Tuscany i a region of central Italy bordering Liguria, Emilia-Romagna
Marches, Umbria and Lazio. It has also 397 km of coastline
and an archipelago including 7 islands.
Tuscany is one of the most important Italian regions thank
to its artistic, cultural and landscape heritage.
Tuscany was the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance and
its artistic heritage includes architecture, painting and
sculpture. Tuscany is also home to many scenic hill towns.
Tuscany and has 10 provinces:
Arezzo /
Florence /
Grosseto /
Livorno /
Lucca /
Massa
Carrara /
Pisa /
Pistoia /
Prato /
Siena
The regional capital is
Florence
and the other provincial capital cities are
Arezzo,
Grosseto,
Livorno,
Lucca,
Massa
Carrara,
Pisa,
Pistoia,
Prato and
Siena.
Six Tuscan localities have been made UNESCO protected sites:
the historical center of
Florence
(1982), the historical center of
Siena
(1995), the square of the Cathedral of
Pisa
(1987), the historical center of
San Gimignano (1990), the
historical center of
Pienza (1996) and the Val d'Orcia
(2004).
Famous throughout the world are the cities of
Florence,
Lucca,
Pisa and
Siena;
lesser-known but not for this second centers as mentioned
above monumental wealth are the cities of Arezzo, Carrara,
Prato and Pistoia; finally, completely unknown to tourism
albeit with some valuable monuments are the city of
Grosseto, Livorno and Massa. Not least are the many smaller
historic towns preserving art works of great value as:
Cortona (evidence of prehistoric and Etruscan era, monuments
Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque) and Sansepolcro
(monuments of the Middle Ages and Renaissence) in the
Province of Arezzo; Fiesole (testimonies Etruscan-Roman
monuments of medieval and Baroque era) and Certaldo (Old
Town of medieval origin) in the Province of Florence; Massa
Marittima (monuments of the Middle Ages and Renaissance),
Orbetello (Etruscan-Roman testimonies and monuments from
medieval times, and late Baroque), Pitigliano (prehistoric
and Etruscan, Medieval monuments, Renaissance and Baroque),
Sorano (prehistoric and Etruscan, Medieval and Renaissance
monuments) and Sovana (pre-historic evidences and Etruscan,
Medieval and Renaissance monuments) in the Province of
Grosseto; Piombino (medieval monuments and late), Populonia
(Etruscan, Medieval monuments), Campiglia Marittima
(Etruscan, historic medieval center) and Suvereto (Medieval
village) in the province of Livorno; Castiglione di
Garfagnana (Old Town of medieval origins), Castelnuovo
Garfagnana (Old Town of medieval origins), Barga
(prehistoric, medieval and Baroque monuments) and Villa
Basilica (medieval monuments) in the Province of Lucca;
Pontremoli (prehistoric center, Roman and medieval
monuments, valuable Baroque) and Fivizzano (valuable
medieval and baroque) in the Province of Massa-Carrara.
Volterra (prehistoric and Etruscan-Roman, medieval and
Renaissance monuments) and San Miniato (medieval monuments)
in the Province of Pisa; Pescia (medieval, Renaissance and
Baroque monuments) in the Province of Pistoia; San Gimignano
(Old Town medieval and Renaissance monuments), Pienza (Old
Town and city ideal of the Renaissance, with existing
evidence medieval), Colle Val d'Elsa (Old Town very well
preserved medieval upper town), Montepulciano (Renaissance
and Baroque medieval monuments), Montalcino (medieval old
town), and Monteriggioni (Medieval village) in the Province
of
Siena.
There are numerous Etruscan necropolis notable, as Sovana,
Vetulonia and Populonia and testimonies of the Roman era,
many of which arose at existing Etruscan towns, like Pisa,
Arezzo,
Volterra, Fiesole and Roselle. In the Middle Ages in
many municipalities were much more grandiose Tuscan squares
cathedrals, basilicas and imposing public buildings and
streets with valuable private buildings. In rural areas are
developed characteristic villages, castles and
fortifications were built in churches and abbeys. Of note,
finally, the settlement of rock in the Vitozza Tuff, surely
the most important of central Italy. In the early medieval
period also spread in Tuscany christian style, a greatest
example is the Cathedral of Chiusi. Many are the Romanesque
style evidences in Tuscany. Among which emerge the monuments
of Piazza dei Miracoli in Pisa, the Baptistry and the
Basilica of San Miniato al Monte in Florence, Lucca
Cathedral, the Cathedral of Pistoia, Sovana Cathedral, the
Cathedral of Massa Marittima and numerous churches and
abbeys isolated in the countryside as the famous Abbeys of
San Galgano with the sword in the Stone or Sant' Antimo.
During the period of transition Romanesque-Gothic were built
and / or renovated many buildings, especially religious, as
the Siena Cathedral, the Cathedral of Prato, the Cathedral
of Grosseto and the Dome of Carrara. Among the masterpieces
of Gothic Tuscan include the Palazzo Vecchio, the Cathedral
of Santa Maria del Fiore, the Basilica of Santa Croce and
Santa Maria Novella in Florence, the facade of the Cathedral
of
Siena
and Arezzo Cathedral. In particular, the Florentine churches
outline the new dictates of Gothic and Italian, with their
formal linearity and purity, are the premises to subsequent
developments of Renaissance architecture. In Pisa instead,
Gothic influences blend with the local Roman tradition: the
main works are the Camposanto monumental decorations outside
of the Baptistery of San Giovanni and finally the small
church of Santa Maria della Spina. The Renaissance
developed starting from Florence and the Tuscany, spreading
later in the rest of Italy and Europe in this period were
carried out with great works completely innovative style
elements, such as the dome by Brunelleschi, Palazzo Pitti,
basilicas of St. Lorenzo and Santo Spirito in Florence, the
Cathedral and Palazzo Piccolomini in Pienza. The
military architecture provides important examples in the
mighty walls of Lucca and fortifications wanted by the
Medici for the city of Livorno; between the lesser known
works, but are equally valuable to remember the Walls of
Grosseto, the Walls of Magliano in Tuscany and those of
Capalbio. The sculpture can be simply summed up with the
Door of Paradise, Michelangelo's David, Perseus by Cellini;
equally significant are the paintings of Leonardo da Vinci,
Botticelli, Masaccio and Piero della Francesca. The Baroque
period saw a further enrichment of the artistic heritage of
Tuscany, although there has been repeated the extraordinary
artistic innovations of earlier eras. Among the major
monuments are to remember the Cathedral of Pontremoli and
the Dome of Pitigliano, restored during this period. In
addition, at the beginning of the seventeenth century is the
great mausoleum started Medici at the Basilica of San
Lorenzo, known as Chapel of Princes, and that, although
incomplete, presents a rich decorative. In the eighteenth
century, in architecture continues to build plants sober and
balanced baroque style, even though many are the
restructuring of existing buildings, such as the facade of
the church of San Marco in Florence.
