Tuscany things to do | PlanningaTour.com

The legend of Monte Forato

One of the many legends heard in Garfagnana regards the origin of the hole in the mountain. Legend has it that it was caused during a tremendous clash between San Pellegrino and the Devil himself.

The Devil, tired of seeing the saint prey and sing all day, sought to tempt him while he was making a beech wood cross, all in vain. Irritated, the Devil slapped the saint so hard he was knocked down. San Pellegrino slowly got back up and also tired of the continuous torments he was made to endure, instead of turning the other cheek slapped the Devil right back so hard he was hurled against the crest of the mountain. The Devil hit the mountain with his head, the terrible impact created the hole that we can see today.

Charming Itineraries around Tuscany

Tuscany is certainly one of the most beautiful regions in Italy. There are many things to see and lots to do across the region, from visiting hilltop villages to the seaside, from the mountains to the beauty lanscapes of the Valdorcia. For this reason we’re suggesting an itinerary for what to see and do in Tuscany if you have 7 days, recommending the cities, towns and activities that you cannot miss during your holiday in Tuscany.

These are of course just general recommendations in order to help you plan your next vacation in Tuscany. Driving is definitely the best transportation to use to move around Tuscany, but it’s not the only one.

Florence Day 1 & 2

Florence has so many things to offer.

There are must museums and monuments that cannot be missed such as the Uffizi Gallery, Piazza della Signoria with Palazzo Vecchio, Ponte Vecchio (famous Old Bridge) and Piazza Duomo with the Cathedral, the Baptistery and Giotto’s Bell Tower.

If you are going to stay 2 days in Florence we have more detailed suggestions.

Pisa and Lucca Day 3

Pisa is certainly renowned for the famous Piazza dei Miracoli, home to the Leaning Tower and the large Duomo, baptistery and Camposanto.

Lucca is a small Venice without water, enclosed within its huge Renaissance walls which are fun to do on bike. The historical city center deserves a visit, inclusing its peculiar shaped oval-shaped Piazza dell’Anfiteatro.

Chianti and San Gimignano Day 4

In Chianti, visit Greve in Chianti and its particularly shaped square, Panzano and its ancient center, Castellina in Chianti and its scenic walls, Gaiole and its massive castle, Radda and its ancient walls. We have a more detailed itinerary in Chianti if you want more ideas.

Furthermore there are many wineries and farms that produce good Chianti wine. Known and esteemed worldwide, Chianti’s intense color and pronounces taste can be enjoyed at many small estates that do not export their excellent wines outside of Italy. Most wineries offer local products and wine tastings. They often organize tours of their wine cellar to let you discover the secrets of this ancient Tuscan tradition.

Siena and Monteriggioni Day 5

Siena is definitely another medieval city in Tuscany that deserves to be visited. The city center is gathered within the ancient walls and holds many beautiful monuments and museums. First of all the Piazza del Campo, famous for its particular shell-shape and for the Palio of Siena. The Palazzo Comunale and Torre del Mangia overlook the square.

The Duomo stands majestically, a precious example of Romanesque-Gothic style in Italy with its commesso’s marble floor, the Baptistery and the Church of San Domenico. View our itinerary for a day in Siena for more information.

Val D’Orcia and wine tastings Day 6

Val D’Orcia, or Valdorcia, is another famous region in Tuscany for its stunning landscapes and good wine.

Gentle hills, spotted by dark cypresses or yellow sunflowers, make this region the perfect postcard to send back to your friends and families. It offers plenty of cities and villages that merit a visit, starting from Montepulciano, Montalcino, Pienza, San Quirico D’Orcia as well as the small towns of Bagno Vignone, Buonconvento and Radicofani.

Cortona and Arezzo Day 7

The city of Cortona become very popular after the book and then film “Under the Tuscan Sun” came out. It is a small town whose origins go way back to the Etruscans. The center is built around the main square of Piazza della Repubblica, over which Palazzo Comunale looks over.

Here you should visit the Diocesan Museum (Museo Diocesano), that displays a beautiful Annunciation of Cortona by Beato Angelico, and MEAC (Museum of Etruscan Academy of Cortona) that holds important Etruscan and Roman findings.

Don’t miss the Basilica of Saint Francis with the stunning frescoes depicting the Legend of the True Cross by Piero della Francesca, the Church of San Domenico displaying the wooden Crucifix by Cimabue, the magnificent Loggias by Vasari in Piazza Grande and the Archaeological Museum Clinio Mecenate.

Tuscany of course is much more than this. These are just a few suggestions and ideas to get you started on planning your first visit to Tuscany.

How to move around Tuscany

Tuscany is a medium-sized region which can be crossed in a few hours. Generally the hardest part in getting from one place to the next depends on where you are headed: smaller villages are often only reachable by car or bus whose schedules might not be the most convenient. Aside from a few major roads and roadways that cross Tuscany (such as the A1, A11 and A12), most of the roads are state or provincial with a single lane in each direction. Also, as many parts of Tuscany have hills, many roads wind up, down and around these hills: if you’re driving, prepare to take your time and drive carefully.

Having said this, if you are planning on visiting only the main towns in Tuscany, the most convenient way to move around is with the train: the main station in each town is generally in the center so there is no need to worry about parking before finding the major sights. Train travel is also pretty affordable, in comparison to the costs of rental cars and gasoline these days.

If you already know you won’t be driving but would like to visit the smaller villages not reachable by train, make sure to check out bus schedules ahead of time. For example, San Gimignano is a medieval village which we highly recommend visiting, but be aware that if you’re not driving, you can get there only by taking the train to Poggibonsi and then a bus the rest of the way (about 13 km, or 20 minutes, away).

What to discover in Lucca

An entire wall of my dining room is rather pretentiously covered with paintings of religious subjects.

They belong to the XIX century and represent the poor popular art of that time. The figures were first printed and then painted with watercolours and represent male and female devotional saints with symbols referring to their iconography.

These pictures at the time were mainly hung in bedrooms on the wall behind the bed, and I am sure that those readers who may have bought an old house in the hills around Lucca may have found some of them still hanging there.

The subjects were meant to transmit a feeling of wellbeing and peace. Look for example at that of baby St. John Baptist embracing a sheep with a red ribbon. He is folding his arms around it so sweetly as if it were his cuddly toy. “Guardate in alto, quando andate in giro per Lucca” that is “Look up when you are going around Lucca” my teacher kept saying. It’s a fact that if you go around Lucca with your nose in the air, you can spot here and there many of the most authentic popular and religious art-works of the town.

What you have to look for are the “edicole”. If you search for the word in your dictionary you will read that the word “edicola” in modern language means a newsagent.

But in the language of art, edicola, in English aedicule, means a framed space or niche housing a sacred image and positioned relatively high up on a building. Here in Lucca the subject is mainly the Madonna, the religious figure most loved by Christians.

Often however the Madonna is represented even in the aedicules in an unconventional manner. For example have you seen the one in Via S. Nicolao ? The “Madonna del Soccorso” i.e. Madonna to the Rescue, is angrily represented with a cane in her hand threatening the devil, who finally runs away, so she can rescue the little baby who was just about to be kidnapped. In this case she does not transmit a sense of peace and wellbeing, but of fear and dread. This same picture can also be seen behind the altar in the Church at Montecarlo.

On the contrary in Via dell’Anfiteatro, in Piazza della Grotta we can see an aedicule with a beautiful and elegant Madonna. Hold your breath, she has a Gucci handbag! Of course I’m joking – what seems a bag is in fact a number of devotional necklaces of the time. Many of the aedicoles that you will see in streets in Lucca were done in the XVI century and happily some of them have been recently restored.

This is one of them. In Via del Portico, also close to Via dell’Anfiteatro, there is another one that was meant to thank the Madonna for having saved a little girl, who lived nearby and fell from the fourth floor remaining unhurt. As it says on the plaque hanging at the side, 40 days of indulgence are assured (believe it or not) if you say a prayer next to it.

In Via dell’Angelo Custode, named after the Oratorio dell’ Angelo, there is another aedicule at No.6. The Guardian Angel cannot be clearly seen from the street because of the patina left on the painting by years of weather, but still meets the original religious intentions, if you ask the people living there.

The relationship between religion and popular art has always existed, and since ancestral times men have felt the necessity to use art as a bridge for the two entities to communicate, conveying ideas with the minimum of words and the maximum of impact.

Another characteristic of religious popular art was also to amaze people. But times are different now. Today’s permanent party mood in Lucca, attempting to make people crave just good food and material goods, can act like a mantra on our brain, leaving this hidden aspect of Lucca perhaps neglected. But hopefully to be discovered at least at the end of our visit.

Photograph exhibition

Sandy Skoglund - The power of the immagination

Lucca Digital Photo Fest, 20 Novemebr – 12 December

The sixth international photographic and videoart festival, amongst the most prestigeous in Europe. Seventeen photographic exhibitions, workshops, lectures by famous photographers, awards in various locations.
Full programme on www.ldpf.it

PALAZZO DUCALE Piazza Napoleone
Bye Bye Baby, Marylin Giuliana Scime’s private collection, till 30 January.
Horst P. Horst Fashion and glamour, till 30 January.
Francesca Woodman till 12 December.

PALAZZO GUINIGI
Giorgia Fiori Il Dono photos taken in missions throughout the world, till 12 December.

CHIESA DEI SERVI
Donna Ferrata 10013 TriBeCa till 12 December

World press photo 200 photos which won awards from the World Press Foundation, till 12 December

CHIESA DELL’ALBA
Boris Missirkov and Georgi Bogdanov Svetana Maneva Bulgarian installations/portraits till 12 December.

EX MANIFATTURA TABACCHI
Jan Saudek Il Teatro della Vita Eroticism and irony, till 12 December.
Andrea di Martino La messa è finita. The rebirth of deconsecrated churches in Italy.
Rania Bellou Prison Privacy installations from Greece.
Tracey Moffat Revolution, doomed love. Australian artist’s videoart, till 12 December.

CENTER OF CONTEMPORARY ART Via della Fratta 36.
Michel Comte Not Only for Women photographic exhibition. Faminine icons of our times. Open 10.00-19.00 Tuesday to Sunday.
Monday closed. Starts 20 November till 23 January.
Paola Binante Parapilomeni till 12 December.
Ludmilla Radchenko Born to be Pop open 10.00-19.00 Tuesday to Sunday.
Closed Mondays, till 10 November.