Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Go
Pretrip planning done: go, do Tuscany. But don't expect machine-gun adrenalin rushes and
life-changing palpitations of the heart. In typical Tuscan style, outdoor action is beaded
with serenity - a lazed, go-slow experience designed wholly with appreciation of master-
piece landscape and cuisine in mind.
Caving
Typically it's a sport completely inaccessible without the gear and expertise. But deep in
the Apuane Alps, seasonal three-hour tours of the Grotta del Vento (
Click here
)
- 1200
steps past subterranean rivers and crystal-brimmed lakes - are an extraordinary experience.
BEST WALKS IF YOU LIKE …
»
Etruscan ruins
Golfo di Baratti (
Click here
)
, Pitigliano (
Click here
)
»
Birdwatching
Riserva Naturale Provinciale Diaccia Botrona (
Click here
); Laguna di Orbetello (
Click
here
); Parco Regionale Migliarino, San Rossore, Massaciuccoli (
Click here
)
»
Cowboys
Parco Regionale della Maremma (
Click here
)
»
Geology
Monterotondo Marittimo (
Click here
)
»
Wine
Chianti (
Click here
), Montalcino (
Click here
), Montepulciano (
Click here
)
»
Pilgrim paths
Marciana (
Click here
), Abbazia di Sant'Antimo (
Click here
)
»
Coastal panoramas
Monte Capanne (
Click here
), Marciana (
Click here
)
»
Art & Sculpture
Parco Sculture del Chianti (
Click here
) and Fattoria di Celle (
Click here
)
Walking
People have been criss-crossing Tuscany for millennia, creating paths and trails as they
went. One of the most important pilgrim routes in Europe during the Dark Ages was the
Via Francigena
, in its time a veritable highway across Tuscany. Starting in the Magra river
valley and winding through the wild Lunigiana territory of the northwest, the trail hugged
the coast for a while before cutting inland to Siena via San Gimignano and then turning
south to Rome. Parts of the route can be walked today.
Via Francigena in Toscana
(1:50,000) is an excellent hiking map.
