Tuscany (original) (raw)
Tuscany (Italian Toscana) is a region in central Italy, bordering on Latium to the south, Umbria to the east, Emilia-Romagna and Liguria to the north, and the Tyrrhenian Sea to the west. It is often regarded as among the most beautiful parts of Italy.
Points of interest
Tuscany was perhaps the region in which the Italian Renaissance produced its best results. The unique artistic patrimony of this region includes architecture, painting and sculpture, collected in dozens of famous museums like the Uffizi in Florence.
Tuscany is also known for its wines (most famous of which are Chianti, Morellino di Scansano and Brunello di Montalcino) and has 120 protected regions (nature reserves).
Notable tourist destinations in Tuscany include Florence, Pisa, Lucca, Maremma (in the Grosseto district), Crete Senesi, and (Siena). Tuscany is currently promoting "agritourism" (Agriturismo), in which visitors stay on working farms.
History
See main article: History of Tuscany
Provinces of Tuscany
- Florence (Firenze), capital town of the region
- Siena
- Grosseto, principal town of Maremma
- Pistoia
- Arezzo
- Lucca
- Massa Carrara
- Livorno
- Pisa
- Prato
Other notable cities
- Empoli
- Castiglione della Pescaia
- Castiglione Fiorentino
- Collodi
- San Gimignano
- Montalcino
- Orbetello
- Capalbio
- Piombino
Island islands
- Elba
- Montecristo
- Giannutri
- Giglio
- Pianosa
Geographical data
Area: 22,992 km2
Population (2000): 3,536,392
Population density: 163/km2
Number of administrative areas: 278