HISTORY: The name of Tuscany comes from its ancient inhabitants, the Etruscans, who lived here between the 8th and the 1st century BC, when the area was assimilated by the Roman Empire. During Roman times, cities like Pisa, Siena, Lucca or Florence were established, and the entire region flourished. After the collapse of the Western Roman Empire, in the 5th century, Tuscany was conquered by the Goths, Longobards, Ostrogoths, Byzantines and, in 569, by the Lombards.
Between the 11th and the 13th century, Tuscany was dominated by Pisa, and starting with the 15th century, Florence gained a prominent role in the region. Grand Duchy of Tuscany was formed in 1569 and lasted until 1860, when the region become part of the Kingdom of Italy. For a short period of time, from 1865 to 1871, Florence was the capital city of Italy.
GEOGRAPHY: Tuscany is a region in central Italy, with an area of about 23,000 square kilometers and around 3,800,000 inhabitants. The region is bordered with Lazio and Umbria to the southeast, with Marche to the east, with Emilia-Romagna to the north and with Liguria to the northwest.
The main cities in Tuscany are Florence, the regional capital, Prato, Livorno, Arezzo, Pistoia, Pisa and Lucca. Other exciting cities in Tuscany worth visiting are Siena, San Gimignano, Cortona, Pitigliano and Montepulciano.
TRANSPORT: The main airports in Tuscany are the International Airport Galileo Galilei, located in Pisa, and Amerigo Vespucci Airport, near Florence. In Tuscany, the railway network is very well developed, with two main nodes in Florence and Pisa. From Florence, by train, you can get to Pisa or Arezzo in about one hour, and to Siena in about one hour and a half.
MORE INFO: Touristic Portal | Pisa Airport | Florence Airport | Car Hire | Train Timetables & Fares | Hotels in Tuscany