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Palazzo Newsletter
October 13, 2008
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Palazzo Newsletter
October 13, 2008
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| Tuscany A Timeless Landscape |
| Page 5 Next Back Back to Palazzo |
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Knocking on Heaven's Door Italia! Oh Italia! Thou hast the fatal gift of beauty. --George Gordon Noel Byron
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Without question, Florence is a must when visiting Tuscany. Within this sophisticated city are restaurants, chic boutiques, churches, gardens, statues and museums. Beyond, lies the quintessential postcard image of Italian landscapes dotted with vineyards and cypress trees. However, these ten small villages will make you swoon with delight as you discover a back door to the treasures of Tuscany. |
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Artimino Walled medieval village. Surrounded by vineyards and olive groves. Sights: Etruscan burial grounds, Romanesque Church of San Leonardo, Villa Medicea.
Bagni di Lucca Surrounded by wooded hills along the banks of the river Lima. Luminaries like Shelley, Hein, Byron and Montaigne were regulars to this romantic little spa town. Summer residence of Napoleon's court and his sister, Elisa Baciocchi. Sights: Guiseppe Pardini's English Church, Villa Ada, Villa Fiori, home of Edwardian novelist, Ouida, Casino of 1844 (where roulette was invented)
Castelnuovo di Garfagnana Mountain village dominated by twelfth-century fortress. Renaissance architecture and artwork. Sights: Medieval bridge; medieval wall with large towers, the Torrioni and the Rocca; churches of San Pietro, San Michele, and San Pelligrino
Castiglione d'Orcia Perched 540 metres above sea-level with stunning views of the Orcia valley and Monte Amiata. Steeply sloping streets and stone buildings dating as far back as the thirteenth century. Sights: Rocca of Tentennano; Rocco Aldobrandesca; Romanesque churches of Santa Maddalena, Santi Stefano and Degna
Cetona Inhabited since the Paleolithic Age, tranquil Cetona rises a third of the way up the mountain named after it. Beyond its fortified walls falls a landscape of idyllic perfection. Charming stone houses and winding streets. Sights: Church of San Michele Arcangelo and convents of San Francesco and Santa Maria a Belverde
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Magliano in Toscana Hilltop village founded by the Etruscans. Roses, geraniums and other flowers abound. Sights: Churches of San Bruzio, San Giovanni Battista, and San Martino, Gothic Palazzo dei Priori and Palazzo di Checco Il Bello
Montemerano Hilltop village with splendid views of the archetypal Tuscan countryside. Sights: Church of the Madonna del Cavalluccio, leaning medieval tower, church of San Giorgio with many fine examples of religious art.
Pienza Model town of elegant Renaissance architecture created through the vision of one man, Piccolomini consecrated as Pope Pius II and executed by Florentine architect Bernardo Gamberelli (Rossellino). Famous for its sheeps cheese, "il pecorino." Sights: Duomo, Palazzo Piccolomini, Pieve di Corsignano
Populonia One of the oldest ports in Italy, this small, medieval village is situated inside the natural park of Rimigliano with a protected coastland of pinewoods sloping down to sandy beaches. Sights: Etruscan remains, Torre di Populonia.
Uzzano Medieval village with almost all of the ancient buildings intact. Breathtaking panoramic site. Floral gardens and extensive orchards. Sights: Saints Jacopo and Martino Parish, Palazzo del Capitano del Popolo.
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