggest reason for coming is of course the incredible frescoes by Piero Della Francesca in the Chiesa San Francesco. The frescoes took 12 years to complete and is widely regarded as one of the greatest Italian works of art. Access is limited to 25 people every half hour so to avoid disappointment you can book ahead with www.pierodellafrancesca.it and have the benefit of an audio guide explaining the Legend of the True Cross.
What the architects lacked in foundation skills they surely made up for it with style and imagination. Perhaps one of the most famous landmarks in Italy, if not the world, the leaning tower has now reopened to the public after a lengthy stabilisation project. The tower is part of the cathedral complex or Campo dei Miracoli, all built on weak subsoil's of ancient floodplains so the off balance feeling isn't restricted to just the tower. You have to book well in advance, as they only let a limited number up at a time, which you can do online - www.opapisa.it.
Greve was an important part of the network that linked trade between the villages of the valley of the Arno and Florence. The Florentines took a fancy to Greve and saw just how important its link with the surrounding area was. Instead of destroying it like many of the other towns they set up stately homes, farm houses and villas here and established the 'mercatale di Greve' or Greve market to take advantage of its central position. This is still evident today as the weekly Saturday morning Greve market is one of the most popular and visited by thousands of tourists every year. Well worth a few hours haggling and selecting a few local bites to eat.
Extremely popular in the summer months, this tower filled town is a major draw card for its striking skyline . Apparently it was named after a bishop that saved the town from the evil clutches of Attila the Hun. The numerous towers were built by families competing in the my-tower-is-bigger-than-yours period of the 13thC prompting one magistrate to order that no one could build theirs higher than his 51m one . You can view the surrounding landscapes from the Torre Grossa in the Palazzo communale.
Siena was the one time biggest rival to Florence in terms of it's wealth and power prompting warfare between the two a number of times. The founding goes back supposedly to Remus, Romulus's twin brother, and you may be forgiven for seeing the famous 'wolf and children' symbol around the place. Siena's centre is car free since 1966 making the walking side more pleasant through the winding streets. The town is more Gothic looking in its architecture than Renaissance and is home to Italy's finest gothic Cathedral, completed in 1215. The Palio is Italy's most famous horse race so it pays to book accommodation ahead, but it helps there's 2 of them-Â2nd July and 16th August. The race is fast, lasting about 2 minutes, but there are street parties afterwards that continue on into the night.