Florence and Tuscany

By Enrico Massetti

Enrico Massetti wrote this book with 230 color images.

Tuscany is in the central-western part of Italy on the Tyrrhenian Sea. It gets its name from an Etruscan tribe that settled about three thousand years ago. It belonged to the Romans, the Lombards, and the Franks.
More than four hundred years ago, Tuscany became a major European center under the Medici. It is undoubtedly one of Italy's top tourist destinations and an ideal place for your villa when you hit it big, huge.
Florence is the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance and the administrative center of Tuscany. It is one of Italy's top tourist destinations, whose sites of interest are too numerous to list here. Siena and Pisa are two other major tourist destinations.
Tuscany is a center of industrial production, particularly metallurgy, chemicals, and textiles. Given the region's importance as an international art center for centuries, don't be surprised that it is an excellent place to appreciate and purchase fashion, jewelry, leather goods, marble, and other beauty items. Florence is the home of the house of Gucci.
Tuscany produces various kinds of cereal, olives, vegetables, and fruit. But vegetarians eat well. It is home to cattle, horses, pigs, and poultry. One local specialty is the wild boar. On the coast, seafood is abundant.
Tuscany devotes over fifty thousand acres to grapevines; it ranks 4th among the 20 Italian regions. Its annual wine production is about 58 million gallons, giving it 8th. About 70% of the wine production is red or rose', leaving 30% for white. The region produces 44 DOC wines. DOC stands for Denomination di Origin Controlled, translated as Denomination of Controlled Origin, presumably a high-quality wine and 7 DOCG white wines. The G in DOCG stands for Garantita, but there is, in fact, no guarantee that such wines are truly superior. The region produces 9 DOCG wines. Tuscany also produces Super Tuscan wines, wines that may not have a prestigious classification but are outstanding.
This guide covers a visit to Florence and to Tuscany: the cities covered include Fiesole, Arezzo, Cortona, Chiusi, the Chianti region, Siena, Volterra, San Gimignano, Pisa, Carrara, Massa, the Versilia, Lucca, Pistoia, Montepulciano, Pienza, Grosseto, Massa Marittima, and Monte Argentario.
There are extensive descriptions and photos of the attractions.
The guide contains links to the websites of train and air travel companies.
It also has a listing of many reviews for the best-recommended restaurants.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Massetti Publishing
• Release date: Sep 19, 2022
• ISBN: 9798215027226

Enrico Massetti

Enrico Massetti nació en Milán, Italia, donde vivió durante más de 30 años, visitando innumerables destinos turísticos, desde las montañas de los Alpes hasta el mar de Sicilia. Ahora vive en Washington, Estados Unidos. Sin embargo, visita regularmente su ciudad natal y disfruta recorriendo todos los lugares de su país, especialmente aquellos a los que puede llegar en transporte público. Puede contactar con Enrico en [e-mail].

Book preview

Enrico Massetti

dedicated to my friend Patricia

who lives and teaches tango in Florence

Table of content

Enrico Massetti      iii

Table of content      vii

Florence      1

Plenty of things to do before going      2

On the morning of the first day, a view of Florence      3

San Miniato      4

Forte Belvedere      6

The Baptistery      7

Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore      10

Orsanmichele      16

Piazza della Signoria      17

Piazzale degli Uffizi      21

Where to have lunch on the first day      21

Restaurants at less than 5 minutes from Piazza della Signoria:      21

Restaurants right on the Piazza della Signoria:      22

The afternoon of the first day. Ponte Vecchio      23

Loggia del Mercato Nuovo      24

Palagio dei Capitani di Parte Guelfa      26

Santa Trinità      27

Palazzo Corsini      29

Palazzo Strozzi      30

The morning of the second day:      31

Ospedale degli Innocenti      32

Museo Archeologico      33

Cenacolo di Santa Apollonia      34

Galleria dell'Accademia      35

Sagrestia Nuova of San Lorenzo      36

Santa Maria Novella      38

Where to have lunch the second day      39

Restaurants at less than 5 minutes from Santa Maria Novella:      39

The afternoon of the second day      40

Palazzo Pitti      41

Garden of Boboli      42

Where to have gelato      42

Gelaterias close to the city center      42

Where to have dinner      43

Restaurants close to the city center      43

Where to buy souvenirs in Florence      44

Fiesole      46

Where to eat in Fiesole      48

Florence American Cemetery and Memorial      50

Florence American Cemetery Travel via Car      51

Florence American Cemetery Travel via Public Transportation      51

Arezzo      52

Where to eat in Arezzo      57

Cortona      59

Chiusi      61

A journey in the province of Florence: Chianti area      63

Via Cassia      64

San Casciano Val di Pesa      66

Tavernelle Val di Pesa      67

Barberino Val D’Elsa      69

Via Chiantigiana      70

Impruneta      71

Greve in Chianti      72

Castellina in Chianti      73

Radda in Chianti      74

Gaiole in Chianti      75

Castelnuovo Berardenga      76

Siena      77

Siena – Piazza del Campo & Torre del Mangia      78

Siena – the Duomo di Siena      79

A visit to Siena      80

The Palio di Siena – Palio of Siena      83

Siena: Terziere di Città      84

Siena: Terziere di San Martino      85

Siena: Terziere di Camollia      86

The Palio      87

How to get to Siena      92

Where to eat in Siena      93

Volterra      94

Piazza dei Priori      95

Where to eat in Volterra      96

San Gimignano      97

Some San Gimignano History      98

Where to eat in San Gimignano.      100

Pisa      101

Pisa - The Baptistery      103

Pisa - The Camposanto      104

Pisa - The Duomo      105

Pisa - The Bell Tower, known as The Leaning Tower      106

San Paolo a Ripa d’Arno      107

National Museum of Pisa      108

Palazzo della Carovana      109

San Michele in Borgo      110

Where to eat in Pisa      111

Carrara - Massa      113

Where to eat in Carrara      115

Versilia      116

Where to eat in Forte dei Marmi      118

Lucca      119

Where to eat in Lucca      122

Pistoia      123

Where to eat in Pistoia      126

Montepulciano      127

Where to eat in Montepulciano      131

Pienza      132

Where to eat in Pienza      134

Grosseto      135

Where to eat in Grosseto      138

Maremma Massa Marittima      139

Where to eat in Massa Marittima      142

Maremma Monte Argentario      143

Porto Santo Stefano      144

Porto Ercole      145

Where to eat in Porto Ercole      146

Isola del Giglio      147

Maremma Capalbio      149

How to get to Florence by air      151

Arriving at Pisa Airport      151

How to get to Florence by train      151

How to get to Florence by car      152

Florence Paid parking lots      153

Florence Private Garages      154

Florence Pay street parking      154

Florence Free parking      155

Florence Parking outside Florence      155

Renting a car in Tuscany      157

Reserving Your Car      157

Driving Around Tuscany      158

Driving in Luxury      158

Tuscany Food & Recipes      159

Tuscany's typical food includes      161

Tuscany Recipes      161

Other tourism guides      164

Italian-visits.com      164

The Author      164

Travel books of the same author:      165

Things to Know      168

Index      173

Florence

Florence has been the cultural capital of Europe since 1400, when Europe's towns were rural and crude, while Florence practiced the art of civilized living. Today Florence is geographically small but culturally rich, with more artistic masterpieces per square mile than any other place on earth.

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Italy

Florence is in Northern Italy, conveniently reachable from Rome, Venice, and Milan. It is the regional capital of Tuscany.

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Map of Florence

The center of Florence is small and compact and can very quickly be covered on foot.

Plenty of things to do before going

These are the few things you must do before making a two-day visit to Florence possible:

Make Accademia reservations for mid-morning of the second day. You can do it online at http://www.uffizi.com/accademia-gallery-florence.asp. The Accademia is a must-see, although it shouldn't take more than an hour of your precious time. Michelangelo's David is worth the admission, and you can take as little as 30 seconds of looking at or 30 minutes of studying the sculptures. The other pieces in the museum are excellent, mainly the other Michelangelo sculptures.

Make your hotel reservations.

Make your train and air reservation.

To visit the Galleria degli Uffizi, you would need to spend a lot of time waiting in line. Even if you made a reservation, you still must wait for hours. It has therefore not been included in this itinerary.

On the morning of the first day, a view of Florence

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View of Florence from Piazzale Michelangelo.

Before starting to see should first look down from the top of one of its grey stone towers at the red sea of roofs lying between the hills, scattered with villas, cypresses, and olive groves.

The natural setting of the city is superb.

We start our visit to Florence from Piazzale Michelangelo, the most famous observation points of the city point of Florence.

It is reproduced in countless postcards and a must-see for anyone visiting the city.

San Miniato

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San Miniato

The old town can be appreciated in its entirety from the surrounding hills, especially from Forte Belvedere, from the Piazzale Michelangelo with the Romanesque Basilica of San Miniato al Monte, which offers one of the most beautiful views of the Arno valley.

From this point, go up the monumental staircase of San Salvatore to San Miniato, with its façade of inlaid polychrome marble; this is more than decoration.

It is color serving; express the architecture; the serene beauty of this façade is a foreshadowing of the Renaissance.

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Frescoes by Spinello Aretino

In the interior, this peaceful expression of beauty in marble is continued. In the nave, the Chapel of the Crucifix by Michelozzo, in the north aisle, the beautiful tomb by Manetti for a Portuguese Cardinal. In the Sacristy, there are frescoes by Spinello Aretino, a pleasing minor master of the late 14th-century.

The crypt is the oldest part of the church (XI-century), is surmounted by the main altar that is supposed to contain the bones of San Miniato (although there is evidence that these had already been brought to Metz before the church was built).

If the rectory is concerned, it is accessed through its five arches that lead to three flights of stairs, corresponding respectively to the church's aisles.

The ceiling vaults rest on thirty-eight columns divided into three aisles inner and four sides.

There are frescoes by Taddeo Gaddi on this ceiling, dating back to 1341.

Forte Belvedere

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Forte Belvedere

From here, you can walk 15 minutes to Forte Belvedere (late 16th-century), which houses detached frescoes from various parts of Tuscany. Beneath is the Boboli Garden.

Today, the Forte Belvedere is one of the city's most beautiful sights, hence the name, which competes advantageously with the Piazzale Michelangelo. It is open to the public until late at night and includes a bar-restaurant and a nightclub during the summer. In 2006, the Alberto della Ragione Collection was exhibited, and at a vantage point on the ramparts was placed a large sofa, a dozen meters long.

Going through the rusticated Porta San Giorgio, we come into the almost country lane of Via San Leonardo. We walk towards the monumental complex of the Baptistery and the Cathedral.

This walk takes about 15 minutes.

The Baptistery

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The Baptistery

We start our visit to the monuments of the old town with the most ancient building in Florence: The Baptistery.

It is 11th-century and has the same clean and linear architectural lines as San Miniato.

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Venetian mosaic on the dome

The interior is an elegant octagon with a glittering Venetian mosaic on the vault.

The impressive Mary Magdalene and the Papal Tomb by Donatello stand on either side of the altar.

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The Gate of Paradise

The bronze doors are of different periods; facing the Cathedral, which Michelangelo called The Gate of Paradise, is the masterpiece of Lorenzo Ghiberti (1378-1455).

Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore

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Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore

Opposite the Baptistery is the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. The facade is from the 19th-century, but the interior impresses the pure harmony with which the Florentines adopted (or perhaps adapted) the Gothic style. Giotto took part in the Cathedral building, which was completed by that genius of the early Renaissance, Brunelleschi, with his mighty dome.

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Dante - Domenico di Michelino

In the north aisle, there are the fresco portraits of Dante, by Domenico di Michelino, of two captains of the Florentine army, the Essex knight, Sir John Hawkwood (Giovanni Acuto) by Paolo Uccello, and Niccolò da Tolentino by Andrea del Castagno.

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Campanile di Giotto

Leaving by the door at the end of the church, in the south aisle, we note the sharp curve of the apse and the rich shape of the Campanile, or bell tower, which Giotto planned at seventy years of age.

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Michelangelo - Pietà Bandini

The Opera del Duomo Museum is located just east of the Duomo, near its apse.

It opened in 1891 and now houses what has been called one of the world's most important collections of sculpture.

It is the most dramatically eloquent of the four Pietà carved by Michelangelo, the sculptor intended for his tomb.

There are also some essential sculptures, including the Choir, with its garlands of putti and the realistic statue of the Prophet Habbakuk (known to the Florentines as lo Zuccone, or Old Baldpate) by Donatello.

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The Duomo with Brunelleschi Dome

Orsanmichele

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Orsanmichele

Along Via dei Calzaioli, we pass Orsanmichele, a church as reliable as a fortress. Round its sides, between the richly decorated windows, there are statues by Donatello, Nanni di Banco, Ghiberti, Verrocchio, and Giambologna.

The Tabernacle commanded the gray interior, a masterpiece of sculpture as minute