Streets squares and districts to visit Toscane

A small Renaissance trapezoidal square on the highest point of the hill, as if to crown the city. It is one of the first examples of a square designed as a work of art. Most of the buildings were erected in record time by the Florentine architect Bernardo Rossellino, influenced by Piero della Francesca's painting of Urbino, the ideal city. Facing the Piccolomini Palace, the well with its elaborate architrave bears the family's coat of arms. Behind the cathedral, the pleasant walk of the ramparts offers a beautiful view of the Orcia valley.

Historic centre of Siena, home of life and reference point whatever your itinerary, the "Campo" as the Sienese call it offers an extraordinary perspective. This famous square, one of the most beautiful in Italy, was built in 1293 according to an original design in the shape of an inverted shell that follows the natural shape of the land, divided into nine parts (symbol of the Council of Nine who watched over the city in the 13th and 14th centuries). It was here, over the centuries, that great speeches were proclaimed to the people, that clashes tore the city apart, that Saint Bernardine (1380-1444) preached and stigmatized the frivolity of Sienese women.

During the famous Palio, the red brick paving of the square is covered with sand and becomes a frantic race ground for raw horses.

In the centre, the Fonte Gaia fountain collects the spring water that flows down the slopes of the surrounding hills. Dating from the 15th century, it is the work of the sculptor Jacopo della Quercia. The marble ornaments depict the Creation of Adam, a Virgin and Child, the Virtues and Adam and Eve driven from Paradise (the originals are in the Palazzo Pubblico).

Around it are the Sansedoni Palace (13th century), the Elci degli Alessi Palace (16th century), the Town Hall (Palazzo Pubblico) built between 1284 and 1310, and its 102-metre medieval tower, one of the highest in Italy. All offer their superb facades, reflecting the power of the public and private city, and forming a harmonious monumental ensemble of rare beauty.

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.

If the medieval squares of Italian cities rival each other in beauty, Volterra is one of the most beautiful. The Plaza de los Priores is lined with severe but superb palaces, including the Episcopal Palace (Palazzo Vescovile), an old municipal granary, the elegant Palazzo del Monte di Pietà, the Palazzo Pretorial (Palazzo Pretorio) and its Torre del Porcellino with a unique silhouette at its top. Among this mosaic, the 13th century Palazzo dei Priori (Palace of the Priors) is the oldest municipal palace in Tuscany.

Piazza del Duomo, the religious heart of Siena, is now a compulsory point of passage for your walk in the city! The Plaza del Duomo is bordered by the Santa Maria della Scala Hospital, the neo-Gothic palace of the archbishopric (palazzo Arcivescovile), the palace of the Governor of the Medicis and the superb, splendid, magnificent (words are missing...) Cathedral Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption, a masterpiece of Sienese Gothic. In the shape of an "L", the Place du Dôme continues towards Piazza Jacopo della Quercia on the right side of the cathedral.

In Roman times, the Piazza della Repubblica, where the cardo and the decumanus meet, was home to a forum, the political and economic heart of ancient Florentia. Under the Medici there was a market, the Mercato Vecchio. It is a pleasant square nowadays lined with terraces, an obligatory passage to reach the Mercato Nuovo. This elliptical square is one of the lungs of the city because depending on the streets taken, very different aspects of Florence present themselves to the visitor. A remnant of the past, the Colonna dell'Abbondanza represents the exact centre of Florence.

A medieval political heart, the vital centre of the city and today a major tourist attraction, the main square of the Republic of Cortona is home to important monuments. Among them, the palace of the Captain of the People, also known as Palazzo Passerini, was built in the 13th century, originally as a tower house, then transformed into a palace in the 16th century. As for the communal palace (palazzo Comunale), now the town hall, it dates back to the 12th century and was enlarged several times, particularly in the 16th century. The staircase and its square bell tower date from the 16th century. Unfortunately, the municipal palace cannot be visited, it is used for certain ceremonies, such as weddings. But we can tell you that it houses a Council Chamber famous for its Renaissance fireplace and 19th century frescoes. Finally, the last building that stands out in this square of the Republic is the Laparelli Palace, built by Cristofanello in 1533, and located at the end of Via Guelfa. The square, almost like a balcony, overlooks the neighbouring Signorelli piazza.

In the past, the piazza della Repubblica was the meeting point between the cardo and the decumano:the two main streets of Roman urban planning that constituted the north-south and east-west axis of the ancient Cortona respectively. This meeting point formed the ancient forum where, as you know, Roman citizens gathered to discuss business, whether commercial, political, economic, judicial or religious.

It is on this off-centre avenue in the centre of Viareggio, bordered by the wild pine forest of Levante and facing the beach, that the night is warmest. About twenty stylish bars and other nightclubs have occupied the area in recent years. From 7pm, the traditional "apericena" (a reasonably priced formula with a drink and access to the buffet, usually copious) with DJ is all the rage. The site is so popular that young people from Florence or Siena come to Viareggio on weekends to celebrate.

The elegant Place du Dôme, the ancient heart of the city, has a very medieval charm and concentrates religious, judicial and civil powers, as was customary in the Middle Ages. Around it are its precious monuments: cathedral, bell tower, baptistery, Pretorio Palace (1367) with its courtyard decorated with 14th century frescoes, Bishops' Palace (episcopal residence until 1786), and municipal palace, symbol of civil power. As in the past, the Piazza del Duomo is animated on Wednesdays and Saturdays mornings by the market. One of the most beautiful squares in Italy!