1 - Chianti
This popular region lies between Siena and Florence and was heavily fought over in the middle ages leaving a legacy of countless hilltop castles, towers and walled towns which dot the breathtaking and much loved Chianti countryside.
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A borgo in Chianti. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Chianti looking towards the Val d'Arno ; . . A vineyard in Chianti overlooking a Cypress drive
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A vineyard and woodland in Chianti . . . . . . . A watchtower in Chianti . . . . . . .
2 - The Maremma
The mild maritime climate was favourable to the Etruscans and Romans, who built many villas and farm holdings here and now the Maremma boasts the yachting paradise of the Argentario along with beautiful beaches and a wild interior.
In the Maremma the olive trees survived the dreadful 1985 frost that ruined so many olive trees in Tuscany.
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. . . . . . . . . A beach in the Maremma . . . . . . . . Looking towards Volterra from the Val di Cecina
3 - Val d'Arno
This wide fertile valley runs north from Arezzo and through Florence, and is full of small towns and villages.
With the tranquility of Vallombrosa Monastery, Monte San Savino and Lake Trasimeno, the Valdarno is Florentine in the north but more rural until you reach Arezzo and Cortona.
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The Pratomagno - - - - - - -- - - _ - - - - - - - The Val d'Arno Superiore near Pelago- - - - - -- - - - - - An Avenue in an Olive Grove
Winter in the Val d'Arno
With the dominating Pratomagno mountains bordering this valley the Valdarno is one of the best areas for olive oil in all Tuscany.
4 - Southern Tuscany and the Val d'Orcia
Southern Tuscany is full of postcard Tuscan hilltop towns, if you have ever seen a picture book of Tuscany, you will know this area. Montalcino and Montepulciano were once Roman towns and now produce two important wines, Brunello di Montalcino and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano.
This country is made up of rolling green hills with vineyards, cypress drives, fortified towns and stone farmhouses.
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- - - - - - San Casciano dei Bagni - - - - -- - - - - Mount Cetona - the source of the Orcia . . . . . . . . . The Val d'Orcia in the Spring
Montegiovi near Castel del Piano
5 - The Mugello
Popular with the Medici, the foremost ruling family of Florence during the Renaissance, The Mugello is an area riddled with high walled valleys steeply falling to flat river bed and small peaks.
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hou- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -The Mugello _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ - _ _ _Hillside houses near Londa
6 - The Casentino
One of the better kept secrets of Tuscany, the Casentino probably offers the best value for money for a buyer in Tuscany. This rural and unspoilt valley, once the poorest in Tuscany, has many unconverted farmhouses and villas that affluent Florentines are snapping up fast.
The valley is dominated by a number of towns and castles, such as Poppi which overlooks for the battlefield of Campoldino, in which a young Dante fought, while close by is the monastery of Chiusi della Verna, where St. Francis received the stigmata.
Poppi
7 - The Crete di Siena
The Crete of Siena, so named for the rolling clay hills in the area, is a dramatic change from the valleys and vineyards of Chianti.
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The Crete di Siena - -_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ The village of Chiusure, near Asciano _ _ _ -_ _ _ _ A Farmholding in the Crete
8 - The Val di Chiana
South of the Val d'Arno the landscape opens up into the even larger Val di Chiana.
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Montecchio in the Val di Chiana _ _ _ . _. _ Rolling vineyards near Sinalunga
UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Tuscany:
- Florence city centre
- Siena city centre
- San Gimignano
- Pienza in Southern Tuscany
- Pisa - Piazza dei Miracoli
- Val d’Orcia in southern Tuscany
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