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General Information

Geographical Position

Tuscany is the fifth largest region in Italy. Wedged deeply like a triangle in the heart of Italy, it constitutes a transitional, area between the Po Delta and Liguria, which are highly industrialized, and those Italian regions which are still principally agricultural. It stretches over the western side of the Apennines and includes the islands of the Tuscan archipelago. It lies on the sea to the west and south-west and borders with Liguria to the north-west, Emilia-Romagna to the north, the Marches and Umbria to the east, and Latium to the south-east. Its limits are clearly defined to the north but less evident to the east, crossing the main ridge of the Tusco-Emilian Apennines and taking in the upper Val Tiberina, becoming even more uncertain to the south-east and south where they appear to be justified only for historical, linguistic and generally cultural reasons.

The Natural Environment

This area has a varied and complex morphology; ranges of mountains and hills alternate with intermontane basins and strips of plain, scattered in an apparently irregular distribution. The true Tusco-Emilian Apennines can be distinguished from the mountainous and hilly groups of the Preapennines, separated by an imaginary line linking Montecatini Terme to Chiusi.
The highest chains along the watershed strip, the Pratomagno group (1,592 m.), the Chianti mountains and the southern chain, which stretches between Casentino and Val di Chiana to the west and Val Tiberina to the east, are part of the Apennines; the Apuan Alps (1,945 m.) branch off from the ridge on the inner side. The trachyte massif of Mount Amiata (1,738 m.) and the Colline Metallifere belong to the Tuscan Apennines. The intermontane basins are of particular interest, especially for their settlements; the largest and best defined are Lunigiana, near the upper Magra valley, Garfagnana (upper Serchio basin), the basin of Florence, Mugello (upper Sieve valley), Valdarno Superiore, Casentino, Val di Chiana and lastly, the upper section of Val Tiberina. The most extensive plains are Valdarno Inferiore, Versilia (at the foot of the Apuan Alps) and the coastal plains of Maremma).
The rivers in Tuscany are irregular in size, torrential and winding, for they have adapted to the morphology of the region. With the exception of the upper courses of the Reno, Santerno, Lamone, Marecchia and Foglia, which enter the Adriatic, all the other Tuscan rivers flow into the Tyrrhenian Sea. The most important are the Tiber (only a stretch of its upper course in Tuscany), the Arno with its tributaries, the Sieve, Bisenzio, Greve, Pesa, Elsa and Era, the Magra and the Serchio, respectively flowing through Lunigiana and Garfagnana; the Cecina, the Ombrone and the Albegna, which flow through the Preapennine range.
The climate is temperate but there are considerable zonal variations depending on the distance from the sea, altitude and the position of the mountains. Generally speaking, the temperatures decrease from the Maremma coastal areas (to the SW) towards the Apennines (to the NE). Precipitations fall mainly in spring and autumn. The wettest zones are those of the north-western Apennines and Pratomagno, the Catenaia Alp, the Chianti mountains, the Mount Amiata group and the highest parts of the Colline Metallifere, while the driest are the coastal belt, the plains and the intermontane basins.

Population and Economy

The population of Tuscany is not uniformly distributed: high- density areas contrast sharply with those where the density is markedly lower than the national average, for example the mountain or agricultural zones which, especially after the Second World War, suffered a population drain towards the industrialized areas or the lowlands, the Provinces of Grosseto, Siena and Arezzo being those most affected. As a result, the population is heavily concentrated along part of the Tyrrhenian coastline (from Carrara to Leghorn) and in the lower Valdarno, from Florence to Pisa where local densities of 500 persons/ sq/km are recorded. The Tuscan dialect, articulated in various offshoots such as those of Siena, Pisa, Lucca, Arezzo and Val di Chiana areas and Florence, belongs to the large family of Central Italy dialects.
The standard of living is generally little higher than the national average though there are certain zonal differences. The areas with high industrial concentration and the best communications networks (lower Valdarno, Florence, Lucca, Versilia, Leghorn) have an advantage over the rural and mountain areas (Maremma hinterland, countryside around Siena, upper Apennines).
As regards the economic sector, agriculture has in recent decades suffered from a high rate of redundancy, caused by mechanization of production and drift from the countryside. The Tuscan primary sector has two different farming systems: smallholdings, sometimes still with mixed crops (wheat, vines and olives), mostly in the north of the region, and the large farms to the south, especially in Maremma, where land has been reclaimed; these farms cultivate cereals and vegetables. The principal agricultural products are wheat and wine, the latter mainly from the Chianti area. Qualitatively speaking, olive cultivation is also excellent (around Lucca, Maremma hills). Vegetable production is also worthy of note: Tuscan artichokes (from the Pisa, Leghorn, Empoli areas) are well known as are cauliflowers (Pisa area). Nursery gardens round Pistoia and floriculture at Pescia and Viareggio are traditional forms of cultivation, but apart from sheep, there is little livestock, though the area does have several native breeds of cattle (Chianina, Pisana, Maremma). With regard to industry, mining, though sharply declining compared to a few decades ago, is still of some importance: pyrites in the Grosseto area (used in the production of sulphuric acid), lignite (Valdarno), lead (Campiglia Marittima), alabaster (Volterra) and notably marble (Apuan Alps). The iron ore seams (Island of Elba) and mercury deposits (Mount Amiata) are no longer worked.
Some electricity is produced, nearly entirely of thermal origin, more than one third of it from the exploitation of borax hot springs (Larderello). Industry includes the metallurgical (Piombino, Leghorn, Florence, S. Giovanni Valdarno), engineering (Florence, Pontedera, Pistoia, Arezzo), chemical (Rosignano Solvay, Leghorn), textile (Prato, Florence, Empoli), food (Sansepolcro), printing (Florence), tanning (S. Croce sull'Arno) and glass, making (Empoli) sectors. Craft industries flourish all over this region (faiences, lace, rush-weaving, wrought-iron). In the services sector, banking (Siena, Florence) and especially commerce and tourism (the Versilia seaside resorts, many art cities) are important.
The road and railway networks are well developed for regional circulation (facilitated by the wide valleys and the broken nature of the Tuscan Apennine groups) as well as national communications. Important highways and motorways (Autostrada del Sole, Florence-Pisa, Genoa-Leghorn, Parma-La Spezia) and main railway lines (Bologna-Rome, coastal line Genoa-Rome) cross this region. The only busy ports are Leghorn (lines to Sardinia, Corsica and the Tuscan archipelago) and Piombino (linking the nearby Island of Elba). The major domestic airports are Pisa San Giusto and Florence Peretola.

Tourism

Tuscany is one of the regions in Italy that attract the highest number of tourists, this as a result of its excellent position on the peninsula and satisfactory hotel and other facilities, and most of all to the great variety of environmental, scenic, artistic, cultural and historical attractions. The area is dotted with charming and often old villages, whose intrinsic merits merge with those of the environment. Starting from the north, peaceful green valleys lie close to the Apennine ridge: Lunigiana with Pontremoli, the home of booksellers, and Fosdinovo, with its Malaspina beautiful castle (14th century); next, separated by the `marble' Apuan Alps, lies Garfagnana, where Castelnuovo, Barga, with the nearby village of Castelvecchio (home of Giovanni Pascoli, the poet), and, not far from Lucca, the Romanesque Pieve di Brancoli, all deserve a visit. Towards the east, lies the wooded Pistoia mountain, with a host of summer holiday centres, such as S. Marcello, Gavinana and Maresca, and winter resorts, such as Cutigliano and especially Abetone. Having reached Florence, one can go up the Mugello (Sieve valley) where a visit should be made to the Renaissance Francescan monastery of Bosco dei Frati, with a wooden crucifix attributed to Donatello, the Medici villa of Cafaggiolo (15th century) and the centres of Scarperia, with the 14th century Palazzo Pretorio, and Romanesque Borgo S. Lorenzo with the church of the same name. Once over the Pratomagno ridge (on which the picturesque village of Vallombrosa is perched with its interesting monastery) the visitor reaches Casentino (upper Arno Valley) and Stia, Poppi and Bibiena, villages with a wealth of art and architecture - but especially with an intensely mystical beauty, amidst majestic forests. The Eremo di Camaldoli conserves the characteristic cells (11th century) occupied by the hermits; the Verna monastery, with its 14th century church of S. Maria degli Angeli and Basilica (14th-16th century) contains many relics of the life of S. Francis.
The traditional image of Tuscany, of gentle hilly slopes covered with olive groves and vineyards, must be sought in the heart of the region, for example, in the upper Era basin, where one finds splendid Volterra, of ancient Etruscan origin, a town whose ancient intact structure conserves important monuments such as the Romanesque Duomo, 14th century Palazzo dei Priori and an extremely interesting Etruscan museum. In the upper Elsa valley, between Florence and Siena, lies another small town, nestling in the peaceful green countryside, of equal environmental and cultural interest: this is S. Gimignano, famous for its many towers, the Collegiata (12th century) with a fine interior, Palazzo del Podestà (12th-13th century) and the Romanesque Gothic church of S. Agostino. Nearby and worth visiting are Colle Val d'Elsa, with Palazzo Campana, an example of Mannerism (16th century), and Monteriggioni, with fine twelfth century walls. Past the so-called `Crete Senesi', stands the solitary magnificent abbey of Monte Oliveto Maggiore (14th-16th century) decorated with frescoes by L. Signorelli and Sodoma (Stories of St Benedict); farther on lie Montalcino, of medieval appearance with its beautiful Collegiata (12th-13th century) and Pienza, built by Pope Pius II (1459-62) in the purest Renaissance urban style. Proceeding south, one reaches Radicofani and the tranquil, picturesque holiday resorts at the base of Mount Amiata (1,738 m.): these are Castel del Piano, Arcidosso, S. Fiora, Pian Castagnaio and Abbadia S. Salvatore. Another interesting itinerary starts at Arezzo, descending the Val di Chiana, touching Monte San Savino, with its Renaissance Loggia dei Mercanti, and the medieval hamlet of Gargonza; Castiglion Fiorentino and Cortona, a city of art, with a medieval centre; lastly Montepulciano with its late-Renaissance architecture. Not to be missed, lying at the foot of the Colline Metallifere, between Siena and Grosseto, are the solitary abbey of S. Galgano, partly in ruins, one of the most important examples of Gothic-Cistercian architecture in Italy, and the beautiful town of Massa Marittima.
Farther on, towards the Tyrrhenian Sea, one enters Maremma, a protected area in the Maremma Natural Park, including the small coastal chain of the Monti dell'Uccellina, which has typical Mediterranean scrub, the ideal habitat for an extremely rich and varied fauna. Tourist movement Tuscany is also linked to the seaside resorts, starting from those of Versilia: Marina di Massa, Marina di Carrara, Forte dei Marmi, Marina di Pietrasanta, Lido di Camaiore, Viareggio and continuing with Tirrenia, Castiglioncello, Marina di Cecina, S. Vincenzo, exclusive Punta Ala, Castiglione della Pescaia, Marina di Grosseto, Porto S. Stefano and Porto Ercole - these last two on the Argentario headland. Not to be forgotten is the Tuscan archipelago, especially the Island of Elba, with a jagged coastline, a particularly mild climate and excellent tourist facilities. Other islands which tourists can visit are Isola del Giglio and Isola della Capraia. Internationally renowned health spas include Montecatini, near Pistoia, with waters suitable for the treatment of the liver and digestive tract, and Chianciano, in the lower Val di Chiana, whose waters are used for liver complaints.

Toskani