Author Enrico Massetti
Language English
Publisher Massetti Publishing Washington DC, USA
Paperback: 182 color Pages A5 (5.83 x 8.27 in / 148 x 210 mm)

Tuscany, located in Italy’s central-western part on the Tyrrhenian Sea, gets its name from an Etruscan tribe that settled the area about three thousand years ago. It has belonged to the Romans, the Lombards, and the Franks. More than four hundred years ago, under the Medicis, Tuscany became a major European center.

It is one of Italy’s top tourist destinations, whose interest sites are too numerous to list here. Siena and Pisa are two other major tourist destinations.
Tuscany is a center of industrial production, in particular metallurgy, chemicals, and textiles. Given the region’s importance as an international art center for centuries, don’t be surprised that it is an excellent place to appreciate and purchase fashion, jewelry, leather goods, marble, and other beauty items.
Florence is the home of the house of Gucci. Tuscany produces a wide variety of cereal, olives, vegetables, and fruit. But not only vegetarians eat well. It is home to cattle, horses, pigs, and poultry. One local specialty is wild boar. On the coast, seafood is abundant.
Tuscany devotes over one hundred fifty thousand acres to grapevines, and it ranks 4th among the 20 Italian regions. Its total annual wine production is about 58 million gallons, giving it 8th place. About 70% of the wine production is red or rose’, leaving 30% for white. The region produces 44 DOC wines. DOC stands for Denominazione di Origine Controllata, which you can translate as Denomination of Controlled Origin, presumably a high-quality wine and 7 DOCG white wine. The G in DOCG stands for Garantita, but there is, in fact, no guarantee that such wines are truly superior. The region produces 9 DOCG wines. Tuscany also produces Super Tuscan wines, wines that may not have a prestigious classification but are outstanding.
This guide covers a visit to Florence and a car tour in Tuscany passing through the cities of Fiesole, Arezzo, Cortona, Chiusi, the Chianti region, Siena, Volterra, San Gimignano, Pisa, Carrara, Massa, the Versilia, Lucca, Pistoia, Montepulciano, Pienza, Grosseto, Massa Marittima, and Monte Argentario.
There are extensive descriptions and photos of the attractions. The guide contains links to the websites of train and air travel companies. It also has a listing of many reviews for the best-recommended restaurants within walking distance from the location where you plan to have lunch or dinner.