Tuscany, an open-air museum full of history, artistic masterpieces of priceless value, natural and wild landscapes that for years have offered unique views to anyone who visits it. In 1982 UNESCO – the International Committee for the Protection of the World’s Cultural and Natural Heritage – declared 6 places of this magnificent region as a World Heritage Site, the 7th added later in 2013.
- Florence, the Cradle of the Renaissance
- Leaning Tower of Pisa
- San Gimignano and its medieval towers
- Siena with its historic downtown
- Pienza, the first ideal city built on a human scale
- Valdorcia, postcards from Tuscany
- The Medici villas and gardens
Florence is the first Tuscan city to be included in the list of UNESCO 1982, visited every year by a multitude of tourists from all over the world, is one of the most important and fascinating cities of art in Italy with historical centre gathers monuments, religious buildings, architectural works and gardens unique in the world, designed by brilliant artists such as Giotto, Brunelleschi, Michelangelo and others.
Piazza del Duomo is the ideal starting point for visiting the cathedral, Giotto’s magnificent bell tower, the baptistery and the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo. Continues towards the historic Piazza della Signoria, dominated by Palazzo della Signoria or Palazzo Vecchio and then towards the other masterpieces of the city: the Uffizi Gallery, following towards the historic Ponte Vecchio and Pitti Palace.
1987 also Pisa is added to the list with Piazza dei Miracoli, dominated by the famous Leaning Tower, Piazza dei Miracoli is a sort of gem set in the historic centre of Pisa, protected by the mighty medieval walls.
San Gimignano between Florence and Siena was added to the list in 1990. Immersed in the magnificent hills of Siena and surrounded by thirteenth-century walls that embrace a medieval environment of intact splendour. The characteristic feature of this village – which any tourist can see even in the distance – is the spectacular and unmistakable towers that dominate the landscape, each of which has its own story to tell. San Gimignano is famous for the production of Vernaccia, one of the best Italian white wines, known throughout the world.
Siena, from its historic centre, with Piazza del Campo considered one of the most beautiful squares in the world with the Palazzo Pubblico and the Torre del Mangia, the cathedral with its facade dominated by black and white. Hills and gullies, the famous Tuscan cypresses, the river, the olive groves and vineyards: this is the landscape offered by the Val d’Orcia and protected by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.
Pienza, a town on the top of a hill in southern Tuscany overlooking the Val’dorcia, was rebuilt by a village called Corsignano, which gave birth to Enea Silvio Piccolomini, a Renaissance humanist who later became Pope Pius II. It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2014 and was included in the list with the unique landscape of the Val D’Orcia.
Twelve villas and two ornamental gardens scattered throughout the Tuscan landscape are a site that bears witness to the influence exerted by the Medici family on modern European culture through the patronage of the arts. The Medici villas are the first example of the connection between habitats, gardens and environment, a constant reference for princely residences in Italy and Europe.
These are the following assets: Villa di Careggi, Villa di Castello, Villa della Petraia, Giardino di Boboli, Villa del Poggio Imperiale in Florence, Villa di Cafaggiolo in Barberino di Mugello, Villa de Il Trebbio in San Piero a Sieve, Villa Medici in Fiesole, Villa di Cerreto Guidi, Giardino di Pratolino in Vaglia, Villa di Poggio a Caiano, Villa di Artimino in Carmignano, Palazzo di Seravezza, Villa La Magia in Quarrata.
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