It is the small, old towns that make up the charm of Tuscany. Places of an unpre­ten­tious and at the same time stunning beauty. Squares, alleys, churches, and palazzi that proudly display their age. Undeni­ably, they make a virtue out of their traces of time. Antique city walls, whose hidden details reveal only to the atten­tive obser­ver, enchant with their “stories”. It is worth listening to them. Such towns are the environ­ment in which the arte di vivere of Tuscany develo­ped and is still celebra­ted today.

From the holiday home Podere Palazzone, the beauties of Tuscany are all within easy reach. Appar­ently, when Pope Pius V in 1596 designed the almost circu­lar Grandu­cato di Toscana, he must have had a compass at hand, the needle of which he stuck on the Pomarance. As a result, in all four cardi­nal direc­tions around our agritu­rismo, the maximum extent of Tuscany is at about 100 km as the crow flies. Hence, we have the privi­lege of being at the centre of a circle contai­ning the most beautiful cities and sights of Tuscany. And the paramount highlights are nearly all within a radius of 50 km.

Proba­bly, there is not even one city in Tuscany, that one would not put on a things to see list of Italy. On the one hand, there are of course the big attrac­tions: Florence, the city of the Medici and the important museums. Siena, the city with medieval flair and its unique Piazza del Campo. Pisa, the city with the world-famous symbol of Italy, the Leaning Tower. A must for every visitor to Tuscany. In autumn and winter, when these vibrant cities have calmed down a bit, they still reveal some of their typical­ity and Tuscan charm.

Lovers of authen­tic Tuscany adore the smaller towns, just as Volterra, San Gimignano, Certaldo or Castel­fio­ren­tino. Also, the tranquil Lucca is very beautiful.  You will surely not want to miss Massa Marit­tima with its sea view. If you drive to Siena, great things to see are the castle complex of Monte­rig­gioni, follo­wed by Pienza, Montal­cino and Monte­pul­ciano, the location of the Holly­wood block­bus­ter Twilight. Authen­tic Tuscany is still alive in many cities that, despite their beauty, are not on everybody’s track. Or, perhaps it is the fact that they are less visited, that makes them so charming. For example, just to mention a few around our holiday home, there is Casole d’Elsa, Colle Val d’Elsa, Radicon­doli, Suver­eto and Campi­glia Marit­tima. Further­more, an absolut­ely fanta­stic day trip leads you to the three pictures­que towns of Sovana, Sorano and Pitig­liano, which are literally glued to their hills.

The best place in Italy to simply cruise around is Tuscany. Indeed, here cruising becomes an end in itself, by motor­bike, car or bicycle. A new landscape opens up behind every curve on our hilly roads. Someti­mes, you disco­ver a rustico next to an old chapel, someti­mes a castello in an appar­ently abando­ned village. A tratto­ria that seems incon­spi­cuous at first glance surpri­ses you with excel­lent food. Finally, towards evening, you try to capture the unique play of sunlight with your camera. Cruising is proba­bly the most intimate way to immerse yours­elf in authen­tic Tuscany off the beaten track. In the immediate vicinity of the holiday home Podere Palazzone there are the right places to do so: Libbiano, Micciano, Monte­ge­moli and the castle of Querceto.

Talk to us to get some tips along your itiner­aries through Tuscany, so that you too can find your Tuscany town to fall in love with.