Tuscany in the Summer: Five Must-Sees

The Italian region of Tuscany is a beautiful gem of history, great food, and fun activities. The area is natural, cultural, and full of historical value. It is a fantastic place to visit, and a wonderful place to spend your summer. If you are visiting Tuscany this summer, here are the five things you must do while there:

1. Visit medieval Siena: Siena is one of Italy’s greatest medieval towns. It is absolutely beautiful as it has a historic and amazing Piazza del Campo, and several narrow, maze like streets and alleys that lead directly to it. Siena has sidewalk cafes to enjoy a delicious gelato, bistros, and of course, medieval architecture, and historical sites. Just walking down those maze like streets will make you feel as though you stepped back in time.

2. Visit the Roma amphitheaters in Lucca: Luccas is a city that was built over a Roman colony, and that dates back to 180 BC. This city is amazing as it is full of incredible churches, medieval buildings, and of course the amazing Roma amphitheaters. The piazzas and sidewalk cafes and coffee shops, and the rest are so amazing. It will give you a real taste of Italian culture, and a huge chunk of Italian history. If you want to learn more about medieval Italy, and see some of the most amazing amphitheaters in the world, Lucca is the place to do it. And, it will not be short on the food or culture that Italy is known for.

Tuscany is the jewel of Italy.

3. The leaning tower of Pisa: This is one of the most well-known, and most toured sites in Tuscany. It leans because it had a poor foundation. It was built in the 1100’s and has been since fixed some to make it more architecturally sound, as it does lean significantly. In 1990-2001 it was fixed some so that the lean would be less significant. In past years, there have been several times when committees have voted about fixing it, but have voted it down because it is such a big tourist draw. So, today you can still got see the leaning bell tower. It only leads about 3.9 meters over, as opposed to the 5.5 meters it once leaned, but it is still leaning.

4. Wine tasting. Tuscany is known for vineyard, and more specifically for the wine that comes from those vineyard. You can taste wine in Chianti, one of the most world-famous wines, and enjoy the beautiful Tuscan scenery as you drive through rolling hills and vineyard after vineyard. You can also visit Motalcino, where they have the rich red wines, and see the beauty of Southern Tuscany. There are enough vineyards that you will be sick of wine tasting before you are through them all.

5. Visit Pinocchio Park: The man who wrote the story of the puppet who wanted to be a boy, and whose nose grew was not from Disney, rather an Italian. His name was Carlo Collodi, and his hometown has been named after him, and boasts a beautifully natural and cultural park that you can visit. You can take workshops there on writing, on puppet making, on illustration and more. It is beautiful, fun for all ages, and a great way to learn more about Pinocchios true history.