Tuscany is a region of Central Italy, bordering Emilia-Romagna to the north, Liguria to the north-west, Tyrrhenian Sea to the west, Umbria and Marche to the east, Lazio to the south-east. The territory is two thirds hilly and one fourth mountainous. The remainder is constituted of the plains that form the valley of the Arno River.

Its 397km. of coasts are washed to the West by the Ligurian sea between Marina di Carrara and the Gulf of Baratti. The Tyrrhenian sea washes the southern coast between the promontory of Piombino and the mouth of the Chiarore river, on the border with Lazio.

Also the islands of Tuscan Arcipelago are part of Tuscany: Gorgona, Capraia, Elba, Pianosa, Montecristo, Formiche di Grosseto, Giglio and Giannutri.

Florence is the chief town. The other provinces are: Arezzo, Grosseto, Livorno, Lucca, Massa-Carrara, Pisa, Pistoia, Prato e Siena.

 

ORIGINS AND HISTORY: The first clear traces of the human presence in Tuscany date back to the second millennium BC. From that period they found ruins of villages on palafitte and objects testifying an almost organized social life.

The Etruscans were the first major civilization in this region of Italy; large enough to lay down a transport infrastructure, implement agriculture and mining, and produce vivid. The people who formed the civilisation lived in the area (called Etruria) well into prehistory. The civilisation grew to fill the area between the rivers Arno and Tiber from the eighth century BC, reaching their peak during the seventh and sixth centuries BC, and finally ceded all power and territory to the Romans by the first century BC.

With pilgrims travelling along the Via Francigena between Rome and France came wealth and development during the mediæval period. The food and shelter needed by these travellers fuelled the growth of new communities around churches and taverns. The conflict between the Guelphs and Ghibellines, factions supporting, respectively, the Papacy and the Holy Roman Empire in central and northern Italy during the 12th and 13th centuries, split the Tuscan people. These two factors gave rise to several powerful and rich communes in Tuscany: Arezzo, Florence, Lucca, Pisa, and Siena. The balance between these communes were ensured by the assets they held; Pisa, a port; Siena, banking; and Lucca, banking and silk. By the renaissance, however, Florence succeeded in becoming the cultural capital of Tuscany and ensured a bright, and peaceful, future for the region.

Tuscany is considered the birthplace of the Renaissance movement, and its artistic heritage includes architecture, painting and sculpture, collected in dozens of museums in towns and cities across the region.

In the 1400s, the rulers of Florence, the Medicis, annexed surrounding lands to create modern-day Tuscany. The War of Polish Succession in the 1730s, however, ended in the transfer of Tuscany from the Medicis to Francis, the Hapsburg Duke of Lorraine, who would become Holy Roman Emperor. With the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire by Napoleon, Tuscany was inherited by the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, namely, the Austrian Empire. With the Italian Wars of Independence in the 1850s, Tuscany was transferred from Austria to the newly unified nation of Italy. (further information on Wikipedia).

 

ART & CULTURE: Tuscany is known worldwide for its wealth of monuments and works of art, first of all Firenze, Lucca, Pisa and Siena. Less known but important are Arezzo, Massa Carrara, Pistoia and Prato. Few people know the artistic and cultural heritage of Grosseto and Livorno.

In Tuscany we can find a lot of small cities that are a real historical, artistic and cultural heritage such as: Fiesole (Etruscan-Roman, medieval and baroque monuments) and Certaldo (medieval center) in the province of Firenze; Massa Marittima (medieval and Renaissance monuments), Orbetello (Etruscan-Roman, medieval, Renaissance and baroque monuments), Pitigliano, Sorano and Sovana (prehistoric and Etruscan, medieval, Renaissance and baroque monuments) in the province of Grosseto; Piombino (medieval and Renaissance monuments), Populonia and Campiglia Marittima (Etruscan remains and medieval monuments) and Suvereto (medieval village) in the province of Livorno; Castiglione di Garfagnana and Castelnuovo di Garfagnana (historical villages of medieval origins), Barga (prehistoric, medieval and baroque monuments) and Villa Basilica (medieval monuments) in the province of Lucca; Pontremoli (prehistoric, Roman and medieval village, with valuable baroque monuments) and Fivizzano (valuable medieval and baroque village) in the province of Massa Carrara; Volterra (prehistoric and Etruscan-Roman remains, medieval and Renaissance monuments) and San Miniato (medieval monuments) in the province of Pisa; Pescia (medieval, Renaissance and baroque monuments) in the province of Pistoia; San Gimignano (medieval village and Renaissance monuments), Pienza (Renaissance village with ancient medieval remains), Colle Val d’Elsa (well preserved medieval village, Renaissance monuments, early Christian and Etruscan-Roman remains), Montepulciano (medieval, Renaissance and baroque monuments), Montalcino (medieval village), Chiusi (Etruscan-Roman remains, early Chistian and medieval monuments), and Monteriggioni (medieval village) in the province of Siena.

 

TUSCAN CUISINE: Many simple recipes were born from the need of poor people of using stale bread. So the most famous Tuscan soups had origin. They are: ribollita, panzanella, acquacotta, pappa al pomodoro, cacciucco, fettunta, bruschetta, carabaccia (the French onion soup), and other famous soups. Another series of Tuscan dishes as its origin from the culinary customs of rich people: duck in orange juice, Florentine steak, pappardelle with wild pork, ham of “cinta senese” (a particular breed of pork from Siena), lard from Colonnata. Other recipes of ancient tradition are: stockfish in Livorno way, cecina (chickpea pie), cibreo (based on chicken giblets), fagioli all’uccelletto (beans, tomato and aromatic herbs), tortelli from Mugello and tortelli from Maremma. And a lot of typical desserts: cantucci, biscotti di Prato, brigidini, brutti ma buoni, cenci, cialde di Montecatini, confetti di Pistoia, frittelle di San Giuseppe, castagnaccio, pandiramerino, panforte, panpepato, ricciarelli, torrone, cavallucci,  schiacciata alla fiorentina, schiacciata con l’uva, torta di riso. (further information on: Magici Sapori - Recipes  and Magici Sapori - History of Tuscan Cuisine.

 

TUSCAN WINES: The Tuscan wine is famous worldwide for its high quality. The hilly conformation of the territory, the typology of soil and the excellent autochthonous vines made the grapes growing one of the most diffused cultivation in Tuscany from time immemorial. Thanks also to the Tuscan clever oenologists, who attend to the optimization of our wine, it reached a superior quality level.

On about 700,000 hectares of soil between the provinces of Firenze and Siena, they produce the DOCG Chianti, whose peculiarities are defined and protected by the production regulation.. The historical Chianti provides the use of two red grapes (Sangiovese and Canaiolo) and two white ones (Trebbiano and Malvasia), but at present the use of red grapes only is allowed.

The province of Siena is one of the most diversified and rich in wines production: the two DOCGs Brunello di Montalcino and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, the DOCs Rosso di Montalcino, Moscatello di Montalcino and Rosso di Montepulciano; and among the white wines we can not forget a DOCG as Vernaccia di San Gimignano.

Along the coast they produce the so-called “Super Tuscans”, for the most part from Cabernet Sauvignon; among these the most famous and expensive are Sassicaia and Ornellaia. The most important DOCs of the territory, Bolgheri, Elba and Elba Aleatico.

In Maremma we find Morellino di Scansano DOC and a new typology of wines, the “Baby Tuscans”, that unlike the “Super Tuscans”,  well built wines for ageing, need an ageing of just two or three years.

Also in the provinces of Pisa and Lucca, and on the Apuan Hills, they produce many both white and red DOCs. The most famous is Vin Santo. (further information on wine tasting class - Florence)

Tuscany

Country: Italia

Position: Central Italy

Chief town: Firenze

Provinces: n°10

Municipal districts: n°287

Area: 22.990 Km²

Population: 3.638.211 (31/12/2007)

Density: 158,2  I. / km²

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