Tuscany or Toscana - By which ever name you know it, is a beautiful and much loved region.

Cypress pines typical of Tuscany

The region of Tuscany is in central Italy and is triangular in shape. It borders on the north with the Tuscany/Emilia Appenines and Liguria; on the east with Le Marche and, on the south with Lazio. Its west is bathed by the Tyrrhenian Sea, containing islands forming the Tuscan Archipelago...the Tuscan region consists of a variety of land forms, from mountains in the north and east to flat plains in the south; from islands off the coast to the hill country of the interior.

The River Arno, all 240 winding kilometres of it is Tuscany's main river, passing through Florence and Pisa and then running out to sea.

This region consists of 9 provinces: Florence, Pistoia, Lucca, Massa/Carrara, Pisa, Livorno, Arezzo, Siena and Grosseto.

Tuscany in brief

The name Toscana derives from "Tuscia", which means "land of the Tusci". Even before the rise of the Roman Empire, it was inhabited by a group of civilised people: the Etruscans.

Florence is the capital of Tuscany, meriting the name given it by the Romans: "Florentia" or, "city of flowers". The city is the cradle of art: with beautiful churches, bell towers and castles. It is in Florence, at the end of the Middle Ages, that the Italian language was born.

Tuscany, with its hills covered in olive groves, and cypress pines as its crowning glory, and its capital Florence, as a centre of amazing art, architecture and culture, is a continuous tourist destination; people from all corners of the globe also come in search of the glory of its great sons: Dante Alighieri, Giotto, Donatello, Amerigo Vespucci and others.

Fiesole with its Roman amphitheatre

Landscape around Florence

Getting to Tuscany

Getting to Tuscany is easy as the region's towns are well-connected to the rest of Italy and Europe.

By Air:

The main airports are in Pisa and Florence, both of which have regular national and international flight connections.

By Road:

Tuscany's main highway is the A1 Autostrada which runs north-south through the region. The A11 is the highway connecting inland Tuscany to the coast. Other important highways in the region are the A12, from Genova and Pisa to the north and Livorno-Rosignano Marittimo to the south, and the A15, which crosses the Lunigiana area in the north-west corner of the region.

Tuscany is also criss-crossed by a series of centuries old smaller roads such as the Via Aurelia, the Via Cassia and the Via Clodia.

By Rail:

The Main railway line that runs through the region is the Milan-Rome line which passes through the most important Tuscan cites of Prato, Florence and Arezzo.

By Ferry:

There are also several ferry ports and tourist marinas on the coast. For example, ferries leave from Piombino and Livorno to Corsica, Sardinia, Elba and the many small islands that make up the Tuscan archipelago.

The Arno River running through Florence

Landscape around Florence

View from Michaelangelo's 'David' (replica)

City of Florence

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