Travel Blog » Europe » Italy » Tuscany

Tuscany Travel Blogs

Background: Italy became a nation-state in 1861 when the city-states of the peninsula, along with Sardinia and Sicily, were united under King Victor EMMANUEL II. An era of parliamentary government came to a close in the early 1920s when Benito MUSSOLINI established a Fascist dictatorship. His disastrous alliance with Nazi Germany led to Italy's defeat in World War II. A democratic republic replaced the monarchy in 1946 and economic revival followed. Italy was a charter member of NATO and the European Economic Community (EEC). It has been at the forefront of European economic and political unification, joining the Economic and Monetary Union in 1999. Persistent problems include illegal immigration, organized crime, corruption, high unemployment, sluggish economic growth, and the low incomes and technical standards of southern Italy compared with the prosperous north.

Italy

Map of Italy

Italy's Flag

Hostels in Italy
Latest Tuscany Blog Entries
Tuscany Photos

By RTW adventure 09 to 13
August 11th 2009

Tales From The Big Boot!!!! Europe » Italy » Tuscany » Florence

Don't Know What The Fuss Is About

Ciao From Tuscany The train from Nice into Italy ran smoothly with a quick change at Genova, then on to my first real taste of an Italian city with a nights stop in Pisa. There's only a couple of reasons to visit Pisa, the obvious being the leaning tower, and then the Campo Dei Miracoli that it's situated in which also houses the Duomo (the main church of the city). Luckily, the hostel I'd booked was called Under The Tower, and that's exactly what it was. You could see it from the bedroom window!!! Placed on one of the little side [View Full Entry]

By kat 87
August 10th 2009

Week 2- Isola d'Elba Europe » Italy » Tuscany » Isola d'Elba

Cecilia's mother (Luisa)
Taking the ferry from Piombino to Portoferraio

For their second week of vacation, Cecilia and Andrea moved us to the Isle of Elba. We caught the ferry at Piombino and arrived in the main port of Elba, called Portoferraio. A little history: this was the island where Napoleon Bonaparte was exiled to and one of his villas is located on the shores of Portoferraio (yeah, he really suffered here with a couple of villas to stay in). Even though the campground premises were somewhat similar to those of Cielo Verde (a little too cheesy and convenient for my liking), this week was much better because we went out [View Full Entry]

By jawilso
August 9th 2009

Florence and the artistic touch Europe » Italy » Tuscany » Florence

Me and fake David's toes

Hi Everyone! I am here in Florence, home of Michelangelo's David...and other interesting things. When I thought of Florence Michelangelo's sculptures are the first thing I thought of, and every one in the tourist industry here is happy to profit from that acquisition. I wonder how Americans would behave if their city contained works of art that were over 500 years old and created by one of the all time best artists in history. I must say that it is hard to immerse yourself in culture when you are surrounded by beggars and souvenir hawkers. But on the other hand for [View Full Entry]

By TeesaRo
August 9th 2009

Finalmente Europe » Italy » Tuscany » Siena

Parking
ATV and lawnmower parking in Buonconvento. Obviously.

I am one of the two last Americans standing in Vescovado di Murlo today, and tomorrow we will be no more. While the last few days of each season are horrible in the sense of needing to clean up the evidence of seven weeks of dirty excavation people, read: cleaning fridges that should be burned, throwing away stuff people left behind, bringing the tools down from the site, and shutting down/covering the storerooms. The fun part is that the people who stay until the end are the best possible people to make these tasks less....nasty and terrifying? In addition to dry-heaving [View Full Entry]

By Matticus
August 6th 2009

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Hostel Europe » Italy » Tuscany

Vineyard
Taken during the hike

So when I was looking up hostels in Firenze I found one that had a super high rating. On closer inspection, though, it wasn't actually in Firenze, but rather in a small town called Tavarnelle about 40 minutes outside of the city. At first I was disappointed, but then I remembered that I had wanted to see some of the Tuscan countryside and I realized that Tavarnelle would be a much better base of operations for doing that than would Firenze, so I booked a couple of nights. I figured out that there was a regional bus that started in Firenze [View Full Entry]

By TeesaRo
August 4th 2009

To the end Europe » Italy » Tuscany » Siena

Pizza ai frutti di mare
Seafood pizza at Castiglione.

Apologies for the lack of updates, but the drive toward the end of the season is always a crazy one. Epic beach trip to Castiglione della Pescaia happened, and even though it was gorgeous, the only picture I took was of my excellent seafood pizza. Shows where my priorities have turned as of late. There was a return trip to Massa Marittima and a successful entrance into the OPEN archaeological museum. The museum was a total waste of time, however. The whole thing smelled like a bathroom, and there was actually a display on spelunking (spelling?) complete with dummies hanging from [View Full Entry]

By jacqandbrett
August 4th 2009

Florence Europe » Italy » Tuscany

skyline from our campsite

On with the story... So after our 1 hour stop at Pisa, we continued on our merry way to Florence. In the car on the way there we ummed and ahhed about where to stay - the only camping in the book was 35 euro and that is way over budget for us. But after a quick ring to the tourist office and a check of our tomtom, we realised there was plenty around Florence so we would check the guidebook site and then move on if it was no good. And thank god we checked! The campsite is on the [View Full Entry]

By kat 87
August 3rd 2009

Week 1- Il Cielo Verde Europe » Italy » Tuscany » Castiglione della Pescaia

Gioia playing in the sea

Well I am already falling behind on my travel blog, oops. So for the sake of time, this entry will be about my first week in Italy. As I last mentioned, we (Andrea, Cecilia, Gioia, Gabri and I) crammed into their small car to drive the 3 hours to the coast of Tuscany, and we stopped in Siena on the way there. Andrea and Cecilia felt that this was a decent-length road trip, so they were shocked when I told them how my 4 roommates and I had driven across the States for 15+ hours in one day to reach [View Full Entry]

By HooverTravel
August 2nd 2009

Farewell, Celebrity Summit! Europe » Italy » Tuscany » Florence

San Marco Square

August 2: We Leave the Summit Behind We left the Celebrity Summit bright and early in the morning. After shuttling, then taking the fabulous water taxi (vaporetto) to San Marco Square, we checked into the incredible Westin Europa. Off to the Ducale Palace. The pictures should provide some insight, but of course, cannot do it justice. Also gigantic, by the way. We also hit Murano - the island just out of Venice (Venezia in Italiano) where they craft Venezian glass. We were fortunate enough to see a demonstration that proved that the skill required to make these beautiful craft [View Full Entry]

By Matticus
August 2nd 2009

This City Florenced Me or Lighting a Firenze in my Heart Europe » Italy » Tuscany » Florence

Il Duomo
Cattdrale di Santa Maria del Fiore

I should really think twice about naming these posts late at night. During my stay in Firenze I visited the Uffizi Gallery. I figured since Firenze was such an important Renaissance city I should see some Renaissance art while I was there. The gallery certainly delivered it in large quantities. Now I’m certainly no art expert and I should definitely be one of the last people you consult if you want insight into art of any kind; however, there is one banal observation that I would like to make and reflect on: the paintings in the gallery, particularly those in the [View Full Entry]

Travel Blog » Europe » Italy » Tuscany

Tuscany Travel Blogs, page 10

Tuscany Travel Blogs

Italy