Toscana

Tuscany is a region of middle Italy; its regional county seat is Firenze and it borders with Liguria, Emilia-Romagna, Marche, Umbria and Lazio. It is touched by the Ligurian sea and the Tyrrhenian sea and includes the islands of the Archipelago Toscano: Elba, Capraia, Isola del Giglio and Isola di Montecristo. The name "Toscana" comes from "Etruria", the place where the Etruscans lived, approximately on the current border of Tuscany. Its territory is mainly hilly with the presence of plains and apennine mountains. The protected natural areas cover a 10% of this region: there are three national parks, three regional parks, two provincial parks, 36 state reserves, 37 provincial reserves and 52 protected local areas.

Tuscany is the birthplace of the Renaissance and its rich historical, artistic and literary patrimony had a great effect on the national and european territory. There are countless museums, churches and art galleries where the masterpieces of Brunelleschi, Botticelli, Michelangelo, Donatello, Giotto and Leonardo da Vinci are exhibited. The most visited art cities are Firenze, Siena, Pisa, Lucca, Cortona, Arezzo and San Gimignano. This region's artistic patrimony also includes fashion, craftsmanship, wine-making and gastronomic tradition. Tuscany is also characterized by a well-established thermal tourism, in particular in Chianciano Terme, Montecatini Terme and the beautiful Saturnia.

Each area has its own typical gastronomy, recipes and traditional dishes. The most famous products are the Fiorentina meat and DOCG wines such as Chianti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino and the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano.