One of the largest regions of Italy, Tuscany, also known as Toscana, is a timeless view and way of life. It is here in central Italy that the past and present converge. The countryside is blanketed in vineyards, olive groves, hamlets and farmhouses. Mixed in are the villas and castles; haunting reminders of a time of violence and strife that ripped Tuscany apart during the Middle Ages. Amid these imposing castles and villas are the spirits of the great patrons of the Renaissance who built these estates and sponsored artists and scientists like da Vinci and Galileo.

The region lays on the Tyrrhenian Sea and is located west of Emilia-Romagna and right above Lazio. It's divided into the ten provinces of Arezzo, Firenze (Florence), Grosseto, Livorno, Lucca, Massa-Carrara, Pisa, Pistoia, Prato and Siena.

Tuscany was the epicenter of the Renaissance and the ideas and masterpieces that would greatly influence Western civilization. These Italian treasures begin in Firenze, Tuscany's capital and the "Athens of Italy." The metropolis spills over with art and monuments that bear the signatures of Michelangelo, Donatello, Ghiberti and Leonardo.

Major attractions include the hilltop view of the panorama of the city and its copy of David from the Piazzale Michelangelo. In the piazza del duomo, Santa Maria del Fiore and its towering dome dominate the scene of this glorious city. One of the largest cathedrals in the world is the composite of many architects. The church offers two lookout points of the vistas of Florence, the campanile designed by Giotto and Brunelleschi's ninety-meter-high dome.

How can anyone ever forget the "Door of Paradise" at the Baptistery of St. John the Baptist on the piazza del Duomo and San Giovanni? The southern doors were created by Andrea Pisano, the first artist to work at the Baptistery and took only seven years (1330-1336) to complete. The doors that hang in the east entrance were created by Lorenzo Ghiberti.

An overview of the treasures of Florence include Capelle Medici, Galleria dell'Accademia, and the Palazzo della Signoria with its Hall of Five Hundred (Salone del Cinquecento) and ceiling filled with frescoes as well as the walls.

One of the most recognized landmarks in Florence is the Ponte Vecchio, the oldest and most famous bridge of the province. Ponte Vecchio first spanned the Arno in the tenth century. The Vasariano corridor, the upper side of the bridge, was designed by Vasari to link the Palazzo Vecchio and the Galleria degli Uffizi to the Palazzo Pitti.

At the heart of central Tuscany lies Siena, which is still endowed with the grandeur and charm of time when as a capital it feuded with Florence. It was at its peak from 1260-1348. The historic center is the Piazza del Campo and its nearby surrounding medieval streets. The Duomo, with its pulpit panels by Pisano, Pinacoteca, the Town Hall and the Music Academy are on a first visit priority list.

Siena's patron saint, Catherine Benincasa (1347-80), was the daughter of a tradesman who, at the age of eight, devoted herself to God. She had many visions and later the stigmata wounds of Christ.

Tuscany's most celebrated event, Il Palio di Siena, takes place on July 2 and August 16 each year in Piazza del Campo. It is during this horserace that each of Siena's districts choose their finest horses to compete for the coveted silk banner that bears the image of the Madonna. Early in the afternoon, horses and riders are blessed in the churches of their districts.

Noble families built the thirteen towers that dominate Siena's San Gimignano's majestic skyline in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. San Gimignano remains virtually unchanged. Street by street, the town remains mostly medieval and rich in works of art.

Also located in Siena is one of Tuscany's highest hill towns, Montepulciano, which boasts views of Umbria and southern Tuscany. The town's vineyards provide some of the finest wines of Italy, including the famous Vino Nobile, and its streets brim with Renaissance palazzi.

One of the region's oldest hill towns is Cortona, located in the province of Arezzo, which was founded by the Etruscans. A major power in the Middle Ages, Cortona held its own against Arezzo and Siena. Painter of The Deposition (1502), Luca Signorelli, was born in Cortona and is buried in the church of San Francesco. Another native artist was Piero da Cortona.

Arezzo is one of Tuscany's wealthiest cities thriving on the jewelry industry. During World War II, most of its medieval center was destroyed resulting in extensive rebuilding and broad avenues replacing medieval alleys. The Museo del Duomo features three wooden crucifixes, dating from the twelfth and thirteenth centuries.

For much of the Middle Ages, Pisa's navy dominated the western Mediterranean. Trading links in the twelfth century brought mercantile wealth and formed the basis of a cultural revolution reflected in its buildings, including the duomo, baptistery and campanile (Leaning Tower). Pisa's decline began in 1284 with its defeat by Genoa. The city fell to the Florentines in 1406 but suffered its worse crisis in 1944 when it was a target of Allied bombing. Still standing after major restoring and underpinning is the Leaning Tower, which was begun in 1173 and completed in 1350.

Lucca's main square is on the site of the Roman forum and its grid of streets follows the pattern of the former Roman colony. Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924), composer of some of the greatest operas including La Boheme, was born in a house in Lucca that currently remains as a shrine to his works. It contains portraits, costume designs and the piano he used when composing his last opera, Turandot. Lucca's extraordinary cathedral, dedicated to St. Martin, contains thirteenth century carvings by Nicola Pisano and Guidetto da Como. Ghirlandaio's painting of The Madonna and Saints (1449-94) is in the sacristy.

Internationally renowned for its 300 or so marble quarries is Carrara, located in the province of Massa Carrara. Its white stone has been prized by many famous sculptors, including Michelangelo, whose stone for David came from Carrara. Famous is the hill town birthplace of Leonardo da Vinci. The genius of his works is housed in a thirteenth century castle.

The name "Tuscany" conjures up visions of Tuscan villas, wine, a smiling sun and the great Renaissance masterpieces we have heard about, some of us even lucky enough to see in person, since we were children. All that and more awaits in the rolling hills and valleys of one of Italy's most visited regions, Toscana.

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