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 kat 87
August 1st 2009

Siena Europe » Italy » Tuscany » Siena

Hillside view of Siena

My third day in Italy (although it felt like the first real day to be on a normal schedule) we left our house in Montegrotto Terme to go camping for 2 weeks in the Tuscany region. And wow, we had a tiny car to fit beach stuff, clothes' bags and food for 5 people. I am a small person, but even sitting smushed between two car seats was a bit tight for me. Cecilia being so thoughtful, she decided we must stop at Siena on the way to our campsite because she wanted to show me around one of her favorite [View Full Entry]

Siena's infamous panforte and almond cookies

By SKMantle
July 31st 2009

Paradise, Blue Eyes and Art Deals Europe » Italy » Tuscany

Ruin at Fonteverde

There are occasions in life where you find yourself in surreal situations. I think our spa classifies for this category. We arrived at our hotel and couldn't get through the secure gate without buzzing reception, HMMM. The hotel is stunning with amazing views. We went for dinner at the hotel and had the most amazing appetizers and good wine, the mains were a bit of a letdown. We spent some time trying out all 4 of the different pools: 3 volcanic thermal pools and one standard temp. The people in the hotel all seem quite wealthy and keep to themselves. There [View Full Entry]

By Hendo And Sarah
July 29th 2009

Prague adventures Europe » Italy » Tuscany » Florence

First time blogging

For a city that we were going to bypass, Prague was an absolutely astonishing city!! While making our way to our 6am train from Krakow Hendo and I prepared ourselves for what we thought was a 13 our train ride. Soon we discovered that we were very wrong but happy when we arrived at 2pm after only 8 hours-yay!! We made it to our 4 dorm hostel which was right in the centre of town! After settling in and grabbing some tourist info Hendo and I decided to bask in the sun and enjoy a couple of nice cold bohemian beers, [View Full Entry]

By Kiwidane
July 29th 2009

Cinque Terre, Pizza and Giro per favore Europe » Italy » Tuscany » Lucca

Cinque Terre

"What do you mean we are going on a road trip with your mum and dad?" It is not an understatement to say that Tom was less than impressed at the idea of sharing a very small confined space with me, my mum and dad for two days whilst driving from Denmark to Italy. A 'short trip' by Australian or American standards of only 1,800km. "Come on Tom, it's free and we get to eat lots of German and Austrian food along the way". I am not sure if any of that really convinced him or whether or not it was [View Full Entry]

By SKMantle
July 28th 2009

Day trips in Tuscany Europe » Italy » Tuscany » Montepulciano

Lamborghini Driving Range

Despite the beauty of the natural thermal waters at our doorstop, we did feel the need to venture out around Tuscany. On the verge of losing our newly acquired skills, Sunday took us on a search of the Lamborghini Golf Course, which was the closest one to our hotel. The hotel said it was 30 minutes away (and it could be if you know where you’re going and drive like an Italian) but for us it took us about an hour. We went searching for food on our way but it was past 3pm by the time we got to Panicale, [View Full Entry]

By EricOnTour
July 25th 2009

Day 2- Venice Europe » Italy » Tuscany » Florence

Boat

The next day, Christine and I decided to see the inside of the St. Mark's Basilica. And we did. Venice is strict in prohibiting photo taking, so I cannot post any pictures. But the inside of the Basilica is amazing...the entire roof is made of golden mosaics, describing Biblical stories and is really beautiful. Christine proved to be very resourceful...when we arrived, the line to enter the Church was gigantic. We would have to wait several hours before we had a chance to set foot on the doorsteps of the Church. However, from her guidebook, she said that there was an [View Full Entry]

By EricOnTour
July 25th 2009

Florence- Photos Europe » Italy » Tuscany » Florence

Duomo- Florentine Cathedra
The signature of the Florence churches are the solid and weighty feel of the architecture and materials.

Here are some pictures from Florence. More to come later. [View Full Entry]

By EricOnTour
July 25th 2009

More photos from Florence Europe

David

Florence was the important city during Renaissance where giants like Leonardo Da Vinci, Donatello and Botticelli lived and worked. It it a place full of museums and important churches. I rolled into Florence from Venice on the train, and this time I practiced what I learned. No taxi from the train station to my hostel. (No blood left for taxi drivers to suck dry anymore after almost 2 weeks in Europe, sorry). I bought the tourist map at the train station and was lucky to locate my hostel immediately. Then I walked while maneuvering the 2 large luggages clumsily through the [View Full Entry]

By SKMantle
July 25th 2009

A day of uncertainty...then bliss Europe » Italy » Tuscany » Pistoia

Main square in Pistoia

We got off the cruise ship at 7:15am on the dot, 5 minutes before our last available time. Turns out they're very strict if you want to take your own luggage off and not wait for yours and a thousand other bags. Thank goodness we were able to book an automatic car for our time in Italy as at least we had a way to get to wherever we were going...which we didn't know. But at least we could get there. We drove to Tuscany as we knew we wanted to go there. Ended up in a town called Pistoia, West [View Full Entry]

By EricOnTour
July 24th 2009

Arrived in Florence Europe » Italy » Tuscany » Florence

Arrived in Florence at noon from Venice. The weather is gorgeous. The hostel is very nice, with the most friendly staff. Time is too precious to blog seriously. I will need to go and explore this famous Renaissance city state. I will provide updates whenever I can. Stay tuned. Cheers, Eric [View Full Entry]

Travel Blog » Europe » Italy » Tuscany

Tuscany Travel Blogs, page 11

Tuscany Travel Blogs

Italy