HOLIDAY IN TUSCANY Italy travel guide --- TOSCANA--- --- Provinces --- Arezzo - Florence Grosseto - Livorno Massa Carrara Pisa - Pistoia Prato - Siena --- Landscape --- Mountains Hills Plains and coastline Rivers Lakes --- Climate --- --- Economy --- Agriculture Industry Tourism --------------------- Holiday Homes "CHIANTI FARMHOUSE" Villa "Tuscany" Apartment "Florence" Apartment "Siena" Apartment "Umbria" Apartment "Rome" Apartment "Venice" Apartments "Italy" Rental prices Rentals from 1 to 6 days Rental booking form How to pay your holiday How to reach the homes Distances and tours Offered services --------------------- Contact the owners Express your opinion Website’s map

Tuscany road map

Tuscany map

Tuscany

• AREZZO
  Casentino, Valdarno superiore, Valdichiana, Valtiberina
• FLORENCE
  Mugello, Valdarno, ValdiSieveVallombrosa
• GROSSETO
  Argentario, Colline metallifere, Maremma
• LIVORNO
  Isola d‘Elba, Maremma
• LUCCA
  Garfagnana, Lucca
• MASSA CARRARA
  Alpi Apuane, Lunigiana, Versilia
• PISA
  Colline metallifere
• PISTOIA
  Abetone, Val di Nievole
• PRATO
  Valle del Bisenzio
• SIENA
  Chianti e Val d‘Elsa, Colline metallifere, Crete senesi, Val d‘Orcia, Valdichiana

Landscape

MOUNTAINS
Mountains and hills prevailingly form Tuscany. Northwards and Eastwards the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines mark a distinct border with continental Italy and with the district of Marches, whereas the confine with Umbria and Latium districts takes a softer look since those districts are not divided by distinct morphological elements but they have been separated only by historical and political motives.
From the main axis of the Apennine Chain, reaching in Tuscany heights grating two thousand mt (Corno alle Scale mt.1945, Mount Falterona mt. 1654, Pratomagno mt.1591) numerous spurs branch off in an almost parallel direction, crossing the mountain with large valleys: the Magra river’s valley, taking the name of Lunigiana from the ancient city of Luni; the Serchio river’s valley, called Garfagnana, opening between the Apennine ridge-line and Apuan Alps, a very peculiar chain in aspect and origin; the Sieve river’s valley ,known as Mugello ; the Casentino valley, crossed by the very first stream of Arno river.
There are many mountain passes allowing the crossing of the Apennines for an easy connection with Emilia-Romagna and Marches districts. The higher pass is the one named Abetone (mt. 1388). To be mentioned then, amongst the main passes, the Cisa pass, allowing the connection between La Spezia and Massa Carrara’s provinces with the city of Parma; the Porretta pass (mt. 932), connecting the cities of Pistoia and Bologna; the Futa pass (mt.903), linking Florence with Bologna; the Mandrioli pass, connecting Casentino valley with Romagna.
The mountain slopes of Tuscany are covered with luxuriant woods and verdant pastures. There are also barren slants, where clay soil suffered erosions and landslides, forming the typical, spectacularly shaped “ calanchi” (erosion furrows).
Woods cover almost a third of Tuscany’s surface. To be mentioned as an example the woods of Casentino valley and the woods of Abetone Mountain and of the Apuan Alps.
These woods are prevailingly formed by oaks and chestnut-trees and, upon the highest peaks, by beech-trees and fir-trees.

HILLS
The central and southern part of the district is mainly hilly and the “poggi” (hills) determine the prevailing character of Tuscan Landscape.
The majority of the hilly area is comprehended around the so-called Pre-Apennine or Anti-Apennine area, where, excluding a few isolated groups reaching remarkable heights (Mount Amiata mt. 1738; Metalliferous Hills mt. 1060; Chianti’s Mountains with St.Michael’s peak reaching 893 mt) the rest is made by hills, placed in an irregular way and giving to the land a pleasantly wavy look, set on a belt stretched from proper Apennines to the plains of the coast.

PLAINS AND COASTLINE
Plains are scarce and not large; the biggest ones run along the coastline (Versilia and Maremma), the Arno River’s course (Upper and Lower Valdarno valley), of the Tiber river (Valtiberina valley) and of Chiana channel (Val di Chiana valley).
The coastal plains never reach big dimensions because they are interrupted by rocky headlands.
Versilia plain, presenting a low and sandy beach well renown from the tourist point of view, stretches itself along almost 50 km, from Magra River’s mouth up to Arno river’s mouth, but it is not very large because it is closed on the back by the Apuan Alps (Mount Pisanino mt.1936 on sea level). The Maremma plain, once a marshy land, now completely reclaimed, develops from Piombino headland and goes on southwards up to Latium district. The main headlands are Piombino, opposite to the Island of Elba, and Mount Argentario, placed in front of the Island of Giglio: the first one is firmly linked to Tuscan mainland by a large plain, whereas the second one presents between Mount Argentario and Tuscan mainland a large lagoon enclosed between two sandy beaches of relatively recent origin.
In the past the headlands were the emerged summits of a vast mountainous region, now submerged by the waters of Tirrenian Sea, to which the abundant dregs of the rivers gradually leant, connecting them again to the coast.
In the prehistoric era these headlands too were islands of the Tuscan Archipelago, still set off the coast and including in a very large area the islands of Elba, Capraia, Montecristo, Giglio, Pianosa, Giannutri and Gorgona. As the headlands, these islands too have a mountainous character (The Mount Capanne in the island of Elba reach 1019 mt).
The coastal vegetation mainly consists of Mediterranean bush, formed by trees such as Holm oaks, maritime and italic pines and bushy plants.
The internal plains, on the contrary, are formed by river basins made along the millennia by the main rivers of the district. Some of them were lakes in the prehistoric era and, more recently, marshy bogs; now they have been transformed in fertile and very active areas.
Such is the nature of the Valley of Arno River, divided into Upper and Lower Valley. Very important is Valdichiana valley too, opening from the plain of Arezzo to Trasimeno Lake on the boundary line with Umbria district.

RIVERS
The mountainous nature of Tuscany enriches it with many water streams, never reaching big dimensions in length or capacity because of the fragmentation of the land. Arno River, the main Tuscan river, is partly an exception because the majority of the remaining rivers convoy their waters into it. Arno river (241 km and 8247 smt basin) descends from Mount Falterona (1654 mt) crossing the valley of Casentino southeastwards, almost in parallel with the other big river of Central Italy, Tiber, which is Tuscan only at its origin for a short length. Arno river turns its back to the city of Arezzo when it comes near it and it changes direction with a large turn around Pratomagno mountains, bending on itself while going North-westwards; it then runs down the Upper Valdarno Valley and turns westwards toward the sea, maintaining this direction until its mouth, near the city of Pisa.
Another river of importance is the Ombrone (161 km of length), coming from Chianti’s Mountains and debouching near the city of Grosseto after receiving the waters of some affluent, between them to be mentioned the Arbia, the Merse and the Orcia. Other rivers to be mentioned are: Magra river (62 km), descending from Lunigiana valley and debouching into the plain where one upon a time arose the ancient city of Luni, near the city of Sarzana in Liguria district; the Serchio river (89 km), crossing the Garfagnana valley, then turning toward the sea where it debauches North of Arno’s mouth, without joining it; other rivers, such as Sieve and Bisenzio, join Arno’s mouth coming from the Apennines, whereas Ema, Pesa, Elsa and Era are all affluents coming from south ; the Cecina , having its source in the Metalliferous Hills ; and finally the Albegna and the Flora rivers ,originating from Mount Amiata and debouching into the Tirrenian Sea near Argentario headland.

LAKES
Tuscany has got very few relevant lakes. The Trasimeno Lake laps Tuscan territory only for a little while. The Orbetello lagoon, near the city of Grosseto, is interesting from the tourist point of view and so is the Lake of Massaciuccoli, mostly known for the fame granted to it by the musician Giacomo Puccini.

Climate

Economy

Tuscany owes the prosperity that places it at the top between the districts of Central Italy to agriculture, industry and tourism.

AGRICULTURE
Tuscan agriculture is quite flourishing even if fragmentary because of the nature of the land. Until a few decades ago it was founded on métayage, an institution of feudal derivation, but it is actually based upon private, mostly family-run property.
The growing is mixed (cereals, grape-vines, olives). The vineyards produce valued wines world widely known, such as Chianti. Significant, in quantity and quality, is the production of olive oil.
There are many breeding activities (cattle, sheep and swine), but they do not reach relevant dimensions.

INDUSTRY
Tuscan industry mainly represents an expansion, in modern times, of the traditional handicraft activities of the district. There are also modern industrial activities: metal mechanics, chemistry, ironworks, and oil industry. Between the industrial activities derived from handicraft and carried out mostly by small and medium-sized companies, to be mentioned the textile (with centre in the city of Prato), the leather, clothes, shoe factories, the furnishing, paper, wood, ceramics, glass, jewellery and wrought-iron manufacturing companies.
The mining industry is also interesting, even though some mines exploited for ages are now nearly abandoned for their scarce profitability or because they are now exhausted (iron in the island of Elba and mercury in Mount Amiata). To be mentioned the iron mines near Grosseto, the copper mines in the Metalliferous Hills, but most of all the alabaster mining activities near Volterra and the marble mines of Apuan Alps, made known world wide by the genius of Michelangelo who used their marble for his masterpieces.
To be mentioned finally the boric acid fumaroles of Larderello, near Pisa, exploited for the production of electric energy.

TOURISM
Tuscany is visited by millions of tourists every year, mostly foreigners.
A first category of tourists is attracted by the beautiful scenery offered by the district and comes here for relax and entertainment. Tuscany’s coastline offers wonderful beaches, very much frequented: the most famous one is undoubtedly Versilia with the city of Viareggio, but the entire Tuscan coastline presents charming beaches. Besides the coast, there are the islands of Tuscan Archipelago, firstly the island of Elba.
Very much appreciated (more and more so, specially by foreigners) is the inland hilly area, where new forms of accommodation such as farm holiday are more and more developing.
The mountains are very much sought-for too, with their huge stretches of verdant woods. During winter seasons, Mount Abetone offers well-equipped ski stations for high mountain tourism.
Tuscany is very rich in hot springs, some of them renowned world wide (Chianciano, Montecatini).
Another category of tourists comes to Tuscany for its artistic heritage. Here the description would be easy but endless: there is no region in the world offering as much artistic heritage as Tuscany.
Florence, Pisa, Siena: these names alone recall masterpieces of architecture, painting, sculpture, but there is also an endless series of other towns and hamlets each of them offering treasures that could excite the envy of an entire nation.
Through this website we wish to present you some of these towns and hamlets, maybe between the less famous, hoping to make you feel like visiting them.