Before
departure all visitors receive a copy of the following brief description of some
of the places that we feel are well worth visiting.
Remember:
most museums, churches etc. close in the afternoons, reopening at 4
o’clock. Many larger churches do not admit people dressed in ‘immodest’
attire, such as that which reveals women's shoulders or men's knees!
You
could spend weeks in these cities and still find more to see, so it’s best to
select from a guide book whatever suits your taste.
Florence
Parking is usually possible on the road beside the River Arno coming into
the city from the south-east. The main attractions are (to name but a few): Churches
- The Duomo (plus Baptistery and Bell tower), Santa Croce, Santa Maria Novella, San Lorenzo (with the Medici
Chapels), San Marco; Museums - the Uffizi
(perhaps the world’s no.1 art gallery. You can book a time in advance on 055
294883 [English spoken] or www.uffizi.it), the Bargello, the Accademia
(Michelangelo’s David etc.); Outdoor
spaces and buildings - Piazza Signoria and the Palazzo Vecchio,
Ponte Vecchio, Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens, Piazzale Michelangelo (for the
view). Don't miss FIESOLE on the edge of Florence, where there is a Roman
amphitheatre and a spectacular view of Florence below you.
SIENA
Home of the famous Paglio horse race.
Smaller and more elegant then Florence, being mostly built out of siena-red brick. The cathedral is amazing, as is the central
Piazza del Campo and the numerous narrow streets.
AREZZO
is a fascinating little city famous for its architecture, Piero della Francesca
frescos, antique market and much else (usually less packed with tourists than
Florence or Siena). From Arezzo it is not far to CASTIGLION FIORENTINO - church
of San Francesco, the Cassero fortress, and some interesting paintings; the
castle at MONTECCHIO; and the wonderful town of CORTONA - medieval walls on
Etruscan foundations, many fine buildings including a Medici fortress with
attractive gardens and extensive views across the countryside. To the east of
Arezzo lie the towns of SANSEPOLCRO – another Medici fortress; and CITTà DI CASTELLO - a cathedral, and medieval walls.
Perugia is unsurpassably beautiful, and being Umbrian has
a character quite different from Tuscan cities. It has a fine cathedral , an art
gallery, and much else to see.
PISA,
for
many people, is rather less interesting, except for the cathedral and of course
the Leaning Tower.
LUCCA
is charming with many attractions including a cathedral, and Piazza di Mercato built on the
old Roman amphitheatre. On route it is worth visiting MONTECATINI and PÉSCIA.
There are spectacular mountains to the north of this area.
BolOgna has
many impressive buildings and is one of Italy’s gastronomic centres. If you go
by road along the old Via Bolognese just east of the motorway you pass through
some stunning mountain scenery (but it’s very slow and twisty).
Local towns and villages well worth a visit include: VALLOMBROSA - an abbey with a famous art collection and spectacular views; S. ELLERO - with medieval walls; CASTELFRANCO DI SOPRA - a renaissance, walled garrison town; LORO CIUFFENNA - built by a deep gorge; ROCCA RICCIARDA - an ancient, tiny village built on a pinnacle of rock in a remote spot surrounded by mountains and forests (with luck the little restaurant there may be open); SAN GIOVANNI VAL D’ARNO - birthplace of Masaccio; FIGLINE VAL D’ARNO - the centre is far more interesting than you might expect from the main road with its commercial developments. A little further away, east of the Pratomagno mountains, BIBBIENA and POPPI both deserve a visit.
Romanesque Churches, famous throughout this part of Italy, are to be found at Cascia (take a look at the Massacio triptych), Pian di Scó, Gropina (near Loro Ciuffenna), S Agata (near Reggello), Gaville (near Figline) & Castelfranco di Sopra.
The
Chianti Region
between Florence and Siena is exquisite (though rather full of tourists).
Visit the wine towns of Greve,
Castellina, Radda, Gaiole and in particular Volpaia. Take the
small hilly roads, and try the wines. For wonderful views go to MONTE S.MICHELE
in the hills near Lucolena (off the road from Figline to Greve).
West
of Chianti lie
the towns of MONTERIGGIONI - a small medieval town completely enclosed within
the original walls; COLLE - another medieval town; SAN GIMINIANO - one of the
tourist meccas of Italy, famous for its incredible towers and the Vernaccia wine
(now mostly of ‘commercial’ quality); VOLTERRA - an ancient Etruscan
settlement, this medieval and renaissance city is surrounded by walls with
extensive views across the surrounding area.
South
East of Siena -
-
Wonderful
open, rolling countryside, and several hilltop towns well worth visiting,
including: MONTEPULCIANO ‘pearl of the
16th cent.’- a walled town with wonderful renaissance
architecture, a fine cathedral with some great paintings, the famous church of
San Biagio, and home of many fine wines; PIENZA - built in the 15th
cent. as a ‘utopian’ renaissance city; MONTALCINO - a spectacular fortress
and home of the great Brunello wine; Chianciano
and a number of other places in this area have thermal springs and health
resorts where you can drink the waters.
The
‘Green’ Muggello - north-east of Florence
- This beautiful valley reaches towards the Appennino mountain range. There are many
attractive small towns such as Scarperia,
Borgo San Lorenzo, Vicchio, and Dicomano.
At Vaglia a friend of ours runs an
extraordinary restaurant L’Uovo di
Colombo (wonderful food and a collection of vintage cars). On the south of
the valley are beautiful, open, rolling hills (west of Rùfina and north of
Pontassieve).
URBINO
is a small university
town with an elegant beauty unlike anywhere else in Italy. To
reach it across the mountains is very scenic and very slow indeed.
GUBBIO
Medieval and renaissance palaces, churches etc, and a fine museum. All routes
to Gubbio are very beautiful.
South East of
Perugia
- ASSISI with its famous Cathedral of St Francis is the main attraction
here, but it gets very crowded indeed. For a more peaceful and equally beautiful
taste of Umbrian towns try BETTONA - a walled, hilltop Etruscan settlement;
SPELLO - Roman ruins, spectacular architecture and views; BEVAGNA - a lovely,
quiet, ancient walled town with Roman ruins; MONTEFALCO - another picturesque
walled, hilltop town famous for its art and the church of S. Fortunato.
SPOLETO - home of an internationally famous arts festival, wonderful
views, a fine cathedral, the remarkable church of San Pietro, the fortress Rocca
del Albornoz (formerly a prison, but now restored revealing frescoes and
carvings). TODI - one of the finest renaissance churches in Italy, also Etruscan
and Roman remains.
This area is a good two hours away by car. If you want to spend a night there try phoning an English friend of ours, Bel Baker, who has rooms to let in an old farmhouse near Cannara. Her number is 0742 720361.
The
Tuscany/Lazio borders
-
ORVIETO - an ancient walled town on an outcrop of rock. Extremely attractive
and full of character. A good place to stop if you are going down to Rome. Not
far from here are the Città di Tuffo: SORANO, SOVANA & PITIGLIANO
(amazing villages surrounded by Etruscan relics in wonderfully tranquil
countryside) and also the hot spa at Saturnia (free open-air bathing). A little
further south are the very beautiful town of TUSCANIA and the city of VITERBO
which boasts one of the best preserved medieval quarters in Italy.
The
Maremma coastal area
- GROSSETO, the main city of this area has an
attractive centre. The coastline to the south of Grossseto is a National Park
and unspoiled by tourists; Marina di Alberese is an ideal place to go if you
like quieter seaside spots. If you go down this way it’s also worth visiting
MASSA - yet another walled medieval town with a fine cathedral.
RAVENNA is a long way away, but the mosaics there are breathtakingly beautiful. Some of the churches, e.g. San Vitale, actually date back to Roman times.
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The visitors' books in all apartments give details of many more places that people have visited, and their reactions to those places - please leave your suggestions and impressions.