Tuscany and the Heart of Italy
Tuscany may hold the title of Italy’s most celebrated region. And why not?
Tuscany nestles in the heart of Italy, a region where every square inch resonates with beauty and history. Here, emerald hills melt into a distant purple haze. Medieval towns with rustic red rooftops dominate the landscape. Yellow sunflower fields cut fanciful pinwheels against the turquoise Tuscan sky. It’s a cinematic tableau that has graced the silver screen and the pages of countless books. Artists, architects, and scientists of the Italian Renaissance found inspiration here. Luminaries like Galileo, Dante, Michelangelo, Da Vinci, Botticelli, Brunelleschi, and Puccini, among others. Tuscany is a cultural magnet that has drawn tourists worldwide for hundreds of years.
The name Tuscany comes from the Etruscans, its original inhabitants. The enigmatic Etruscan culture left very little in the way of written documents. Most information archeologists have gathered in writing comes from inscriptions on Etruscan tombs. By the 1st century BC, the expansion of the Roman Empire absorbed Etruscan culture, which led to the era of city-states. Wealthy families built walled cities and castles that dot Tuscany’s rolling hills today.
It’s a world-famous wine region. Chianti, Montalcino, and Montepulciano are here, venerated for their vintages. Winemaking traditions began with the Etruscans. There are wineries around every sun-drenched bend in the road: Castellina, Radda, and Greve. Wine country isn’t your thing? Tuscany offers hundreds of miles of craggy coastline and beaches to explore. Islands like Elba and Isola del Giglio are there to discover as well. The northernmost part of Tuscany is popular with outdoor enthusiasts. It offers mountainous terrain, deep forests, and panoramic vistas. Horseback riding, hiking, and cycling are popular there.
Florence is the regional capital of Tuscany and arguably its most famous city. Other towns like Arezzo, Siena, and Lucca are also popular and feature artistic treasures and history. The iconic leaning tower of Pisa is in the region, as is the home artist Piero della Francesca in Cortana. Tuscany even boasts some Western-style charm. Maremma, a land of undulating plains along the Grosseto coast, is home to cowboys who still herd cattle and sheep on horseback.
The best times to visit Tuscany are spring and fall when the climate is mild. Other times of the year can be blistering or quite cold, often snowing in higher elevations. Italians do a good job of providing public transportation. If you want to go at your own pace, renting a car might be the way. Soaking in Tuscany’s stunning valleys and magical hill towns is not a thing to rush.
Unsurprisingly, Tuscan cuisine stems from its Etruscan heritage favoring simple, zero-kilometer ingredients. Today we call this the Mediterranean Diet, which began as peasant fare for the working class. These foundational ingredients are one of the healthiest ways to eat: a perfect combination of healthful simplicity and unprocessed pedigree. It includes vegetables, herbs, and locally-sourced meats and seafood, bread, legumes, and pasta. Pasta, pappardelle, and pici noodles are regional favorites. Sauces include wild boar or rabbit, porcini mushrooms, truffles, and even slow-cooked beans. Local wine vintages often go with meals here (well, everywhere in Italy).
Think Chianti, Montepulciano Nobile, and Brunello among the reds. Whites like Vernaccia and Vermentino pair seamlessly with the region’s seafood.
Wherever you wander in this magical land called Tuscany, remember to take your time. Meet total strangers. Share your experience with them. Tuscany has its own language, one of joy, wonder, and celebration of a timeless culture that unites all of us.
