The historic village of Certaldo, known to everyone simply as Certaldo Alto, is small but truly worthy of a visit. After exploring it far and wide, don’t forget to set off to discover the wonderful surroundings. And while you’re there, don’t neglect Certaldo Basso, the most recent part of the urban area: there won’t be any monuments or medieval architecture, but you will find several shops, bars and restaurants. The two areas of the city are connected by a funicular, open every day. The Certaldo Basso station is located in Piazza Boccaccio, while the Certaldo Alto station is located at Porta Alberti. The funicular leaves every 15 minutes, from 7.30 am to 7.30 pm from mid-October to mid-April, and from 7.30 am to 1.00 am from mid-April to mid-October. The ticket costs 1 euro (1.20 euros for the return journey), and season tickets or carnets are also available. The funicular offers discounts for residents, children and disabled people.

300 Years of Chianti Classico It is in this restricted geographical area, which has approximately 70 thousand hectares of surface area, that one of the best known and most appreciated wines in the world is produced, Chianti Classico wine. A wine produced since Etruscan times and used as a valuable trading commodity as early as the 17th century. Since the 13th century, this area of ​​Tuscany has been identified as a wine-growing area called Chianti and its borders were determined with an edict of the Grand Duke Cosimo III de’ Medici in 1716. The symbol of Chianti Classico is a Black Rooster, since 2013, on a white background framed by a burgundy colored circle. Legend has it that to put an end to their disputes during the 13th century, Florence and Siena decided to have a very particular race: the meeting point between two knights who left Florence and Siena respectively at cockcrow, would have marked the border of their respective territories. The Florentines chose a black cockerel and it is said that they kept him fasting and in the dark for a few days before the race, so that when he was freed he crowed long before dawn allowing the Florentine knight to reach further. The border was in fact set less than 20 km from the walls of Siena. Since then the Black Rooster was adopted first by the Chianti League and then by the Chianti Classico Wine Consortium as a symbol of this prized wine. What distinguishes Chianti Classico from other Chianti wines is the unmistakable pink label with the symbol of the Black Rooster on a gold background. This particular label represents the Chianti Classico Wine Consortium, founded in 1924 to protect this wine and its denomination.

Siena, a city in Tuscany, in Central Italy, stands out for its medieval brick buildings. Piazza del Campo, the central square with its characteristic fan shape, is home to the Palazzo Pubblico (the Gothic style town hall) and the Torre del Mangia, a slender 14th century tower from whose white battlements you can enjoy a stupendous view. The seventeen historic contradas (city districts) extend all around starting from the square.

Florence needs no introduction. The capital of Tuscany is one of the most important art cities in our country and beyond, a true historical and artistic point of reference on a global level. Some of the most famous art museums in Italy are concentrated in Florence, among which the Uffizi Gallery stands out, which records over 4 million admissions every year, alongside illustrious names such as the Accademia Gallery, the Bargello museum, the Medici Chapels and much more. But not just art and culture: Florence is also synonymous with gastronomic excellence, good food and excellent wine. Lose yourself in the streets of the historic center, leaving for a moment the ones most frequented by tourists, and you will discover a hidden Florence made up of small taverns, cheap restaurants and wineries, where you can taste excellent local wine in typical Florentine rustic settings, full of laughter, conviviality and music popular. But even if you want to stay within the tourist routes, you will definitely have a lot to see in Florence. From the splendid Piazza del Duomo, where the cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore is located, with Brunelleschi’s iconic dome and Giotto’s bell tower, passing through Piazza Signoria, where Palazzo Vecchio, seat of the municipality of Florence, is located, up to in the magnificent Piazza Santa Croce, you will constantly have the impression of finding yourself in an open-air museum, made up of works of art and magnificent monuments

Pisa is an Italian city in Tuscany known above all for the famous leaning tower. Already off-axis upon its completion in 1372, the 56 m high white marble cylinder is none other than the bell tower of the marble Romanesque cathedral that stands nearby, in Piazza dei Miracoli. The same square hosts the monumental Camposanto and the Baptistery, where every day non-professional singers put themselves to the test with its famous acoustics.

Perched on the top of a hill, south of Tuscany and not far from Siena, Montepulciano is a medieval town of rare beauty that certainly deserves a visit. A unique village with elegant Renaissance buildings, ancient churches, splendid squares and small hidden corners. Furthermore, from Montepulciano you can enjoy a fabulous and boundless panorama over the Val d’Orcia and the Val di Chiana. Piazza Grande is the heart of Montepulciano and the stage for the city’s main events, including Il Bravio delle Botti, held every year in August, and much more. A walk through the streets of Montepulciano is the best way to discover the city and its attractions and at the same time to admire the incredible view of the surrounding countryside all covered with those fabulous vineyards that produce the famous Nobile.

Golfo di Baratti is a renowned tourist resort, which finds life within the perimeter of the municipality of Piombino. Overlooking the coast of Tuscany to the south of the province of Livorno, washed by the waters of the Ligurian Sea there is this gulf full of attractions. Uncontaminated nature, archaeological evidence of the Etruscan civilisation, itineraries and excursions, the sea, the village of Populonia and many activities to do to fully experience this gulf.

It takes its name from the fort that stands in the center of the city, built by the Grand Duke Leopold to defend the landing place, and from the marbles that were transported from the Apuan Alps, not far away, to the pier and then took the sea route. The town is characterized by a strong presence of greenery, especially pine forests and some surviving scrub of holm oak, an ancient plant typical of this area. In fact, although there are not many public parks, the city is embellished with tree-lined avenues and villas with large gardens. The beach of Forte dei Marmi is entirely made up of very fine golden sand. The sea, in certain periods of the year, is relatively clear and transparent even far out to sea.