Castles and towers
Frontier fortresses, Chianti wine-castles, and a few towers you can still climb. I have picked a few that reward the visit, and you can see many more on the map.
Learn more
Abbeys and churches
Quiet Romanesque stone, a roofless Gothic nave, and the forest monastery at Camaldoli. Some of the best hours I have spent in Tuscany have been in a cool church, when the square outside is too bright.
Learn more
Beaches and coast
A singing cove, a six-kilometre sandbar, and the simpler pleasure of Viareggio from the train. Versilia is organised and easy; the Maremma is wilder, with pinewoods and long sand.
Learn more
Lakes
A drowned village under an Apuan reservoir, a coastal lake full of birds, and the big Mugello basin. Tuscany is not really lake country in the northern Italian sense, but the ones it has are worth the journey.
Learn more
Thermal spas and hot springs
Steaming village squares, white terraces in the woods, and a free river spring near San Galgano. Some of these places are hotels with treatments. Some are simply hot water coming out of the ground.
Learn more
Walks and viewpoints
Level walks from Lucca, a forest waterfall, and the crumbling cliffs at Volterra. You do not need to be a serious walker to have a good day on foot in Tuscany.
Learn more
Museums and art
Give the Uffizi a proper slice of the day, then look at the Etruscan rooms in the hill towns. I would still leave time for a smaller museum in a town you are already visiting.
Learn more
Markets
A town piazza on market day, Florence’s food halls, and Livorno’s great covered market. Days and stalls change, so I would check the comune or the tourist office the day before.
Learn more