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.

History

See main article: History of Tuscany

Economy

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.