DK Travel : Tuscany

Limiting the choice of prime sights is not an easy task in a land as rich and varied as Tuscany. Its storybook landscape is home to medieval hill towns, fabled wines and, as crucible of the Renaissance, an unrivalled collection of artistic masterpieces. Here are the best of the best.

1. The Uffizi, Florence

A veritable who’s who of the greatest Renaissance masters installed in the former offices (uffizi ) of the ruling Medici family.
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2. The Duomo Group, Florence

Brunelleschi’s noble dome, Giotto’s slender belltower, Ghiberti’s robust gates, Michelangelo’s tortured Pietà and two panoramic terraces, all wrapped in red, white and green marble.
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3. Pitti Palace, Florence

Massive Medici palace with a painting collection to rival the Uffizi, museums of porcelain, carriages, and modern art, and formal gardens.
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4. San Gimignano

A medieval fairy-tale town with stone towers and churches swathed in frescoes, surrounded by patchwork fields and terraced vineyards.
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5. Campo dei Miracoli, Pisa

A grassy “Field of Miracles”. The Campo is studded with masterpieces of Romanesque architecture: a Baptistry and Cathedral containing Gothic pulpits by Pisano and, of course, that ridiculously leaning, famous belltower.
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6. Siena’s Duomo

A striped giant of a cathedral stuffed with carvings, frescoes, Michelangelo’s sculptures and Bernini’s chape.
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7. Siena’s Campo & Palazzo Pubblico

This sloping brick scallop shell is Siena’s living room, its public palace a museum celebrating maestros of Gothic art.
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8. Chianti

The ultimate Tuscan idyll, a landscape of hills clad in grape vines, topped by castles, and dotted with countryside trattorie serving Italy’s most famous wine=.
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9. Cortona

Tuscany in miniature: medieval atmosphere, first-class art, sweeping views, handcrafted ceramics and fine wines.
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10. Lucca

An elegant city of opera and arcaded Romanesque façades. The medieval towers and 16th-century ramparts are now domesticated as small parks.
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