Things to see and do Toscane

The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption is one of the oldest Gothic churches in Italy. A true stone book, it is also one of the most beautiful creations of Italian Romano-Gothic art, the construction of which lasted almost two centuries (12th and 14th centuries), a symbol of Siena's wealth and prosperity.

Most of its sumptuous façade,built between 1284 and 1299, is the work of Giovanni Pisano, although the bas-relief on the south side of the Pardon Gate is by Donatello (the original is in the Museum of the Work). The facade is composed of white, black and red marble, its three portals and colonnades are decorated with fine sculptures. The horizontal effect of the white and black marble stripes characterizes its bell tower dating from 1313.
The interioris remarkable with its height under the ceiling. At your feet, the coloured marble floor, finely worked and divided into 56 sacred and profane scenes, is exceptional. Unfortunately, it is not possible to see all of them at the same time because a part is covered to preserve them. The finesse of the whole, created between 1372 and 1547, is prodigious. When the German composer Richard Wagner visited the cathedral, he was "moved to tears by this show," his wife Cosima told in a letter written in 1880

, and the choir and high altar are byBaldassarre Peruzzi (1506). In the right transept, we can see a Baroque chapel attributed to Bernini, while the left transept houses the splendid pulpit with porphyry columns and green marble of Nicola Pisano, a marvel of Gothic sculpture, as well as works by Donatello (such as the bronze statue of Saint John the Baptist). There is also Michelangelo's Saint Paul (1502), probably a self-portrait.

The crypt, opened to the public in 2002, located under the duomo's pulpit, is a total surprise. There are frescoes from 1270-1275 in a remarkably preserved state. This cycle of paintings was made dry (pittura a secco) by several artists such as Guido da Siena, Dietisalvi di Speme, Guido di Graziano and Rinaldo da Siena. 180 m² of scenes including the Passion and Resurrection of Jesus. Access is from the back of the main entrance of the cathedral, through the San Giovanni Baptistery.

Against the left side of the cathedral, the Libreria Piccolomini, built in 1495 by Cardinal Francesco Piccolomini Todeschini (future Pope Pius III), should not be missed.

A place like nowhere else. One of the most impressive in Tuscany. It owes its name to the Roman amphitheatre that was there in the 2nd and 1st centuries BC, which could accommodate up to 10,000 spectators, whose ruins, about three metres deep, served as a base for the new buildings. Also known as Piazza del Mercato, it is surrounded by medieval buildings that have passed through time without difficulty in the enclosure of an almost perfect oval. A blond ochre light floods it during the day.

In the heart of medieval Pisa, on the site of the former forum, the Place des Cavaliers (to be taken in the sense of "knights") is a must in the city. A former centre of political power at the time of the Medici, this very pleasant square is now the centre of student life in Pisa. Indeed, the Knights' Palace (palazzo dei Cavalieri), which once housed the headquarters of the Order of the Knights of St. Stephen, founded in 1562, and which was transformed by the famous architect Giorgio Vasari on the orders of Cosme I de Medici, now houses the Ecole normale supérieure (Scuola normale superiore di Pisa), founded by Napoleon in 1810. The Palazzo dell'Orologio (Palace of the Clock) and the church of Santo Stefano dei Cavalieri, built in 1565 by Vasari, close this noble square, in the centre of which stands a 16th century fountain decorated with a statue of Cosme I. On the façade of the religious building stands a Maltese cross, symbol of the Knights of St Stephen. This order, both sacred and military, was subject to the rule of Saint Benedict and was responsible for fighting Muslim pirates in the Mediterranean. Inside, you can see a surprising coffered ceiling. The frescoes on the facade are also by Vasari. The Clock Palace is composed of two tower-houses (case-torri), the one on the right, the torre della Fame, is the one where Ugolino della Gherardesca, who established a tyranny in Pisa in 1286, died after being locked up there with his two sons.

Imposing red brick walls surround the city centre of Lucca, extremely well preserved and converted into a beautiful promenade. Formed by curtains and bastions, the Lucca fortifications celebrated their 500th anniversary in 2013! In the 19th century, this circle of fortifications, supposed to resist artillery, was transformed into a public park by the sister of Emperor Napoleon I, Elisa Bonaparte, and today forms a route ("passeggiata delle mura") of more than four kilometres very pleasant to discover, especially by bicycle.

Surrounded by tower houses and imposing palaces built in the 13th and 14th centuries, the Plaza de la Citerna is the nerve centre of San Gimignano. It owes its name to the octagonal well in its centre, built by the Gibelins in 1287 and struck with the arms of the Guccio Malavolti podestate. The square, slightly sloping, is connected by an open passage to another characteristic square of the city, Piazza del Duomo. To the southwest, stands the old main entrance gate, called the Becci Arch, surrounded by two towers: Torre dei Becci and Torre dei Cugnanesi.

Not far from the port, on the quays, a stop on this square allows you to admire Livorno's most famous monument, the statue known as the "Four Moors" (I QuattroMori), a work created by Pietro Tacca in the 17th century. It depicts Ferdinand I de Medicis, in marble, with four bronze statues at his feet, which form four prisoners (in this case convicted Turkish pirates). This emblematic statue of the city thus commemorates the victories of the Grand Duke of Tuscany, from 1587 to 1609, over Ottoman pirates in the Mediterranean.

A pleasant walk for the visitor, with a sad past. During the Middle Ages, death row inmates left prison under the Palazzo Pubblico, walked along Via dei Malcontenti (the "Street of the Dissatisfied") to Porta Giustizia. A few more steps and you arrive at Orto dei Pecci (open from Tuesday to Sunday, from 12:30 to 22:00), an area cultivated since the 16th century, with vegetable gardens, some animals, and offering a beautiful view of the Palazzo Pubblico and the torre del Mangia. "Per fare due passi", as the Italians say!

Florence's monuments are well known, but one of its particularities is often forgotten: its peasant culture and its countryside at the city's gates. Just a few kilometres away from Piazza della Signoria, you can already be on the hills with centuries-old olive trees. There stands the Fattoria di Maiano, five kilometres from the city centre. Rich in history, its estate, built at the beginning of the 15th century, extends over many hectares and dominates the city. The estate includes the former quarries from which the "Serena" stone was extracted for Florentine Renaissance buildings; today they are partially reforested. One of them has been transformed into a small lake, the "laghetto delle colonne" with its "Tea House": a surreal image, a fable postcard.

Today, the Fattoria di Maiano offers the opportunity to discover its terroir: the paths through the woods with its botanical zone, the lake, the olive trees and the farm animals. A visit to the press is also planned. The tour can be done on foot, by bicycle or also at night in a 4x4. A special experience, the discovery of a countryside and its tradition just a stone's throw from a Renaissance civilisation. As a bonus, this place produces one of the best olive oils in Tuscany, exclusively organic, awarded with various prizes (you can buy it at the fattoria's point of sale). To complete this setting, the farm restaurant offers the opportunity to discover the Florentine culinary tradition.