Walks

Required Time: A whole day

Duomo

Piazza dell'Anfiteatro

San Frediano

San Michele

Villa Reale, Marlia

The sleepy pace of life in this provincial town belies its fascinating history. Sheltering behind its massive walls, erected in the 16th and 17th centuries, Lucca was the only place to rebuff Florence. The town retains an unique appearance with its distinctive Romanesque campanili and its streets laid out on a Roman grid plan. The best way to view Lucca is to make a passeggiata beneath the plane trees round the walls, where you will be in the company of locals rather than the crowds of tourists who inundate neighbouring Pisa. The wealthy Lucchesi built a series of delightful villas in the surrounding hills.

Required Time: At least one full day, preferably two days

Campo

Palazzo Pubblico

Duomo

Museo dell' Opera del Duomo

Baptistery

Pinacoteca

The most romantic town on mainland Italy. Very evocative of the Middle Ages, both in the splendour of its Gothic architecture and its festivals, particularly the Palio. This exciting horse-race, run by horses representing ten of the city's seventeen contrade (districts), is not for the faint-hearted. It arouses deep passions and the race itself round the steep sides of the Campo is a violent affair, with frequent injuries to horses and jockeys. If you are visiting Tuscany at the height of summer, Siena, standing on its hilltop, is a much better bet than Florence, sitting in its bowl. The two have been bitter rivals for centuries and the brutality with which Florence crushed Siena's independence in 1555, after a siege lasting 18 months, still rankles. St Catherine of Siena (1347-80) is patron saint of Italy.

Required Time: A whole day

San Francesco, Arezzo

Sansepolcro

Monterchi

The chance to see three key works by this major Renaissance artist in their original settings has made eastern Tuscany a favourite destination of many tourists to Italy. You will not be disappointed. Piero della Francesca's austere and monumental style raises his art above that of his contemporaries. In his passion for perspective and solid, statuesque forms, he is the true heir to Masaccio.

Required Time: Morning

Museo Diocesano

San Niccolo

Santa Maria del Calcinaio

This ancient Etruscan city enjoys a spectacular site on its hilltop, overlooking the north shore of Lake Trasimene. If you want to see the most interesting sights, wear a stout pair of walking shoes.

Required Time: Full day

Monte Oliveto

Sant' Antimo

Pienza

Madonna di San Biagio, Montepulciano

The landscape of southern Tuscany possesses a grander, more panoramic quality than the more enclosed Chianti area between Florence and Siena. The barren hills, with distant cypresses marching towards the horizon, have a lonely grandeur. Follow the old Roman Via Cassia

Required Time: Morning

Collegiata

Sant' Agostino

The best-preserved medieval town in Tuscany, but don't expect to make a discovery. The large number of surviving towers, a real status symbol both then and now, bring tourists flocking to the 'medieval Manhattan'. If you can escape your fellow visitors, the town still has plenty of charm and plenty of good Renaissance frescoes.