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 powerfulmike
October 15th 2009

"Duty Free" Europe » Italy » Tuscany » Pisa

Don't be fooled by the wine prices at the "Duty Free" shop at the Rome FCO airport. I was. Then I got home and found the same wines cheaper in my local wine stores. They also push less than 4 or 5-star wines. A price of 30 euros usually means you can find it for $30 at home. LOVE Italy, but it's become very expensive. Jeans at a Levi's store? $200. Lunch of a sandwich and salad? $18. A shirt? $140. This was my fourth trip to Italy. My advice is still, enjoy the spectacular countryside, but don't buy anything. [View Full Entry]

By Courtt
October 12th 2009

Where in Italy is Courtney White? Europe » Italy » Tuscany » Siena

Hi Everyone, I am so sorry it has been so long since I have last updated you, but things have been quite busy over here. It has been one month since I arrived in Italy and it has flown, yet I feel like I have done so much at the same time; not to mention that it feels like ages since I have seen everyone. I hope that my pictures made up for my not writing a lot here. It is easier to put pictures up sometimes than to sit and write about everything. I am still having the most amazing [View Full Entry]

By Zezz
October 11th 2009

2 Nights in Firenze Europe » Italy » Tuscany » Florence

Close up Golden Doors

After visiting relatives in the Abruzzo region of Italy we took the bus back to Rome at 15 Euro each then the train to Florence at 42 Euro each and arrived in the late afternoon. We stayed at Hotel Bigallo on the doorstep of Duomo. The Hotel and the rooms were beautifully decorated and clean and gorgeous however , small. We had a job to have our 2 suitcases there, but we re arranged the furniture to suit. This hotel's reception is on the 3rd floor but it does have a small lift. We took some photos from the reception area [View Full Entry]

By CaitlinBriska
October 10th 2009

My First Entry (and it only took 6 weeks!) Europe » Italy » Tuscany

the ponte vecchio

Wow! My first six weeks in Florence has been absolutely amazing, I've had so many great experiences so far - I don't even know where to begin! I'll start with the basics first.... I live in Palazzo Capponi, a 5-story building where I live and take classes. My roommate Jessica is wonderful, it's so refreshing to have a roommate that I like! My room looks down on the Santo Spirito Church and the adjacent square. Santo Spirito was designed by Brunelleschi, and completed after he died. The plans for the facade of the church were never finished, and the facade was [View Full Entry]

By SDaniels
October 10th 2009

Boboli Gardens & Steps of Michaelangelo Europe » Italy » Tuscany » Florence

Boboli Gardens
This is almost right when you walk into the Gardens

A couple of weeks ago we went to the Boboli Gardens which is connected with the Pitti Palace but we didn't go into the palace that day. We stopped to get a few sandwiches and ate them in the Gardens. The Boboli Gardens are open and uphill so it was a little hike to the top, and along the way there are paths to either side to explore further. A person could spend all day in the Gardens exploring statues, monuments, and just walking around. There are bunch of little museums connected to it too, but we didn't go into those. [View Full Entry]

By Whiskers
October 10th 2009

David - The perfect specimen Europe » Italy » Tuscany » Florence

The fake David

David - The perfect specimen We both awoke for no reason at all at 2am with the lightening still going on from the thunderstorm of last night.The flashes weren’t local but coming from over the distant hills and it illuminated the walls of our bedroom.Perhaps it was the relatively early night we had had going to bed after the movie finished before 10pm. We both did get back to sleep and in fact again slept for longer than we have been awaking not long before 8am perhaps making up for the disturbed night. The breakfasts we have been preparing for [View Full Entry]

The not so attractive river through Florence

By Whiskers
October 9th 2009

Sightseeing in Siena Europe » Italy » Tuscany » Siena

Flags are out in Siena

Friday 9th October Sightseeing in Siena The big advantage by staying out in the countryside is that there are no traffic or people noises to awake you and so the body tends to carry on sleeping until it has enough.This morning that didn’t happen until nearly 8am meaning we had had about 10 hours sleep!!Ah,the Tuscan countryside!! The sky has an overcast look about it this morning although there are also gaps of blue with the sun coming through.The temperature is a little cooler than yesterday and it looks like there will be a change in the weather sometime today.Not having [View Full Entry]

Narrow streets are the order of the day in Siena

By Whiskers
October 8th 2009

A day of administration and relaxation Europe » Italy » Tuscany

The view from the apartment

Thursday 8th October A day of administration and relaxation After the long day on the road yesterday and almost not finding our farmhouse apartment out in the countryside of Tuscany we thought we should take a day to relax and not travel.Or at least no further than the town of Poggibonsi which is only 3 or so kilometres away. And although the town is not that far away it is distant enough with a small hill in the way to not hear any traffic noise from the town or motorway that passes close by.In fact as we expected we might we [View Full Entry]

By AMV
October 7th 2009

Live and Let Love In Europe » Italy » Tuscany » Florence

Hello everyone! I have been horrible at keeping up, I know…sooo I will write now to kind of explain where I have been. I have been here for a little over a month and it has been fabulous. With our program we have gone to Siena and Venice. I absolutely loved Venice. Then, with a few friends, I visited Cinque Terre and Almafi Coast, both of which were amazing experiences in their own right. Cinque Terre was great, but definitely not what I had expected. It is 5 cities that lie within one region, and people basically go there to hike. [View Full Entry]

By Whiskers
October 7th 2009

South to Tuscany Europe » Italy » Tuscany

Our farm stay accommodation

Wednesday 7th October South to Tuscany We had thought that the chickens in the barn might wake us up but they didn’t and the darkness created by the closed shutters kept us sleeping to nearly 7.30am.With autumn moving on and daylight saving still going, the sun is now much later rising. The breakfast was simple here but the rolls and fresh strawberry jam were delicious and the coffee was strong setting us up for what was to be become a very long day and one that we nearly didn’t make it to our next overnight stop. There were a couple of [View Full Entry]

Travel Blog » Europe » Italy » Tuscany

Tuscany Travel Blogs, page 3

Tuscany Travel Blogs

Italy