Visit Tuscany in 3 days: Itinerary

Art, history, culture, enchanting landscapes and dreamlike nature. Tuscany is full of attractions, destinations full of surprises in every season, thanks to a concentration of hidden treasures capable of conquering every kind of tourist.

Even if three days are not enough to visit the entire region, it is still possible to structure an itinerary that allows us to admire some of the most important destinations and its most interesting places.

The 3-day itinerary in Tuscany that we have chosen contains some of the most important locations, suggesting a set of must-sees, or rather a selection of places that we cannot fail to visit.

The starting point is the most important city in the region, the symbol of Tuscany par excellence, Florence.

We also chose it because it is easily accessible thanks to the many means of transport that serve it.

After a whole day dedicated to discovering the cradle of the Renaissance, it becomes a sort of base, a starting point from which to move towards other important cities and villages.

The itinerary we have chosen will call at Florence, Siena, Pisa, Lucca, Montalcino.

Let’s find out day by day.

Elegant and rich in history and culture, Florence will win you over with its liveliness, its hidden corners, its parks and gardens. And of course with its immense artistic and cultural heritage, kept in museums, squares, churches.
Our itinerary starts from the historic centre through a series of attractions that allow you to admire masterpieces by Michelangelo, Brunelleschi, Leonardo:

• Church of Santa Maria Novella: let’s start from the church that is also the symbol of the city. It stands on the square of the same name and is an ancient centre of Franciscan culture. In Gothic-Renaissance style, it was built between the 13th and 15th centuries. The exterior is the work of Fra Jacopo Talenti and Leon Battista Alberti. Inside, we can admire unique world masterpieces, such as the Holy Trinity by Masaccio, the frescoes by Ghirlandaio in the Tornabuoni Chapel, the Crucifix by Giotto;
• Duomo: the Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral is the main church of the city, the third largest in Europe after St. Peter’s in Rome and the Duomo in Milan. Its construction began in 1296 and ended in 1436. Artists such as Arnolfo di Cambio, Giotto, Francesco Talenti, Giovanni di Lapo Ghini worked there. The plan is composed of a basilica body with three naves joined to a large tricone rotunda with the task of supporting Brunelleschi Dome, the largest masonry dome ever built. Inside the Cathedral we also find the largest surface ever decorated with frescoes, 3600sqm painted by Giorgio Vasari and Federico Zuccari. The Giotto’s Bell Tower, a splendid example of Florentine Gothic architecture of the fourteenth century, completes the Cathedral. Built on a square base 15 metres wide, the bell tower is 84.70 metres high. The highest point offers a breathtaking panoramic view of the city. It can be reached by climbing 414 steps;
• Piazza della Signoria: it is the most important square in the city, the seat of civil power and located south of the Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral. Here, we can admire some important sculptures: Michelangelo’s David (the original is kept in the Accademia Gallery), Bandinelli’s Hercules and Cacus, Ammannati’s Neptune, Giambologna’s equestrian statue of Duke Cosimo I. mportant buildings overlook the square: Palazzo Vecchio, Loggia dei Lanzi, Tribunale della Mercanzia, Palazzo Uguccioni, Palazzo delle Assicurazioni Generali;
• Palazzo Vecchio: this is the town hall of Florence and is a symbol of Florentine fourteenth-century civil architecture. Inside, we find magnificent rooms including the Salone dei Cinquecento. It contains works by Buonarroti, Donatello, Verrocchio;
• Ponte Vecchio: 95 metres long and built during the 14th century, it is the oldest bridge in the city. It is made up of three large low arched passages. The passage is flanked by two rows of artisan shops created in ancient closed porticoes. At the centre of the bridge, there’s a gap between the shops that open up to two views of the river. Above the bridge we find a part of the Vasari Corridor, commissioned by the Medici to connect Palazzo Vecchio to Palazzo Pitti;
• Uffizi Gallery: one of the most important museums in the world. It boasts the largest collection of Raphael and Botticelli but also works by Giotto, Tiziano, Pontormo, Bronzino, Andrea del Sarto, Caravaggio, Durer, Rubens, Leonardo da Vinci;
• Boboli Gardens: it is an open-air museum, a monumental park that houses unique works of art. His model inspired many European royal gardens, including Versailles. It is one of the most important examples of an Italian garden. Made of ponds, fountains, nymphaeums, small temples, caves, statues, buildings such as the eighteenth-century Kaffeehaus, the lemon house;
• Palazzo Pitti: the imposing Renaissance building houses a series of museums. Here we find the Galleria Palatina with masterpieces by Raphael and Titian, the Royal Apartments, the Apartment of the Duchess of Aosta, the district of the Prince of Naples, the Fashion and Costume Museum, the Porcelain Museum, the Carriage Museum.

Pisa: a concentrate of emotions and discoveries. The most important attractions are all concentrated in a few metres, facing each other. But Pisa is also the city of science: it gave birth to Galileo Galilei and is the headquarters of the Normale di Pisa. It was one of the four Maritime Republics.

Let’s find out what to see in Pisa:

• The leaning tower: the quintessential symbol of the city and one of the best-known Italian monuments in the world. It was born as a bell tower of the cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta. The works began in 1173 and lasted more than two centuries precisely because of its inclination, which showed immediately. It stands on sandy ground and began to hang already from the third floor. It is characterised by 294 steps for 56 metres in height;
• The Baptistery: the other symbolic building of Piazza dei Miracoli is the Baptistery dedicated to St. John the Baptist. It is the largest Baptistery in Italy, with a circumference of 107.25 metres. Its construction began in 1153 by Diotisalvi and was completed over a century later by Nicola and Giovanni Pisano. The baptismal font and the pulpit by Nicola Pisano, where the scenes from the life of Christ are carved, are of great value;
• Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta: again, in Piazza dei Miracoli we find the city’s cathedral, a Pisan Romanesque masterpiece, created starting from this church and then exported to the rest of Tuscany, Corsica and Sardinia. It was built from 1063 on a project by Buscheto, which merged classical, Norman, Byzantine, early Christian and Arab elements. This Cathedral was intended to represent the wealth of the Maritime Republic of Pisa. A peculiarity testified by the rich decorations with multicoloured marbles, by the mosaics, by the bronze objects, by the precious black and white marbles, by the gray marble columns;
• Camposanto Monumentale: this cemeterym whose construction began in 1277, can be admired again in Piazza dei Miracoli. Here, the most illustrious Pisan personalities are buried, but there are also works of art and sarcophagi from the Etruscan, Roman, medieval and nineteenth-century ages;
• Palazzo Reale: built in 1159 by the Gaetani family and subsequently enlarged by the Medici family. Here, Galileo Galilei showed the Grand Duke Cosimo II de’ Medici how to use the telescope he invented. Today, it houses the Museo Nazionale di Palazzo Reale.

Lucca: a city that can be easily visited on foot or by bike, which conbines a perfect mix of different time periods. Here, we find imposing Renaissance walls, eighteenth-century palaces, large imperial spaces that identify nineteenth-century Lucca.

Let’s find out what you can see in Lucca:

• The medieval walls: the symbol of the city is 500 years old. They are the largest monument in Lucca, as well as one of the largest monuments in Tuscany. They extend over a perimeter of 4 kilometres, and are 30 metres wide and 12 metres high. They were built between 1513 and 1645;
• The Duomo di San Martino: a perfect example of Renaissance Romanesque, it boasts a polychrome façade on which you can admire the statue of St Martin. On the right side, there is a labyrinth that refers to the myth of Ariadne and Theseus. Inside we find the sarcophagus of Ilaria Del Carretto, a masterpiece by Jacopo della Quercia;
• The Chiesa di San Michele: located in the homonymous square, together with the Duomo, it is the symbolic church of the city. It is a masterpiece of Romanesque Gothic architecture. Its particularly high façade is decorated with four orders of loggias and surmounted by a large marble statue of the Archangel Michael in the act of defeating a dragon with a spear;
• Museums: the best way to discover the history of the city. Do not miss Palazzo Mansi, the Pinacoteca, the Domus Romana, the Puccini Museum, the Barsanti and Matteucci Foundation Museum, the Museum of the Old Mint of Lucca;
• The Piazza dell’Anfiteatro: one of the most beautiful squares in Italy, transformed into its current shape in 1830 by architect Nottolini, who followed the old layout of the Roman amphitheater. The four small access doors are particularly suggestive.

Siena: located in the heart of Tuscany and surrounded by hills, Siena is one of the most beautiful medieval cities in our country. Its heart is Piazza del Campo, with the characteristic shell shape and place where the famous Palio di Siena is held.

Let’s find out what to see in Siena:

• Piazza del Campo: shell-shaped with 9 segments, it is considered one of the most beautiful squares in the world. Since 1300 it has been the centre of the city. It has served as a market and a gathering of the senses during political moments, rides and parties. It hosts the famous Palio twice a year;
• The Palazzo Pubblico: it is the symbol of the political power of the city, the place that houses the rulers. Considered one of the most beautiful civic buildings in Italy, its harmony and majesty are impressive. Inside, we find the Museo Civico di Siena which houses frescoes painted by Ambrogio Lorenzetti;
• The Torre del Mangia: 88 metres high, with a breathtaking view of Piazza del Campo, the Duomo, the hills. It is has 400 steps and takes its name from Giovanni di Duccio, the first custodian who spent all his earnings eating in the taverns of Siena;
• The Museo Civico: it contains one of the most famous allegories in the world, that of Bad and Good Government painted by Ambrogio Lorenzetti. It is the first pictorial cycle in the history of art, whose theme is not purely religious but civil. It is a story that illustrates how the way of governing is the element that decides the well-being or the decline of a society. Another masterpiece of the Museum is La Maestà by Simone Martini;
• The Duomo di Siena: with its characteristic façade in which black and white prevail, it is dedicated to Maria Assunta. Inside we find the floor full of esoteric symbols and religious stories, the Piccolomini Library frescoed by Pinturicchio, the Piccolomini Chapel with 4 statues made by Michelangelo, the Pulpit by Nicola Pisano with biblical scenes and the life of Jesus.

Montalcino: located south of Siena, this medieval village with a fairytale appearance takes us on a journey back in time. The town, in fact, has remained almost intact since the 16th century. It is surrounded by mighty walls and dominated by an ancient castle. From the top of the village, we can admire a breathtaking view of the hills and panoramic country roads.

Let’s find out what to see in Montalcino:

• The Fortress of Montalcino: one of the main attractions of the Val d’Orcia. It was built in 1361 incorporating the ancient city walls. It has a pentagonal plan and walls with walkways;
• Palazzo dei Priori: built between the end of the 13th and the beginning of the 14th century, it is decorated with the coats of arms of the podestàs who have ruled over the centuries. A medieval tower stands on top. At its side we find an arched structure, the Loggia;
• The Duomo di Montalcino: it is the main religious building of the city, dedicated to the Most Holy Saviour. The church was built in the 15th century and subsequently rebuilt in a neoclassical style. Inside, we find numerous works, including the altarpiece Immaculate Conception with Jesus and God the Father by Francesco Vanni;
• Visit to the cellars: Montalcino is the land of Brunello, a DOCG red wine. It is one of the best wines of Italy and the longest-lived together with Barolo. A visit to the wine cellars, with accompanying tasting, is absolutely a must.