The TRAVELER'S JOURNAL: May twenty-first, touring Toscana.

Tuscany, the province in the northwest corner of Italy's boot, is a Mediterranean paradise. Its broad, fertile valleys, rolling hills and fir-lined mountains are ruled by a temperate climate of warm summers and mild winters. It's a land of olive groves, terraced vineyards and fields of bright sunflowers. Wild flowers blossom around the year, and song birds flock in a bitingly blue sky that is itself artistic inspiration.

Settled by ancient Etruscan tribes for which it is named, Tuscany is rich in history. It was one of Imperial Rome's first conquests. During the Dark Ages, its towns encircled themselves with high walls of stone and local pride, defenses against both foreign invaders and each other. Fiercely competitive, its emerging cities battled each other throughout the Middle Ages for supremacy in both commerce and reputation. But in addition to armament, they manifested their majesty in art and architecture. Tuscany's wealthy citizens paid masons to build soaring cathedrals and magnificent public buildings. They commissioned artists to work with paint and marble and create images to express life's most divine aspects, not to mention enduring monuments to their greatness.

The Tuscan aspiration for civilization initiated a revolution in thought, a Renaissance. It changed Western Civilization and left its heirs a legacy that still resonates six centuries later.

Tuscany's natural beauties and cultural bounties draw countless travelers from around the world. Join us this week, as we admire several of Tuscany's brightest treasures.

FMI Italian Government Travel, 630 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10011 212-245-5618 or www.italiantourism.com

Back to May 2003 Main

Look through the list of fascinating places and off-beat features we’ve covered. Search text versions of past episodes and articles in our archives.