The Lush Hills and wide Arno Valley spreading out from Florence are overlooked by most travellers making a beeline for Siena and Pisa. Skip the main roads and discover the spots known only to cognoscenti and locals. There’s no lovelier route to Siena than the SS222 Chiantigiana through the famed terracotta centre Impruneta to the castle-topped, vine-clad hills of the Chianti wine region. Just off the road to Pisa, the towns of Prato and Pistoia would be better known for their rich heritages of Romanesque architecture and Renaissance art were they not overshadowed by their mighty neighbours. Villas built by the Medici dot the countryside northwest of town.
More on Northwestern Tuscany More on Northeastern Tuscany More on Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519)-
Morning
Start with Pistoia and the stupendous Gothic frescoes inside Capella del Tau (incredibly, a private owner in the 16th century whitewashed over them). Go down to zebra-striped San Giovanni Fuoricivitas for a Romanesque feast.
Pop next door into what was once part of the church but now houses the Café Valiani for flaky croissants and cappuccino. Don’t dawdle: you need time for the Duomo (closes at noon, (see Churches Outside Florence)) then Sant’Andrea (closes 12:30). Head back to the centre by way of Ospedale del Ceppo and its terracotta reliefs. Join the locals for a hearty lunch at workaday Lo Storno trattoria just off the picturesque market square where medieval-style second storeys project over the ground floors of the buildings.
Afternoon
From Pistoia, it’s a quick drive to Prato . Stop first at Palazzo Daitini’s frescoes (the St Christopher by the door was a common feature, believed to help protect those leaving the house) to pay your respects to the medieval Merchant of Prato, who inscribed his account ledgers “For God and Profit”.
Do the Duomo (see Churches Outside Florence) and, if you have time, the adjacent Museo del’Opera del Duomo and the Palazzo Pretorio. Grab a bag of cantucci at Antonio Mattei and clamber onto the broken ramparts of Castello dell’Imperatore for a nice view of Santa Maria delle Carceri (1485–1506), a fine High Renaissance church.
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Owner Andrea Baratti lets you help design your own glass wares, from simple platters to elaborate Tiffany-style lampshades.
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A creative, nouvelle touch to refined Tuscan dishes, such as ricotta gnocchi under shaved black truffles and thyme.
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Since 1858 this shop has been making the best cantucci (biscuits) in Italy. Buy some to take back home, along with a bottle of vin santo .
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Solid Tuscan and Italian dishes at the best restaurant in the historic town centre.
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Medieval capital of the Mugello region, surrounded by Medici villas such as Cafaggiolo (see Villa di Cafaggiolo) and the Michelozzo-designed Castello del Trebbio (1461). In the town itself, painstakingly rebuilt after a 1919 earthquake, the 12th-century Pieve di San Lorenzo contains Renaissance altarpieces by Taddeo Gaddi and Bachiacca, apse murals by local Art Nouveau ceramics entrepreneur Galileo Chini (1906) and a damaged Madonna fresco by Giotto.
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Home-made gelato , good salads and other light dishes. Sit at an outdoor table on the lovely main square.
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A modern showroom selling traditional leather goods. Jackets, bags and shoes made to measure.
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One of the best Italian ceramicists, producing classy and whimsical designs. You can buy anything from a single piece to a full dinner service.
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This charterhouse, home to Carthusian monks from the 1300s to 1956, now serves the Cistercian Order. The building retains an original small monk’s church, a visitable cell and peaceful Renaissance cloisters set with della Robbia terracotta tondi and a small gallery of the Pontormo frescoes (1523–5).
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Restaurant price categories
For a three-course meal for one with half a bottle of wine (or equivalent meal), taxes and extra charges.
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