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Tuscany, with Florence its capital and a host of gorgeous medieval cities set in a rolling countryside of fields, vineyards and olive groves, is the cradle of the Renaissance and for many visitors the cultural heart of Italy. This guide amply covers Florence (itself the subject of a whole Blue Guide) but also gives extensive coverage to the other major Tuscan cities - Siena, Pisa, Lucca, Cortona, Arezzo. Ideal for the Florence-based visitor making day-trips to the surroundings, or for a tour of the whole of Tuscany. Includes Blue Guides Recommended short lists of hotels and restaurants.
4 responses so far ↓
Reader // Nov 7th 2011 at 9:18pm
Dear Blue Guide Editors: I am just back from several weeks in Tuscany during which your “Blue Guide Tuscany” was ever at hand. Thank you for careful research, your passion for the history of architecture and art, which you eloquently convey, the heaps of helpful information, excellent maps, index, and even a glossary (wherein I finally found what all those signs that said “pieve” meant.) I travel a lot and have used many guides, of which yours is the gold standard.
Thanks, too, for the hotel and restaurant suggestions, some of which we took. (Hotel Davanzati in Florence was one, a pleasing, friendly, comfortable, unpretentious place. Another was Osteria La Porta in Monticchiello—excellent.)
May I make a restaurant suggestion, which I hope you’ll be willing to consider? In Montepulciano is A Gambe di Gatto, Via dell’ Opio nel Corso, 34, in the centro storico. Here a young couple has for the past six years run a delightful, small caffè that features local ingredients, Tuscan specialties,
enthusiastic explanations of offerings (all in Italian—no “tourist” menus here), excellent wines and olive oils (each lovingly introduced by charming, some-English-speaking owner Manuel—he makes up for unknown words with lots of charisma) and superb food prepared by tiny wife Lara, who may emerge shyly from kitchen if you ask to congratulate her. They are serious “slow foodies” and carefully research vineyards, farm sources, olive oil producers.
We ate there three times, congratulating ourselves for having found it—by accident. I’d put in “moderate” price category, though can’t recall the euros now—maybe 7 or 8 euros for hors d’oeuvres, 11, 12, 13, 14 for primi– but I imagine Manuel could email you a menu if you wished.
(I notice in referencing your price designation for La Porta above that you used the one-euro symbol for it. If it’s any help, the prices there were higher than at A Gambe di Gatto; maybe La Porta has gone up and needs re-evaluating—what do I know?)
A Gambe di Gatto also sells wines and olive oils.
Email: zelfdizelf@yahoo.it Tel.: 0039 578 75 74 31
Closed Wednesdays.
The name relates to an old Tuscan proverb and why they chose it a long but lovely story.
Reader // Oct 6th 2010 at 8:25am
My partner and I used your guidebook when we visited Venice earlier this year. We’d just like to let you know that the Venice guidebook was excellent! Your guidebook helped us learn the history, understand the art and guide us through the various districts in Venice. The book was easy to follow; we even did all the walking tours described in the book.
We also recently used the Tuscany Blue Guide. We visited a number of the towns in the countryside. I found the guidebook a little harder to follow and would like to give you some feedback for improvement.
Siena
* Pinacoteca Nazionale - the section in the book starts off with describing the “Second floor” of the museum. I think the main enterance led to the “First floor” which meant that I didn’t realise there was a section for the “First floor” until afterwards. It would be better if the sections can be put in order of the rooms as you enter the museum.
* I didn’t manage to follow any of the suggested Itineraries through the Contrada. I think my partner was able to only follow one or two. We just found it hard to find many of the places or art mentioned. Perhaps it may be good to include one or two walking itineraries through the city including a map of the route.
* The Duomo section is excellent!
Lucca
* It would be easier to follow if the sections on the places of interest were put in some kind of order e.g. going from west to east if following the map on p 472. I actually numbered the sections and noted the numbers myself on the map. I would suggest reordering the section to the following:
1. Museo Nazionale Di Palazzo Mansi
2. San Paolino
3. Piazza Del Giglio & Piazza Napoleone
4. Piazza San Michele
5. San Michele in Foro
6. Santi Giovanni e Reparata
7. The Duomo of San Martino
8. Museo della Cattedrale
9. Guinigi Tower
10. The Eastern District with San Francesco
11. Museo Nazionale Guinigi
12. San Frediano
13. Palazzo Pfanner & its district
I think the order above makes it easier to walk around the city and read up on the various points of interest. You could also include it in a suggested walking itinerary style.
Hope this helps! We’re planning on going to Florence for a few days towards the end of this year and will definitely be using your guide book again =)
support // May 8th 2010 at 1:32pm
I was recently in San Gimignano and found a new and uniquely different gem that my entire family LOVED!
I met the Director of the Project, Pietro Bortolotti, and promised to help him get the word out—it was truly something that Americans need to see.
Attached is a brief piece he sent me about San Gimignano 1300 (a recreation of the Town as it existed 700 years ago).
You should also take a look at their website, that fully describes the project, exhibits, and hands-on workshop: http://www.sangimignano1300.com.
…
This is a family attraction that would be great in your Tuscany Guidebook (which I loved).
Editorial // Jun 7th 2009 at 10:40pm
Blue Guides editorial staffer Sophie Livall visits Pisa in search of 17th century sculptor Stagi.
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