About Tuscany

   Tuscany has few peers - even in Italy. You could spend months here revelling in art and culture - Florence is Europe's finest Renaissance city, Siena one of its most perfect medieval towns, and San Gimignano, Cortona, Montalcino and Pienza some of the loveliest smaller centres imaginable.

THE ORCIA VALLEY

 South of Siena lies a remote region full of surprises, encompassing rolling landscapes, renaissance towns, ancient spas and, most amazingly of all, little sign of tourism. Today, the Val D'Orcia is a destination in itself, and its expansive, sweeping landscape is wildly compelling. The Orcia valley is for walkers, cyclists and those who motor rather than drive. Its new-found vocation for luxury is reflected in a proliferation of creative trattorias and wine-and-walking holidays and in the discreet infiltration of Roman and Milanese VIPs. The other big pull these days is the area's abundance of thermal springs: small-scale private spas are booming, partly because of their glorious Tuscan surroundings.

PIENZA (15 min drive)

The charm of this planned Renaissance "city" - now little more than a village - just survives the summer onslaught of daytrippers. This said, an off-season visit is still the best way to enjoy the tiny streets and sweeping views.

BAGNO VIGNONI (5 min drive)

This is a tiny spa hamlet, comprising a scattering of houses, a few hotels and a newspaper shop that doubles as a haberdashery. Then you turn a corner, and where a main square should be, there is water: steaming hot water in an ancient walled basin the size of a small piazza, surrounded by lanes & a loggia.

MONTALCINO (20 min drive)

Here is a wine connoisseur's dream come true, home to famous Brunello red and delicious Rosso di Montalcino. A small village punctuated by one enoteca after another, it also is a source of extra-virgin olive oil and delectable mushroom-based spreads.

MONTEPULCIANO (30 min drive)

One of the highest hilltop towns in all of Tuscany, views from its towering battlements pan vineyards that stretch into the distance across the surrounding plains. Renowned for its popular Vino Nobile wine.

SIENA (40 min drive)

Time was when Italy's most captivating medieval city was relatively unknown: not any more. The Campo, Europe's finest square, is tremendous for people-watching and the Museo Civico has some sublime paintings. The square also hosts the twice-yearly Palio, Siena's famous horse race (Early July and mid August).

CORTONA ( 60 min drive)

Anyone who has ever read or even heard of Frances Mayes' books– Under the Tuscan Sun is one–should make it a point to visit her beloved Cortona. It rises poignantly from a landscape of olive groves. Visit the Galleria d'Arte Nocchia and Il Pozzo, and see works by Fra Angelico and Signorelli at the Museo Diocesano.

SAN GIMIGNANO (60 min drive)

Conspicuously well known for the 13 dramatic towers that dominate its medieval skyline, the town is a magnate for local painters and craftsmen; it is filled with works of art, good shops and great restaurants

FLORENCE (90 min drive)

Literally and figuratively, the cultural heart of Tuscany. View works by Renaissance masters at the Uffizi, see Michelangelo's David up close at the Galleria dell'Accademia, walk across the Arno River by way of the Ponte Vecchio to the Pitti Palace in Oltrarno, shop bargains and boutiques at the San Lorenzo market.

AREZZO (60 min drive)

A prosperous Tuscan city fueled by a vibrant jewelry industry, it features broad avenues and wide-open public squares such as the Piazza Grande. See Piero della Francesca's magnificent frescoes in the church of San Francesco. Visit the city's enormous Duomo and a host of high-end museums.