1. The cities from above
The view of Florence from Piazzale Michelangelo takes your breath away. You can reach by car and you can park (for a fee).
To grasp the particular shape of Piazza del Campo in Siena you have to climb the steps (for a fee) of the Mangia Tower, adjacent to the town hall. From there you can take a look at the whole city and the surrounding countryside.
You can also admire Arezzo from the Municipal Tower (only with guided tour on Saturday). On one side it overlooks the impressive Cathedral, while on the other you have a view over the red rooftops of the city, interrupted every so often by the domes and bell towers of the churches.
The cities of Pisa and Lucca have a different conformation of the territory, mostly flat. The best way to see them is from above thanks to the walkways on the walls (for a fee)
2. Postcards from Val D’Orcia: the grove of cypresses and the Chapel of Vitaleta
Perhaps one of the most photographed icons of Tuscany. The grove is visible from SR2, between San Quirico d’Orcia and Torrenieri. A comfortable pitch allows you to stop in the vicinity, and a path allows you to walk on the road that surrounds the hill and then to photograph the grove from different angles. To reach the chapel of Vitaleta you must take a little detour on the road from Pienza to San Quirico D’Orcia.
3. The Tuscan countryside
From spring to autumn our countryside always has something to show:
– In May green wheat
– In June, the golden wheat
– In July / August sunflowers
– The round bales in August
– The grape ripens in September
– The foliage and autumn colors in October
4. The Crete Senesi
The best way to visit the Crete Senesi is to get lost in the myriad of dirt roads that wind through Taverne d’Arbia and Rapolano.
On www.cretesenesi.com found several indications on the way ahead.
5. The view of Lake Trasimeno seen from the hill of Cortona
Cortona is surrounded by olive groves that slowly descend to the lake. It is an idyllic landscape that should not be very different from what they saw the Etruscans more than two thousand years ago.
In winter, when there is fog it seems to observe a cotton sea.
The vantage point is to Piazza Garibaldi, before entering the pedestrian area. Who wants to can climb higher, to the Sanctuary of Santa Margherita.
6. Hot air ballooning over the Val d’Orcia
It starts very early in the morning, when the wind is calmer, and then climb slowly up to 1000 mt. The very slow time of this ascent and descent, allow to portray the landscape from different points of view.
For information www.ballooningintuscany.it
7. The carpet of cultivated fields
The Tuscan countryside is very tidy, despite the difficulties that sometimes meet with the hilly terrain. It is so organized that it looks like a carpet sewed with pieces of different colors and patterns. This type of landscape can be admired all year long from the top of the hills of Montalcino, Montepulciano and Pienza.
8. San Galgano
The church without roof, beautiful during the day (especially in spring, when the games of the clouds offer special lighting effects), but even at night, thanks to a wise lighting. There’s an entrance fee to visit the interior, otherwise you can walk in the surrounding countryside.
9. The pool of Bagno Vignoni
At the center of the small village of Bagno Vignoni is this old tank that collects the source of the thermal waters. It is said that where the gushing water can support a pan and cook an egg.
Are very beautiful colors of the stone during the several hours a day, but also night lighting gives the evocative images.
10. San Gimignano and its towers
One of the points from which to have a broad view of the towers and the countryside, is the Cortenanno road, which runs parallel to the hill where lies the city. You can stop at several points and take pictures from different distances and angles.