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TuscanySanta Maria della Pieve: 12th-century church is Lombard Romanesque architecture at its most beautiful, with a craggy, eroded facade of stacked arcades in luminous beige stone. The spaces between the columns of the arcades get narrower at each level, which, along with the setting on a narrow street, only adds to the illusion of great height. On the high altar above the raised crypt is a 1320 polyptych of the Madonna and Child with Saints -- all wearing gorgeously worked fabrics -- by Sienese master Pietro Lorenzetti. Santa Maria della Pieve: 12th-century church is Lombard Romanesque architecture at its most beautiful, with a craggy, eroded facade of stacked arcades in luminous beige stone. The spaces between the columns of the arcades get narrower at each level, which, along with the setting on a narrow street, only adds to the illusion of great height. On the high altar above the raised crypt is a 1320 polyptych of the Madonna and Child with Saints -- all wearing gorgeously worked fabrics -- by Sienese master Pietro Lorenzetti. Tuscany, Toscana in Italian, is the best known Italian province and the name alone evokes an image of sun, dolce vita and picturesque little towns. Tuscany deserves its reputation and is worth a visit both for those who just want a holiday to relax, read a book and sit in the sun as well as those going for the high brow culture. Furthermore the Tuscan region has delicious food and great wines, a combination that makes life very enjoyable under the Tuscan sun. The Tuscan cities such as Florence, Pisa, Lucca, or Siena house many sights and all have an old historic town where you can wander around for hours. Siena has a very interesting historic town, but is most famous for the "Palio", a medieval horse race where different parts of town all have a horse race through the historic centre of town. Of course there is more to Tuscany than well-known tourist areas, Lunigiana is the northern-most and almost unknown area of Tuscany, squeezed between the costal region of Liguria and the Apuan Alps. This is an area of high, rolling chestnut covered hills and mediaval villages such as Fivizzano and Fosdinovo where the travel writer Eric Newby once lived. The Isle of Elba also has outstanding facilities for anyone on a summer holiday: hiking, going to the beach and visiting historical towns can all be done on the same day. Top Destinations in TuscanyFlorence Copy: cortesy of www.world66.com Florence"Firenze" is a beautiful city. Because it's smaller than Rome, you'll have an easier time wandering around the city and getting a sense of what Italian life is like today and what it must have been like during the renaissance. PisaThe 14th-century Romanesque Leaning Tower is of course Pisa’s main attraction (it has 294 stairs) and really seems to overturn any moment. The tower reopened in November 2001, and as of October 2003 tickets to climb the tower were 15 Euros. A fortification project has made some progress in stopping the increase in inclination and even managed to pull the tower back a bit (40 centimetres). The Leaning Tower belongs to an ensemble of four impressive buildings all located on "Campo dei Miracoli" (square of miracles): the cathedral Santa Maria Assunta, the campanile (leaning tower that was actually a bell tower), the baptistry (looks like a huge "baci" chocolate, that is a delicious Italian candy) and the Camposanto cemetery. Should time permit stop at Palazzo dei Cavalieri, walk down Via Santa Maria towards the river banks of Arno, where the small Gothic chapel of "Santa Maria della Spina" is located and the National Museum of San Matteo (excellent collection of 12th-through 15th-century art). We also suggest taking a taxi/bus or bicycle ride to the Church of "San Michele degli Scalzi" to see the other leaning tower of Pisa; completed in the 13th century this seldom-visited tower is worth a look even though it’s not as impressive as the famous one. It’s also fun just to walk around Pisa (pop. 104 000). The city is very compact with many narrow streets, small markets, hidden treasures and a great ambience; we suggest seeing it on a day trip from Florence perhaps in combination with Lucca just 13 mi/20 km northeast. Another possible stop is Pistoia which has a cathedral and baptistery in the Pisan-Romanesque style and the Ceppo Hospital (L’Ospedale de Ceppo) which has a brightly painted terra-cotta frieze. LuccaLucca, the birthplace of Giacomo Puccini is a lovely walled city. Its thick swathe of Renaissance walls, the almost entirely medieval street plan, its palaces and houses make Lucca one of my favorite cities in Italy. The most enjoyable way to get your bearings is to follow the path around the top of the walls - or even better, to rent a bike and cycle around. Lucca can be easily explored on foot (or bike), entering the medieval streets, walking along ancient house facades and doing some shoppings in one of the small and lovely shops in and around Via Fillungo makes you feel just fine. If you are interested in religious art, enter the 14th-century cathedral Duomo San Martino to see Nicola Pisano’s Descent From the Cross or have a look at the multi-patterned columns at "San Michele", the church of the archangel. Climbing up the Guinigi Tower, where an old oak tree grows on top is even as romantic as entering the Piazza Anfiteatro, the ancient amphitheatre, with its marvellous facades and balconies. Lucca is famous for its olive oil and has become a favorite spot for artists and writers. Although you can see Lucca in half a day as a day trip from either Pisa of Florence you may want to linger to soak in its tranquil atmosphere and enjoy the many fine restaurants. Every August Lucca hosts the Puccini Music Festival. If you have some time left, try to visit a few of the villas of lucca.
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