Jasooralmadinah Travels&Tours: 37 charming small towns in Tuscany

Friday, 2 October 2015

37 charming small towns in Tuscany

1. Anghiari (Arezzo)

From the western approaches to Anghiari, there is a point in the road where many first time visitors are awestruck as the entire town suddenly pops into view as the car rounds a hairpin bend. Anghiari stands out in the wonderful landscape of Valtiberina which hasn’t been invaded by mass tourism. Insights:

Anghiari [Photo Credits: Simone Ciliberti]

2. Barberino Val d’Elsa (Firenze)

Barberino Val d’Elsa is a beautiful medieval village located in the Chianti area. The village is enclosed by ancient walls and the town retains the original elliptical plan characterized by the main street connecting the two gate towers, the Porta Romana and the Porta Fiorentina.

The historic buildings of Barberino Val d’Elsa

The magnificent Church of St. Bartholomew. [Photo Credits: Kinzica Sorrenti - Tuscany Social Media Team]

3. Barga (Lucca)

Barga is a must-see if you are going to explore northern Tuscany. This medieval town is a true hidden gem due to its location in the Tuscan-Apennine hills at 410 metres above sea level, dominated by the Pania della Croce, a mountain in the Apuan Alps. Insights:

A day trip to Barga
Top 15 hidden churches in Tuscany

Barga [Photo Credits: Maurizio Antonetti]

4. Casale Marittimo (Pisa)

Casale Marittimo is worth a visit because this area is home to some incredible natural settings and hidden medieval villages where time seems to have come to a standstill. It is not far from the Tyrrhenian coast and here you’ll fell the clean scent of the sea breeze.

A medieval village just a few kilometres from the sea

Casale Marittimo [Photo Credits: Spiterman]

5. Casciana Terme Lari (Pisa)

This area has been inhabited since Etruscan times. Lari is situated where three hilltops meet in the Pisan hills. The castle looms over the town centre and originally dates back to the Medieval era and most of the present structure dates back to the mid-seventeenth century. Casciana Terme is great spa town where you find relaxing hydrotherapy pools, a pool used for motor rehabilitation, hot tubs with thermal water. Insights:

[Photo Credits: Marco Conti]

6. Casole d’Elsa (Siena)

Just a short way from the main road between Colle and Volterra, lies the small hamlet of Casole d’Elsa. This is a lively old town featuring a number of shops selling traditional local food products. In this area is located an award-winning eco accommodation, according to Legambiente.

Casole d’Elsa: gently rolling hills, vineyards and olive groves

Casole d’Elsa [Photo Credits: Fabrizio Angius]

7. Castelnuovo Berardenga (Siena)

Castelnuovo Berardenga is located in the southern area of Chianti Classico, not so far from Siena. It was built in 1366 as the stronghold of Siena because of its strategical position on the border of the Sienese land.

History and highlights of Castelnuovo Berardenga

The Rectory of Saints Giusto and Clemente in Castelnuovo Berardenga [Photo Credits: Michela Simoncini]

8. Castelnuovo di Val di Cecina (Pisa)

This small town surrounded by oak forests is not on the usual Tuscan tourist trail but that is a benefit as you can enjoy the peaceful surroundings and experience life in a rural unspoiled Tuscan town.

Exploring Castelnuovo di Val di Cecina

Castelnuovo di Val di Cecina [Photo Credits: Romano Pampana]

9. Castiglion Fiorentino (Arezzo)

In Castiglion Fiorentino everything is either up or down. The peak is more like a pimple head and everything else is on the side. Located between Arezzo and Cortona, it is renowned for the Etruscan archeological site and for the nine arch loggia, overlooking the valley, constructed by Vasari in 1513.

Castiglion Fiorentino: the best pictures of Tuscany

The Loggia by Vasari in Castiglion Fiorentino [Photo Credits: Dick Pountain]

10. Certaldo (Firenze)

The famous Tuscan writer “Boccaccio“, author of the Decameron and the Life of Dante was born here. Certaldo is a great place to enjoy Tuscan food especially in September/October, during theBoccaccesca Festival, and it hosts “Mercantia” an international street art festival that takes place in July. Insights:

Boccaccesca market [Photo credits: Boccaccesca]

11. Cetona (Siena)

Passing through the Val di Chiana you will see a high but rounded, forested mountain called Cetona, and at its foot a town named after it. The houses surround the castle built on the summit of the hill, covered with cypresses and pines.

The etruscan village located on the north-eastern slopes of the Cetona mountain

[Photo Credits: acb]

12. Chiusi (Siena)

Chiusi is a very small town but it boasts some extraordinary necropolis, the Porsenna’s Labyrinth and the National Archaeological Museum, which houses a real treasure of Etruscan finds and Greek and Roman pottery. The Etruscans of Chiusi made a particular kind of pottery called Bucchero ware that is very dark and imitates metal. The lake of Chiusi (located northeast of the city) is a perfect place for those who love nature and sports. Among the local products, do not forget to taste the olive oil DOP Terre di Siena and wine (Chianti Colli Senesi DOCG, IGT Toscana).

National Archaeological Museum Chiusi Tuscany

The Archaeological Museum [Photo Credits: Roberto Lazzaroni via Wikimedia Commons]

13. Collodi (Pistoia)

From its hillside position, Collodi boasts a magnificent villa and beautiful gardens, one of the most beautiful sights in Italy. Collodi hosts the most important theme park dedicated to Pinocchio and its creator, Carlo Collodi.

[Photo Credits: Giuseppe Moscato]

14. Cutigliano (Pistoia)

Cutigliano stands at a height of 678 m above sea level, and some of the most beautiful sights are the town hall, the ancient courthouse, the 15th century church of the Madonna di Piazza and that of St. Bartholomew.

The medieval village in the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines and province of Pistoia

The ancient courthouse in Cutigliano [Photo Credits: Martina Badini]

15. Fosdinovo (Massa Carrara)

Fosdinovo is located about 15 km northwest of Massa and its history has been shaped by the natural position, between the sea and the mountains. Insights:

Fosdinovo, a medieval hamlet in Lunigiana

A view of Fosdinovo

16. Lucignano (Arezzo)

Lucignano is a small medieval village overlooking the Valdichiana, halfway between Siena and Arezzo. It is known for the Tree of Love, a true masterpiece of Gothic jewelry decorated with coral, enamel and rock crystal. Insights:

10 towns for an unforgettable Valentine’s Day in Tuscany

Lucignano skyline [Photo Credits: o.lee]

17. Massa Marittima (Grosseto)

Massa Marittima is a hidden jewel perched on a hill at just 50 km NNE of Grosseto, Southern Tuscany. Massa Marittima has more resemblances to the towns in Northern Tuscany so it is quite unique in Maremma area. Insights:

Cathedral of Saint Cerbonious and Piazza Garibaldi [Photo Credits: Serena Puosi - Tuscany Social Media Team]

18. Montalcino (Siena)

The town rises on a hill clad in olive-groves and vineyards which yield the renowned Brunello wine, between the Ombrone and Asso Valleys. Insights:

[Photo Credits: Sonja Pieper]

19. Montecarlo (Lucca)

The historic center of Montecarlo is well preserved and it is famous for its wine, for a splendid fortified wall and fortress. Insights:

Sant’Andrea church [Photo Credits: Flavio Casadei Della Chiesa]

20. Montefollonico (Siena)

On top of a high solitary hill facing Montepulciano, stands this very characteristic medieval village of Tuscany. Far from busy roads and from the usual tourist trail, it is famous for the production of Vin Santo, a traditional Tuscan sweet wine. Insights:

Discover Montefollonico, town of the Vin Santo!

Street in Montefollonico [Photo Credits: Elena Nacci]

21. Montepulciano (Siena)

Montepulciano, just eleven kilometres away nestled between the Val D’Orcia and Val di Chiana, is the quintessential Tuscan medieval village, boasting a green landscape of rolling hills, castle walls and ramparts, thermal springs and fine wine. Insights:

[Photo Credits: Timothy Brown]

22. Monteriggioni (Siena)

Monteriggioni is considered one of the best-preserved medieval towns in Italy and it boasts magnificent exterior walls with fourteen towers on square bases and buildings inside. This ancient town is important both from an architectural and cultural point of view and it has been mentioned in the Inferno of Dante Alighieri’s Divine Commedy. Nowadays it is also famous for “Monteriggioni di torri si corona”, one of the most scenic medieval festival held in Tuscany. Insights:

Medieval Feast in Monteriggioni [Photo Credits: Kinzica Sorrenti - Tuscany Social Media Team]

23. Murlo (Siena)

Murlo is located in the municipality of Siena and is about 70 km south of Florence and about 20 kilometres south of Siena. The old town is intact, harmonious and well-conserved. Insights:

The history of Murlo

[Photo Credits: Phillip Capper]

24. Peccioli (Pisa)

This town has a typically Medieval appearance with narrow streets and central piazza which is home to the Romanesque church of San Verano. Insights:

The Medieval town of Peccioli towers over the Valdera region

SuperMoon over Peccioli [Photo Credits: Milla De Millis]

25. Pienza (SI)

This town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is considered the “capital” of pecorino cheese, because of its high quality due to the fact that the cheese is made from an especially aromatic milk thanks to sheep pastures in the Val d’Orcia area. Insights:

5 reasons to visit Pienza in Tuscany

Pienza [Photo Credits: Serena Puosi]

26. Pitigliano (Grosseto)

Pitigliano has been built in the tuff and has a charming Jewish neighborhood. If you visit Pitigliano don’t miss two more tuff-built villages Sovana and Sorano.

Pitigliano [Photo Credits: Serena Puosi - Tuscany Social Media Team]

27. Pomarance (Pisa)

In the centre of Val di Cecina this enchanting little village houses the power plant of Larderello.

The mediaeval village of Pomarance

Church of San Dalmazio, Pomarance [Photo Credits: LigaDue]

28. Radda in Chianti (Siena)

Radda in Chianti is a typical Tuscan town, boasting a medieval, hilltop city centre, a bell tower that dominates the underlying valley, roads and alleyways and a beautifully cultivated countryside, where Chianti Classico is made.

Town Hall in Radda in Chianti [Photo Credits: Kadaltik]

29. Radicofani (Siena)

Radicofani is a small village settled on the via Francigena, the old pilgrim road running from France to Rome. The Rocca di Radicofani is towering from the top of a hill since the XI century and dominates the surrounding territory of the Val d’Orcia, Monte Cetona and Monte Amiata.

The Fortress of Radicofani and the Robin Hood of Italy

Streets of Radicofani [Photo Credits: Giampiero Ridella]

30. San Casciano dei Bagni (Siena)

San Casciano dei Bagni date back to the Etruscan-Roman period and it takes its name from the famous thermal springs.

Thermal baths and spa towns in Tuscany (part 2)

San Casciano dei Bagni in winter [Photo Credits: Kinzica Sorrenti - Tuscany Social Media Team]

31. San Gimignano (Siena)

San Gimignano, called the “Manhattan of the Middle Ages” for its tall towers, is famous all over the world and is a UNESCO site because it “represent a masterpiece of human creative genius”.

Duomo square [Photo Credits: Kinzica Sorrenti - Tuscany Social Media Team]

32. Sarteano (Siena)

Sarteano is a charming medieval hamlet located between the Val d’Orcia and Valdichiana area. It has been inhabited since ancient times and it boasts one of the most important Etruscan tombs in Tuscany.

Visit one of Tuscany’s best conserved Etruscan tombs

Sarteano Castle [Photo Credits: www.100days.it]

33. Sorano (Grosseto)

Sorano is a town suspended in time, built on a high rock and this extremely picturesque position captivates all who visit it. Here the Etruscans build a majestic necropolis.

A picturesque blue door in Sorano [Photo credits: Luca Deravignone]

34. Suvereto (Livorno)

Suvereto is a small village, which dates back to the year 1000. Situated on the slopes of the hills overlooking the Costa degli Etruschi, it is a true jewel, rich in history and art, set in the green valley of the River Cornia.

Town hall in Suvereto [Photo Credits: Riccardo Meneghini]

35. Trequanda (Siena)

Trequanda stands on a hilltop, immersed in a natural environment of woodland and well-ordered vineyards and olive groves. This mediaeval village is in one of the most unspoiled areas around Siena.

Trequanda, Siena’s tiny neighbor

Trequanda parish church [Photo Credits: Nickm]

36. Vinci (Firenze)

In Vinci, everything is about Leonardo: the native house, the church where he was baptized, the museum and the library dedicated to him, even the landscape, still intact, which Leonardo himself had contemplated daily.

Vinci – Leonardo Museum [Photo Credits: Frino Davide]

37. Volterra (Pisa)

Volterra, a romantic city that offers visitors a glimpse of its typically medieval character, is full of squares, palaces and towers with a romantic movie-like feel. This mysterious hamlet allows you to take a step back in time and proved the perfect setting for the ‘New Moon’ (Twilight Saga).

Roofs of Volterra [Photo Credits: Andrés Nieto Porras]