Siena map
20km
A walk through Siena’s web of streets is like going back to the middle ages. Sienese life is centred around Piazza del Campo which is dominated by the town’s civic centre, Palazzo Pubblico. Gastronomic treats include cold cuts, olive oil, Chianti wines and sweets (panforte and ricciarelli). Twice a year – July 2nd and August 16th – the Palio is run in Palazzo del Campo. More than just a horse race, this requires a whole year of preparation and actually lasts a month, with parties, flag acrobatics, parades, etc. The rivalry among Siena’s 17 contrade (districts) dates back to the middle ages. There are also many bars, restaurants, pharmacies, shops and petrol stations.

Florence map
45km
Florence, dubbed “cradle of the Renaissance”, “Athens of Italy”, and just plain Firenze in Italian was, for over a thousand years, a quiet town in the Tuscan countryside. Settled by the Etruscans, a Roman encampment, and then a domain of the Holy Roman Empire, its political and economic rise only began around the 11th–12th centuries when, despite warring between the Guelph and Ghibelline factions and recurrent revolts of the populace, prosperity from trade paved the way for its future leadership position. Dante Alighieri, The Medici’s, Botticelli and Michelangelo are just a few of the great names who have made Florence, and of whom it can boast. There are many beautiful buildings, cathedrals, museums and works of art to see and experience in Florence alone. And, of course, many bars, restaurants, shops and petrol stations.

Castellina in Chianti map
16km
An important agricultural centre and holiday resort, it is situated at the top of a hill, commanding excellent views down the valleys of the Pesa, Arbia and Elsa rivers. Castellina is mentioned for the first time in a sales contract of January 1054. From the end of the 12th century it was controlled by Florence and was made the capital of one of the regions in the Chianti League. Surrounded by the Chianti vines, from which is produced the famous Chianti wines, this is an excellent place to enjoy the beautiful scenery of the area as well as the wine. There are a few bars, restaurants and shops.

Pisa map
An important port from Roman times, ranked as one of the great Mediterranean sea republics throughout the Middle Ages. In the 11th century it wrested control of Sardinia, the start of a political and artistic influence not to be relinquished for centuries. Most famous for its Leaning Tower in Campo dei Miracoli, Pisa also has a host of other monuments such as Baptistery, Cathedral, Cathedral Museum, Camposato, and the Museo delle Sinopie, housed in what once was a hospital, the Spedale della Misericordia, and many more. There are bars, shops, restaurants and petrol stations.

Lucca map
Originally a Roman settlement at the intersection of three consular roads by the Serchio River. In the middle ages, fierce rival of Pisa and Florence, it prospered on textile manufacture and trade. This period was the time of great building activity, particularly the 13th century, and numerous churches in the striking style later known as Pisan Lucchese rose all over the city. Except for a few sporadic intervals, Lucca remained an independent republic for five centuries. During the Renaissance period great palaces and mansions were built in and around Lucca. The impressive city walls date from a later period, 16th–17th centuries. Two of Italy’s greatest composers, Luigi Bocherini and Giacomo Puccini, were born here in the 1800s. Its economic mainstays are agriculture (olive oil), paper and tourism. Every two years the “Italian Cartoon & Comics Festival” is held here. There are bars, shops, restaurants, and petrol stations.

Volterra map
A veritable compendium of Tuscan history, from the times of the Etruscans to the Middle Ages. Volterra preserves the austere, somewhat mysterious attraction of its origins, both as regards to the lay-out of the town, as well as from the point of view of its richly varied art-treasures. Its most renowned and flourishing activity is the production of alabaster artifacts. Here there are bars, restaurants and shops.

Montalcino map
An agricultural centre situated at the top of a hill covered with olive groves and vineyards, overlooking the two valleys of the Ombrone and Asso rivers, Montalcino is renowned for its Brunello Moscadello wines. There are a few shops, bars and restaurants.

Montepulciano map
The town is situated on top of a hill with commanding views of the Valdichiana and the Val d’Orcia. It is renowned for its excellent wines, chief among which is the Vino Nobile. The rich fabric of the town is made even more fascinating by the intricate network of steep, narrow, twisting alley-ways, flanked on either side by buildings of a prevalently Renaissance flavour. Here again there are a few bars, restaurants and shops.

<< back

 

 

For more detailed maps and directions go to: