Experience Tuscany Day Trips & Sightseeing Tours

The Gems of Tuscany

What’s so special about Tuscany? Why is this region of Italy so popular? We’ve seen the name Tuscany in books and we’ve seen its beautiful landscape captured in paintings, photographs, and movies; and those images don’t lie. The land is beautiful and lush with a panorama that’s deliciously inviting.

The Tuscan region is located centrally. Aside from its landscape, which stretches from the sandy coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea to its rolling mountains from the Apuan Alps to Colline Metallifere, its artistic heritage makes it a top draw for visitors everywhere. Tuscany tours have been and continue to be much in demand.

Florence is the undisputed queen of the region. The capital of Tuscany, both the province and the city, lives up to the title of one of Europe’s most beautiful. Touted as the cradle of the Renaissance, the city is clothed in the beauty and riches of historical and artistic masterpieces—architecture; painting and sculpture; and literary, musical, and performance arts—from its famous creative denizens. Giotto, Michelangelo, Brunelleschi, Dante Alighieri are just sampling of its notables.

Walk around and enjoy its marvelous architecture or visit the many galleries and museums to see the masterpieces up close. Definitely make time for the Uffizi Gallery for some Botticelli and Leonardo da Vinci, and the Accademia where Michelangelo’s famous David resides.

Of course, there are many more stops and much, much more culture, history and art to gorge on even before you reach Florence. Tours of Tuscany can take you over a region dotted with many other places worth visiting—there’s Lucca, Arezzo, Montalcino among numerous others. There’s also more than just gorgeous architecture and art, there’s wonderful food and wine. Tuscany wine tours have grown in popularity over the years for that very reason. You’ll never run out of rich and beautiful sites to visit and explore in between wine tastings with vineyards spread out through many valleys that interconnect the various towns and cities.

Visit Siena, another of Tuscany’s famous cities. Its dominantly medieval cityscape along with its bountiful art and culture have made it a famous destination for tourists worldwide. If you make it to the city, you’ll definitely make it to the Piazza del Campo. That site alone is sure to yield numerous frames on your camera and most of them share-worthy on your social media platforms. Siena is also right smack in the middle of the famous wine regions. Surrounded by Chianti in the northeast, San Gimignano in the west, and Montalcino in the south; it is a must for those thirsty for a taste.

Remember Chianti? Yes, that stereotypical bottle of wine that goes with Italian restaurants and checked table cloths is actually one of Italy’s most famous. It derives its name from the area its grapes come from. But the region can boast of many more wines. In Tuscany, vineyard tours are setting the trend, pairing their best wines with their delectable cuisine. Visitors go all over the the region to enjoy the wines primarily, and the sights as a fantastic secondary aim. Go on a Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino, or Vernaccia di San Gimignano tasting tour. Better yet, try all of them!

Off to the coast is Pisa. We’ve all heard about the Leaning Tower so you have two choices, go with the flow and get into it, silly poses in the photo and all, or just enjoy it from a distance as part of the scenery—that is, if you don’t intend to set foot in the Piazza dei Miracoli at all. The Duomo’s golden coffered ceiling is also a sight to behold.

This once powerful maritime rival of Venice has also been a center of education for centuries. This means that Pisa has had centuries of perfecting local hotspots, good and affordable food and drink, and just overall great social spaces.

Make your way around the region with Tuscany tour packages from various starting points. Tuscany tours from Rome come in a variety of packages. Should you choose to tackle the region from the north, booking Tuscany tours from Florence is even better.