Tuscany
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A flowered corn field in Tuscany. |
Tuscany (
Italian Toscana) is a region in central
Italy, bordering on
Latium to the south,
Umbria and
Marche to the east,
Emilia-Romagna and
Liguria to the north, and the
Tyrrhenian Sea to the west. It is often regarded as among the most beautiful parts of
Italy.
Tuscany was the birthplace of the
Italian Renaissance, and its artistic heritage includes
architecture,
painting and
sculpture, collected in dozens of
museums, the best-known of which is the
Uffizi and the
Bargello in
Florence, but also in many other towns and cities in the region.
Tuscany was the birthplace of
Leonardo da Vinci,
Michelangelo and
Dante Alighieri ("the father of the Italian language").Tuscany is known for its
wines (most famous of which are
Chianti,
Morellino di Scansano and
Brunello di Montalcino) and has 120 protected regions (
nature reserves).
Notable
tourist destinations in Tuscany include
Florence,
Siena,
San Gimignano,
Arezzo,
Pisa,
Lucca,
Barga, the
Maremma, the
Crete Senesi, the
Lunigiana and
Garfagnana areas, and the island of
Elba.
Apennine and Villanovan cultures
The pre-Etruscan history of the area in the late
Bronze and
Iron ages parallels that of the early
Greeks.
The Tuscan area was inhabited by peoples of the so-called
Apennine culture in the late
second millennium BCE (roughly
1350â€"
1150 BCE) who had trading relationships with the
Minoan and
Mycenaean civilisations in the
Aegean Sea.
Following this the
Villanovan culture (
1100â€"
700 BCE) came about which saw Tuscany, and the rest of Etruria, taken over by
chiefdoms (as was also the case at this time in Greek and the Aegean after the collapse of Mycenae and Troy).
s developed in the late Villanovan (again paralleling Greece and the Aegean) before "Orientalization" occurred and the Etruscan civilisation rose.
Etruscans
The
Etruscans were the first major
civilisation in this region of Italy; large enough to lay down a
transport infrastructure, implement
agriculture and
mining, and produce vivid art.
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 BCE, reaching their peak during the
seventh and
sixth centuries BCE, and finally ceded all power and territory to the
Romans by the
first century BCE.
Throughout their existence, they lost territory to the surrounding civilisations of Greece,
Carthage and
Gaul.
Despite being described as distinct in its manners and customs by contemporary Greeks,
the cultures of
Greece, and later Rome, influenced the civilisation to a great extent and this increasing lack of cultural distinction, including the adoption of the Etruscan upper class by the Romans,
was one of the reasons for its eventual demise.
Romans
Soon after absorbing Etruria, Rome established the cities of
Lucca,
Pisa,
Siena, and
Florence, endowed the area with new technologies and development, and ensured peace.
These developments included extensions of the existing transport infrastructure, introduction of aquaducts and sewers, and the construction of many buildings, both public and private.
. The Roman civilisation finally collapsed in the
fifth century CE and the region was left by the
Goths, and others, without control. In the
sixth century, the
Longobards arrived and designated
Lucca their capital.
The mediæval period
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.
The region is noted for the production of wine, notably
Chianti, one of the most famous wines in Italy.Also cattle (particularly the famous 'Fiorentina' steak) and the production of olive oil, principally in
Lucca and the surrounding hills.Tourism is the economic backbone of the so-called 'Cities of Art' (
Florence,
Lucca,
Pisa,
Siena,
San Gimignano), as well as on the coast and in the isles (
Elba).Also of economic note is the quarrying of marble in
Versilia,
Garfagnana and in the
Alpi Apuane.
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Arezzo*
Florence (Firenze)*
Grosseto*
Livorno*
Lucca*
Massa-Carrara*
Pisa*
Pistoia*
Prato*
Siena*
Casentino*
Chianti*
Maremma*
Mugello region*
Val di Chiana*
Garfagnana*
Versilia*
Towns in Tuscany*
Natives of Tuscany
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Regione Toscana (Official page)*
Tuscany tourism official WebSite*
Map of Tuscany*
Live Cam Greve in Chianti Piazza MatteottiPhoto galleries
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Lodgephoto - Tuscan landscapes, people and cities*
PhotoGlobe - Tuscany offers geo-referenced photos
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Fototoscana Images of cities, monuments and landscapes
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Tuscany travel guide Art, history, museums and culture in Tuscany
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Tuscany spigadigrano The old tastes and traditions in Tuscany
* [
1] Photos of Tuscan Folklore and traditions
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Tuscan landscapes, cities and buildings
