VILLA ANGELA

SIENA - Siena lives around its notorious Palio, a horse racing, that takes place twice a year in the main stunning square, called Piazza del Campo. Artistic and culinary traditions live together in one of the most beautiful city of this area. You can not miss an excursion in the countryside nearby through the typical tuscany town like: Scansano, Montalcino,Pienza, and all the Chianti territory. Walking along the street inside Siena, you can find many tourist attractions: such as the Duomo and other renaissance palaces. Distances > Roma (240 km - 149 miles), Firenze (69 km - 42 miles), Pisa (114 km - 70,6 miles), Citta di Castello (123 km - 76 miles), Perugia (107 km - 66 miles), Cortona (70 km - 43,4 miles), Arezzo (63 km - 39 miles), Grosseto (75 km - 46,5 miles)

TUSCANY LOWLANDS - This area spreads south of Florence and it includes three main areas: Crete Senesi and Chianti, with Siena as its main city, the Casentino area with Arezzo and the whole Maremma with Grosseto as its representative city.

Maremma - this large area is divided into the coast, the inland and the mountains. The Tyrrhenian Sea coast has unique landscapes and stunning untouched natural oasis, such as Feniglia, the Argentario Mountain, the Orbetello lagoon. The Maremma inland is rich of small historical towns and boroughs. Among the best towns: Capalbio, ith its castle, Montorgiali & Montepò castles in Scansano, Porto S.Stefano with its vineyards, Pitigliano, Sovana and its Necropolis, Sorano and Saturnia, famous all over the world for its spa.
For those who love mountains and excursions, one of the best central Italy mountains stands: Mount Amiata.
Casentino - the Eastern Tuscany area has its most important city named Arezzo, which is famous for its gold and jewels producers and the Camaldoli convent (1023).

Crete Senesi & Chianti - a large area, which Siena is the city symbol of, this is a land where arts and intense flavours perfectly coexist since ages. Visitors should definitely visit Siena and its surroundings: ASciano, Colle Val d'Elsa (the crystal town), S. Gimignano (its downtown is Unesco patrimony), S. Casciano dei Bagni and Chianciano Terme (both places are famous for their spa).

In general is characterized by artistic and natural richness of its spots. A must see is the casentino Eco-museum, the National Casentinesi forests Park and the Eremo of Camaldoli, first Saint Romualdo friars seat, built in 1023.
-Arezzo, the main city of this area, is where two important Italian writers lived: Pietro Aretino and Fancesco Petrarca. Arezzo has a spectacular square, surrounded by medieval, baroque and renaissant buildings: Piazza Grande.
-Cortona, a 600 mts high osl artistic Valdichiana town,has its historical downtown showing charming features. Outside downtown there are two interesting attractions, such as the Fortezza Medicea and the Archeological Park with Etruscan walls, Mezzavia tomb, Ossaia Villa and the Roman street of Monte Maestrino and of Torreone.
-Poppi, a nice town with its famous zoo park.

In this area there are others important places to visit: Chiusi and Chianciano terme, Monte San Savino, Castelfiorentino.

All this territory is marked by the so called "Sentiero della Bonifica" a long path from Chiusi to Arezzo full of interesting glances: Chiusi lake ,Callone di Valiano, Zorès bridge ,Casa leopoldina,Chiusa dei Monaci.

FLORENCE - one of the most beautiful Italian cities. To suggest an itinerary in Florence is hard because too many things and places have to be visited. Although, in the folowing lines are listed the most important attractions.

- Piazza della Signoria: we recommend a promenade in one of the best squares in the world, until the Uffizi Museum Porches and the Arno river, from where you can see a spectacular view of Ponte Vecchio bridge.

- The Duomo: The Cathedral of Florence, dedicated to Santa Maria del Fiore, is in Italian Gothic style. This building was designed by Arnolfo di Cambio (1245-1302) and represents one of the best architectonical works of that period. It was finished in 1367, and it was fully covered by colored marbles. In it there are several Gothic masterpieces, such as frescoes.

Many statues of the Duomo are today kept in the "Opera del Duomo" Museum, but many others are still in the Duomo, such as the Michelangelo "Pietà".
The windows. made between 1434 and 1445 by Donatello, Andrea del Castagno and Paolo Uccello, are a unique artistical example, as well as the "Sacrestia" wooden cupboards inlays, made by Brunelleschi, Antonio Del Pollaiolo and other artists.

- Ponte Vecchio: the oldest bridge on the Arno river, symbol of Florence, where are many important Florence jewelries.

- Palazzo Pitti: antique Tuscany Grand Duchesses and successively KIngs of Italy residence, today it has several important collections of paitings and sculptures, objects, porcelains. It also shows a perfectly kept historical environment, as well as the Boboli garden, one of the best Italian Gardens.

- Galleria degli Uffizi: a world wide famous museum. In the past they had to be the Medici family's offices. Today they host international art masterpieces, made by artists such as Cimabue, Giotto, Masaccio, Beato Angelico, Leonardo da Vinci, Botticelli, Michelangelo, Piero della Francesca, Raffaello, Caravaggio, Rubens, Rembrandt, Dürer, Goya and many others.
The Vasari Corridor, which connects the Uffizi to Palazzo Pitti, has a rich collection of artists' portraits and it passes over Ponte Vecchio.

- Palazzo Medici Riccardi and Palazzo del Michelozzo. The Cloister and the Gozzoli frescoes in the Magi chapel must be seen.

- Piazza San Giovanni: wonderful square with the Battistero (Giotto belfry).

- Santa Croce: Gothic church with Giotto and Gaddi frescoes, Donatello sculptures and a marvellous cloister.

- San Lorenzo: one of the two Brunelleschi churches. It also contains the extraordinary Michelangelo Laurenziana Library.

- Santa Maria Novella: Gothic church with a Reinassant facade, added by Alberti in the XV Century. In this church you can admire Giotto, Masaccio and Paolo Uccello paintings.

- Piazza della Santissima Annunziata: one of the oldest Reinassance squares, with symmetrical buildings and a trapeze shape. In this square is the Spedale degli Innocenti, built by Brunelleschi, with its elegant loggia and the church built by Michelozzo, where you can see Castagno and Pontorno paintings. Near there, there is the San Marco Church & Museum.

- Santa Apollonia: in this church there is the Andrea del Castagno fresco, named "L'ultima cena".

- Palazzo del Bargello: medieval building, today it hosts the Bargello museum, with Donatello, Michelangelo, Brunelleschi and Ghiberti sculptures and works.

- Palazzo Gondi: this building symbolizes the architectonical evolution of the Florence buildings from the Middle Age to the Reinassance.

- Other buildings: Palazzo Vecchio, Palazzo Davanzati, Palazzo Alberti, Palazzo Rucellai.

 

Distances > Roma (280 km - 168 miles), Siena (72 km - 44 miles), Pisa (99 km - 60 miles), San Gimignano (55 km - 32 miles), Perugia (154 km - 95 miles), Cortona (118 km - 73 miles), Arezzo (78 km - 48 miles), Grosseto (145 km - 90 miles), Livorno (120 km - 74 miles), Lucca (73 km - 45 miles)

CHIANTI AREA AND VAL D'ELSA - This area could be considered the heart of Tuscany, a large part of the region starting from the south of Florence to the lands around Siena. Famous for its landascpes and wines, it boasts some unique towns rich of history, monuments and italian culture: Monteriggioni, San Casciano Valdipesa, Greve in Chianti, Radda in Chianti and San Gimignano. This last town is famous for its 100 towers so it is recently called "the middle age Manatthan".

In the whole area many others borughs woth a visit: Montespertoli and Montelupo.