Celestine III granted privileges of autonomy to hospital, 1442-1444, fresco by Domenico di Bartolo (ca 1400-ca 1447), Pellegrinaio in Santa Maria della Scala Museum complex, Siena, Tuscany, Italy

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Central Tuscany

When people imagine classic Tuscan countryside, they usually conjure up images of central Tuscany. However, there's more to this popular tourist region than silver-green olive groves, sloping fields of golden wheat gently rippling in the breeze, sun-kissed vineyards and artistically planted avenues of cypress tress. The real gems are the historic towns and cities, most of which are medieval and Renaissance time capsules magically transported to the modern day.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • Siena Cathedral (Duomo di Siena) is a medieval church, now dedicated to the Assumption of Mary, completed between 1215 and 1263, Siena, Italy; Shutterstock ID 1027666891; Your name (First / Last): Anna Tyler; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial; Full Product or Project name including edition: destination-image-southern-europe

    Duomo

    Siena

    Consecrated on the former site of a Roman temple in 1179 and constructed over the 13th and 14th centuries, Siena's majestic duomo (cathedral) showcases…

  • Piazza del Campo, Siena, Italy - stock photo Pictured is the Torre del Mangia and town hall building which also houses the Museo Civico

    Museo Civico

    Siena

    Entered via the Palazzo Pubblico's Cortile del Podestà (Courtyard of the Chief Magistrate), this wonderful museum showcases rooms richly frescoed by…

  • View Collegiate Church of Santa Maria Assunta in San Gimignano in the Duomo square. 16 June 2017 San Gimignano, Tuscany - Italy

    Collegiata

    San Gimignano

    Parts of San Gimignano's Romanesque cathedral were built in the second half of the 11th century, but its remarkably vivid frescoes, depicting episodes…

  • Siena, Italy - 08 01 2017: View of Piccolomini Library inside Siena Cathedral; Shutterstock ID 1053389615; Your name (First / Last): Anna Tyler; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial; Full Product or Project name including edition: destination-image-southern-europe

    Libreria Piccolomini

    Siena

    Cardinal Francesco Todeschini Piccolomini, archbishop of Siena (later Pope Pius III), commissioned the building and decoration of this hall off the north…

  • Palazzo Comunale

    Palazzo Comunale

    San Gimignano

    The 13th-century Palazzo Comunale has always been the centre of San Gimignano's local government; its magnificently frescoed Sala di Dante is where the…

  • Pinacoteca Nazionale

    Pinacoteca Nazionale

    Siena

    Siena's recently renovated art gallery, housed in 14th-century Palazzo Buonsignori since 1932, is home to an extraordinary collection of Gothic…

  • Winery Castello di Ama, Chianti region, Tuscany, Italy.

    Castello di Ama

    Chianti

    At Castello di Ama, centuries-old winemaking traditions meet cutting-edge contemporary art in a 12th-century borgo (agricultural estate). As well as…

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Latest stories from Central Tuscany

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Beaches

Wine, wilderness and white-water: exploring the adventurous side of Tuscany

Nov 20, 2017 • 6 min read

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