Regional Focus - Tuscany

Beautiful Tuscany – Art, Nature and Cuisine

Why is Tuscany so beautiful? Quite simply, its Beauty is the result of its history. The Tuscan towns obtained their current form in Mediaeval times. At that time Tuscany was at the centre of the European trade flow. It was the connection between the Orient and the markets of Central Europe . Tuscan businessmen and bankers carried out their business all over Europe, Northern Africa and in the Near Orient. Even traders of smaller villages, like San Gimignano, went regularly to countries as far away as Egypt and the Near East . Between the 12th and 15th centuries Tuscany developed into one of the most wealthy and cultural parts of Europe. Every City built churches and town halls. Rich residents built impressive Villas and the best artists were involved in major projects. However, with the discovery of a sea route to America , everything changed. The trade routes moved to the Atlantic and instead of being centred around Italy, it now became Spain, Portugal and soon even England and Holland who would play the main roles in the international arena. In the Tuscan villages – as well as in other areas of Italy – the political and economic activity diminished and this had a dramatic influence on buildings. The net result was that the cities hardly changed and stayed in there mediaeval form until today.

Tuscan city culture is therefore the result of a very special effect: first the wealth and a position on top of European development, and then – very suddenly – an extreme recession. The architecture of Tuscan cities froze uniformly. You could say that they were "frozen in poverty" and have been preserved like that for centuries. Today they have been defrosted and are no longer languishing in poverty (which has fortunately vanished from Tuscany ) due to a consciousness that cultural treasures must be preserved.

Not only the cities but also the Tuscan countryside has an historic background. Its special charm not only results from the softly formed hills since you can find these in other areas too. Human hands have had a unique and fantastic influence on the countryside: the aesthetically formed Olive groves and vineyards, the square farms on the sides of hills, and the Cypress rows along the paths. During the past this area developed into a large Ôcountry garden'. Local business people were responsible for this development: because of their exclusion from the international economic arena in the 16th century, they invested their money in agriculture. They built houses in the countryside, arranged fields and vineyards and improved the looks of the countryside. This group of people were totally from an aesthetic culture - the same people who gave orders to the Renaissance artists. They treated the countryside as an art form with the result of the Tuscany that we know today.

Besides art and culture Tuscany offers a third great attraction – food! Italian cuisine is one of the best in the world and Tuscany has a particularly high standard within Italy . Tuscan cuisine is savoury and simple; the cuisine of an agricultural area where one knows how to enjoy life! There are some excellent, not too expensive Trattoria's which serve you with marvelous dishes and there are also some fine Gourmet-temples.

The Tuscan population

Tuscany has about 3.5 million citizens – a smaller population than in Rome . This means that the low population density is especially noticeable when driving in the lonely areas of Southern Tuscany, for example through the Maremma, or through the Southern part of Siena . The population density here is about 60 people per square kilometer.

The biggest cities are Florence (375,000), and Livorno and Prato (about 165,000 each). All other towns have fewer than 100,000 people. Most people live in the area between Pisa , Florence and Arezzo.