TUSCANY
Vacations and Sightseeing
Vacations and Sightseeing
| Basic information | |
| Official language | Italian |
| Capital | Florence |
| Area | 22.990 km² |
| Population | 3,668,333 (2021) |
| Currency | euro (EUR) |
| Web | .it |
| Code. | ITA |
| Tel. | +39 |
Popular destinations ITALY
| Campania | Lombardy | Sardinia |
| Sicily | Tuscany | Umbria |
| Veneto |
Vacations and Sightseeing
The majority of the workforce is employed in the tertiary sector, and within this, tourism is becoming increasingly important for the Tuscan economy. For many tourists, a holiday in Tuscany is the fulfilment of a dream. The combination of natural beauty and cultural heritage has contributed to Tuscany's tourist fame. Tuscany is visited by more than 4 million tourists every year, of which approx. 35% come from abroad.
Especially the cities of Florence and Siena attract millions of domestic and foreign tourists every year. Viareggio is the most important seaside resort in Tuscany and one of the busiest in Italy.
Florence is one of the top cities in Italy and has many sights. Florence is a Renaissance city in the heart of Tuscany and has some of the best museums in Italy, beautiful cathedrals and churches and interesting streets and squares with elegant buildings and shops.
Florence's biggest attraction is the Duomo (cathedral), the Cattedrale de Santa Maria del Fiore. The construction of the enormous Gothic Duomo was started in 1296, the church was consecrated in 1436 and can seat 20,000 people. The exterior is made of green, pink and white marble and has some beautifully carved doors and interesting statues. Inside, Brunelleschi's Duomo is an architectural masterpiece.
The Uffizi museum houses the most important collection of Renaissance art in the world, but it is also the busiest museum in Italy, so it is a good idea to buy tickets in advance. The Uffizi has thousands of paintings from the Middle Ages to modern times and has many antique sculptures from the lighting and tapestries. Artists you will see include Michelangelo, Giotto, Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Perugino, and Raphael.
People don't just go to Florence for the culture. Florence has some of the most beautiful shops in Europe. In Florence you will find a wide range of leather goods, paper products and jewellery. There are also a number of open-air markets selling food, clothing and antiques. The most famous is around Piazza San Lorenzo. Another good place is Mercato Nuovo (Porcellino) on Via Porta Rossa.
Siena is a classic medieval town in Tuscany known for its large fan-shaped piazza the central square. The Piazza del Campo lies at the heart of the city and is the site of the famous horse race known as Il Palio. Siena is one of the most beautiful medieval Italian cities. The peak of its prosperity was around 1260-1348 when Siena was one of the richest cities in Europe and many of the buildings and works of art originate from that time. The Palazzo Pubblico is Siena's Gothic city hall. Its bell tower, the Torre del Mangia, dominates Piazza del Campo. The Torre del Mangia is 102 metres high, the second highest medieval bell tower in Italy. 505 steps lead you to a fantastic view over Siena.
In the province of Siena there is also the Chianti Sculpture Park. This park was recently named by National Geographic as one of the ten best sculpture parks in the world. The Park strives to integrate art and nature, diversity of cultures, represented by artists from all over the world and to use as many types of materials as possible. Each artist is invited to choose a location and then submit a specific proposal. The aim is for images and landscape to reinforce and flow into each other.
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