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Tuscany - The magical evocative landscape of Tuscany, dotted with flickering vines and the darker green of cypresses embodies the classic Italian ideal and is, for many people the very essence of Italy. Old, isolated towns sometimes just little groups of stone houses, fortified Romanesque churches, Renaissance "castelli" and palaces all confront each other in the splendid isolation of the hilltops. A perfect land, and certainly the most privileged.

Every town and city has splendid monuments of art, but Florence stands head and shoulders above all. Florence being the center and capital of Tuscany, to the West is a chain of cities, Prato, Pistoia, Lucca, Pisa. To the East are the ancient Etruscan cities of Cortona and Arezzo. To the South lies Siena, rich in art works. These are the great cities of the Italian Renaissance, centers of art, architecture, culture, finance, and banking and yet Tuscany remains essentially rural in character, especially when it comes to gastronomy. Inhabitants display a quiet pride and transformed the produce of the land by them into products of world-class quality.

Italy's finest extra-virgin olive oil comes from Tuscany, as well as a wave of wines. The visitor has the whole of Italian art at his fingertips from the 13^th to the 16^th centuries in Florence, Siena, Pistoia, Lucca and Pisa. Artists include Cimabue, Giotto, Piero della Francesca, Simone Martini, Leonardo, Michelangelo. Literature boasts Dante, Petrarch and Boccaccio. Seaside resorts include Viareggio, Punta Ala, the Argentario with Porto Santo Stefano, the Isle of Elba, the Isle of Giglio, and Giannutri. The most important spas are at Montecatini and Chianciano. The festivals are the Palio in Siena , the Jousting Tournament (Giostra del Saracino) at Arezzo and the Gioco del Ponte in Pisa. For handicrafts: ceramics, wrought iron, leather goods, and raffia work. The typical dishes include the T-bone steak (alla Fiorentina), while Chianti And Brunello da Montalcino wines are known the world over.

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