Tuscany (Italy)

What strike me most are the colors. It is as if I have stepped into a sepia-coloured dream, and it takes my breath away – the rolling hills, the ochre sun and the winding cobble-stoned paths encased by ancient city walls. I breathe in the peace and exhale. After spending four days in the hustle and bustle of Rome, I am looking forward to arriving in Tuscany- the perfect nexus of Italian culture, scenery, food and wine. I have five days in Tuscany before I head back to Rome to catch my flight back to Delhi and I am determined to see absolutely everything. A crazy-tourist aspect of my ... more

For many years, the hilly area behind Livorno, Rosignano and Collesalvetti has been a "no man's land", inhabited only by local hermits, shepherds and excursionists. Luckily, though, the huge ecological and touristic value of these hills, that up to then had been managed through poorly co-ordinated and inconsistent interventions, has been recognized. A couple of years ago, at a meeting hosted by the Province of Livorno, the term "The Hidden Island" was used with reference to the original nature of this place. It is a fossil island, actually, which means a veritable island that used to be joined ... more

On the way to Castelnuovo, a stopover in the nearby XV century town of Fosciandora is a must. The outlying wards that make up the municipality are all situated on the hills, along the scenic road that climbs up the steep slopes and gives visitors the opportunity to admire the castles of Perpoli, Palleroso e Fiattone. Fosciandora became the administrative centre only in 1846; before this time the territory was governed by the castle of Ceserana (today one of the wards), alodial estate of the Countess Matilde. The small centre has kept its medieval aspect with the castle, the church and the ... more

Established in 1985, it occupies approximately 534 square kilometres and includes the whole Apuan ridge which, being oriented north/west to south/west, separates the Serchio valley from the coast of Versilia. The Apuan Alps are one of the most typical and unique mountain areas in Italy. Characterized by a harsh morphology, with deep valleys and steep slopes, within few miles, from the short flatland of Versilia or the bottom of the Serchio valley, it reaches a level of nearly 2,000 metres. The giddy, almost vertical, mountain walls, among which Pizzo d'Uccello, with its more than 800 metres' ... more

For those coming from Lucca, it is the very first protected area along the way. The Natural Reserve of Botri ravine, actually, lies within the municipal territory of Bagni di Lucca, along the way flanking torrent Fegana from the trunk road no. 445 to Tereglio. The area includes the first part of two torrents (Marianna dn Rivellino) which flow deeply embedded into an extremely narrow canyon. Inside this canyon, you will find flowers arranged in strata, from the colder and more humid levels (the deeper ones) to the more and more tempered levels as you move upwards. The vegetation is arranged to ... more

On the opposite side opens up the Orecchiella Park, which lies completely within the Apennines' area. Comparatively limited in size (approximately 52 square kilometres), it is located at a level of 1,200 to 2,000 metres on the Apennines' ridge belonging to Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna, where it borders on the Parco del Gigante in the region of Emilia-Romagna. Together with the latter, it forms a protected area of invaluable naturalistic value. On the opposite side opens up the Orecchiella Park, which lies completely within the Apennines' area. Comparatively limited in size (approximately 52 ... more

As you get further away from the road flanking the river Serchio towards the valleys of torrent Freddana and Pedogna, you will enter the municipal territory of Pescaglia. Pescaglia was first mentioned in a ninth-century document. As early as the fourteenth century, it already had its own podesta and took part in the procession of Santa Croce di Lucca with a flowered candle. The village retains many traces of its mediaeval past; particularly noteworthy are the parish church, the town hall, "the Madonna della Solca", also called "Madonna of the Pebble", a very ancient fresco venerated in a ... more

In the "GROTTA DEL VENTO" (the "Wind Cave"), stalagtites, drippings, alabaster drapes and stalagmites can be admired along a safe and easy path, climbing up overhanging walls, passing over crystal-clear ponds and running along an underground stream. The visit is divided into five different tours taking from at least one hour (tour number one) up to three hours (the complete tour, the longest-lasting one in Europe). At the ticket office: tourists' information, collection ore and fossil shop, postcards, print-outs and slides. There are also one pretty restaurant and one bar where you could eat ... more

Tuscan food has been defined as "elegantly simple"; local wine and oil, the indispensable accompaniment to each meal, are known the world over and add to the now universally-known pasta dishes. In this territory, food has a dual aspect: in the coastal areas, you cannot miss the "cacciucco" (a fish-soup), another specialty is mullets "alla Livornese" (stewed), fish fry, anchovy and sardine dishes, white fish cooked in different ways. Do not forget the typical chick-pea pie made in the province of Livorno and different types of pizza. In the hilly regions, appetizers consisting of toasts of ... more

Formed around the 12th Century, originally as a fishing village, today Viareggio (Versilia) is one of the most important port of the Tyrrenic sea, whose dockyards build very prestigious yachts. Along his promenade several are the 'bars', shops and restaurants available to tourists both in summer and winter. Thanks to its numerous palaces in the Liberty Style (or Art Déco) this town, famous not only as a seaside resort, but also the floats parade held during Carnival time (February/March), acquires a special appeal and it calls many thousands of masquerade persons from all the european ... more