20 Beautiful Places to Visit in Tuscany
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Tuscany is truly blessed with an abundance of wonderful places to visit and things to do. With so many beautiful towns, important cities, stunning countryside, wild mountains, and a lovely coastline, you could spend weeks here and still not see everything. I've been visiting for decades and still haven't seen it all.
So, I could easily have this made guide "100 places to visit in Tuscany" without exaggerating. But noone has unlimited vacation time (or money), so you can't see everywhere and endless list isn't much help with your planning.
So, below I've put together a list of 20 destinations that I think every traveler should see when they visit this wonderful region. I've included many highlights, but have also tried to sneak in a few places that you may not have come across in your research.
Enjoy!
Table of Contents
1. Florence
One of the most visited cities in the world, Florence is packed with astonishing artworks and architecture dating back to the Renaissance. Lying on the Arno River, Florence was home to incredible artists of the likes of Da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Botticelli, who worked to make the city a renowned art capital.
Elegant palaces, incredible museums, and centuries-old churches are not all you will find in Florence. The city is also popular for its culinary traditions and cutting-edge shopping opportunities.
For more info, check out my guide to Florence and 3-day Florence itinerary.
2. Siena
This picturesque town, founded by the Etruscans over two millennia ago, lies 70 km south of Florence. Siena might be small but is full of cultural landmarks and architectural marvels.
From the famous shell-shaped Piazza del Campo to the black-and-white-marbled Duomo, Siena is mainly known for the horse race called “Palio di Siena”, which is held twice a year (in June and August).
You can read more about Siena in my guide to Siena.
3. Pisa
Worldwide known for the iconic Leaning Tower, Pisa boasts many other artistic and architectural treasures. One of the richest cities during the Middle Ages, here you can marvel at Romanesque buildings, Gothic churches, and Renaissance squares - with Piazza dei Miracoli being particularly beautiful.
Pisa is also a university town, so it has a lively vibe and hosts great bars, cafes, and cultural events.
Learn more in my guide to Pisa.
4. Lucca
Lying very close to Pisa, Lucca has among the best-preserved city walls in Italy. Surrounded by green hills, the walls have been turned into a pedestrian promenade that you can walk to circle this enchanting Tuscan town.
Besides the city walls, Lucca is home to elegant squares, centuries-old churches, and a couple of still-standing lofty towers.
The town is popular in Italy for hosting the Lucca Comics & Games, the country’s biggest comic event held annually between October and November.
I also put together a detailed guide to Lucca.
5. San Gimignano
You will spot San Gimignano from a distance: the hilltop town is characterized by 14 tall medieval towers that create a unique skyline. Once in number 72, the towers were commissioned by powerful families to show off their wealth.
Climb the towers for breathtaking views of Tuscany hills. The “Town of Fine Towers”, as San Gimignano is called, also has a couple of excellent museums and Gothic and Romanesque buildings lining the streets and main square.
6. Val d’Orcia
A typical Val d'Orcia landscape in the countryside near to Pienza
The same area, but at a very different time of year!
Tuscany is beloved for its rolling hills, and the Val d’Orcia is quintessentially Tuscan in this sense. This fertile area of agricultural lands extends from the hills south of Siena up to the slops of Monte Amiata, Tuscany's most beloved and iconic mountain.
Here, it's all about enjoying the incredible panoramas that you get from the walls of hilltop medieval towns like Pienza, Montalcino, San Quirico d’Orcia, and Montepulciano. The roads that connect these little villages often offer even better vistas.
And of course, visiting the region’s wineries is an ever-popular activity. This is, after all, the land of Brunello di Montalcino, one of Italy's most famous wines.
Relaxing walks among olive groves, tall cypresses, and vineyards is another fabulous way to spend your time here.
These dreamy landscapes have been used for shooting scenes in many movies, with those of "Gladiator” probably the most well-known.
See my Val d’Orcia travel guide to learn more.
7. Arezzo
Piazza Grande, Arezzo's main square
Sitting on a sloping hillside, Arezzo was once one of the 12 towns of the Etruscan League. With a long and rich history, the city delights visitors with many churches and archeological museums.
Among the city’s highlights is the central Piazza Grande with the Vasari Loggia, the Palazzo della Fraternita dei Laici, Arezzo Cathedral, and Corso Italia, lined with boutiques and shops selling antiques.
Many scenes of the award-winning movie “La Vita è Bella” were shot in Arezzo’s historic center.
8. Parco Naturale Migliarino San Rossore Massaciuccoli
A little inlet on Lake Massaciuccoli. Photo: Albarubescens, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The Migliarino Nature Park is a protected area that stretches from Pisa to Lucca. It covers 230 square kilometers and encompasses many habitats, including pine forests, wetlands, and coastal dunes.
The Migliarino Nature Park is perfect for discovering Tuscany’s natural beauty and biodiversity. The area also boasts the lovely Lake Massaciuccoli, which can be explored by bike or walking.
9. Cortona
Lovely Cortona
Located in the Province of Arezzo, Cortona is set atop a hill full of Medieval and Renaissance buildings. Cortona’s main draw is the surrounding countryside, where the popular movie “Under the Tuscan Sun” was shot.
Besides the stunning landscape, Cortona has a long history dating back to Etruscan times, which can be learned about in its excellent Museum of the Etruscan Academy.
Although Cortona itself only requires a few hours to explore if you're just stopping by, the surrounding countryside is lovely, Lake Trasimeno is only a few minutes away, and many of the Umbria region's prettiest cities are reachable on day trips.
More info in my guide to Cortona.
10. Hot springs and spa towns
The Terme di Saturnia
Bagni di San Filippo
Tuscany has many natural hot springs, some of which are pretty popular (and busy), while others are still under-the-radars. You will find both hot springs enclosed in spa centers and beautiful outdoor hot springs, which are free to visit.
The most famous hot spring in the region among foreigners is the Terme di Saturnia, which has become extremely busy and, in my opinion, not all that pleasant as a result.
If you prefer something less-frequented and much more natural, head to the Bagni di San Filippo hot springs located on the slopes of Monte Amiata mountain, near to Bagno Vignoni. Here, a series of small thermal pools is hidden within the forest, and it is characterized by white rocks that create a snow-like landscape. It's quite unique.
Bagno Vignoni, also in the Val d’Orcia, is another place to visit for thermal baths. It's been a spa town since Roman times and two hotels there carry on the tradition: Posta Marcucci and the Adler Spa Resort. You can visit the baths at Posta Marcucci without being a guest of the hotel.
Somewhat near to the town of Montepulciano is the spa town of Chianciano Terme, which was once a major destination but has fallen on rather hard times. There are a number of hotels here with thermal baths, though most have seen better days. I think it's an interesting place to visit because it has a rather strange atmosphere, but I'm not sure it makes sense for most visitors. It is quite cheap though…
And for one final entry on the list, we can't mention hot springs and spa towns and not include Montecatini Terme, one of the most famous spa towns in all of Italy. It's located in between the cities of Pistoia and Lucca.
11. Elba
A gorgeous beach on Elba
The town of Portoferraio in Elba
Elba is an island surrounded by the sparkling Tyrrhenian Sea. Famed for being the place of Napoleon’s exile, the island is much more than sun-kissed shores, beautiful beaches, and coves for a beach getaway.
Elba’s coastline is dotted with lovely towns where you can delve into the island’s cultural heritage, such as Portoferraio and Porto Azzurro.
The inner part of the island is home to fertile vineyards, and Monte Capanne, with a height of 1,018 meters, makes for an ideal hiking spot.
12. San Miniato
San Miniato. Photo: I, Sailko, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped from original
A quaint village in the province of Pisa, San Miniato is the place to be to taste one of Tuscany's most prized food products: the rare tartuffo bianco (white truffle). To this incredible food is dedicated a whole cultural event, the “Mostra Mercato di Tartufi”, hosted every November. In San Miniato, you can do truffle tastings and also participate in truffle hunting.
The village is lovely to explore on foot, and its most stand-out feature is the medieval Piazza del Seminario.
San Miniato is also a stop on the historic Via Francigena pilgrimmage route.
13. Chianti Region
A vineyard near to Radda in Chianti
Hills and vineyards near to Gaiole in Chianti
Another unmissable area of Tuscany for any food and wine lover is the Chianti region. Located in a patch of hills and valleys in between Florence and Siena, this is Tuscany's premier wine-growing region.
Kilometers of rolling hills with fertile vineyards create not just a wonderful landscape to discover by bike, motorcyle, or car, but they also of course produce world-famous Chianti wines.
Having a wine tasting in the Chianti hills while sampling local foods and meeting local winemakers is a must-do experience in the area.
The region’s 9 stone villages are also lovely, with Greve, Radda, Castellina, Panzano, and Gaiole the prettiest of the bunch, and they are all worth a quick look around.
To learn more about the region, see my Chianti travel guide and my article on wine and wineries in Chianti.
14. Porto Santo Stefano
Porto Santo Stefano's waterfront
Cala Grande beach near to Porto Santo Stefano. Photo: Ceppicone, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Located on the Argentario Peninsula on Tuscany's southern Maremma coast, Porto Santo Stefano is a bustling little beach town.
All around town are striking coves whose waters look more like the sea that you find in Sardinia than the rest of Tuscany or even the rest of mainland Italy. Some coves are private while others can only be reached by boat or with a short hike. One of the best coves is Cala Gesso, which is a perfect snorkeling spot.
The town is also one of the main seaports of the area so it's always busy and you have daily transfers to Giglio Island, the next place on this list!
15. Giglio Island
The coast of Giglio island
Giglio Island lies within the Arcipelago Toscano National Park, just 16 km from Porto Santo Stefano.
This Mediterranean island offers visitors natural beauty and rich history. The narrow streets of the main town of Giglio Porto are lined with artisan stores and outdoor restaurants.
The island is home to stunning beaches for swimming and snorkeling - don't miss Campese Beach and Cannelle Beach.
Another highlight of Giglio Island is the town of Giglio Castello, on the island's highest point, where you can visit the medieval fortress Rocca Aldobrandesca to marvel at 360-degree landscape views.
16. Volterra
Volterra is one of the larger hill towns in Tuscany and, despite being a popular stop with visitors, its location a bit out of the way means that it doesn't get as crowded as many other places. It's rougly an hour northwest of Siena.
Enclosed within double walls whose origins date back to Etruscan and Medieval times, the town has a wonderful medieval atmosphere. If you like narrow streets, ancient walls, and towering fortresseses, you'll like Volterra.
Volterra is particularly known for high quality crafts made out of alabaster, and you can purchase decorative objects in the many artisan shops in town or visit the interesting Ecomuseum of Alabaster.
17. Monteriggioni
Photo: Maurizio Moro5153, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped from original
Another walled town in Tuscany, Monteriggioni's main feature is the 13th-century castle that overlooks the entire landscape. You can walk on the medieval walls that are part of the castle to have a bird's eye view of the Chianti countryside. The town also has 15 still-standing medieval towers, two impressive doorways, and charming little streets.
Monteriggioni is located along the pilgrimage route known as Via Francigena, and it was featured in two famous movies, "The English Patient" and "The Gladiator".
It's not along any main routes you'll probably be driving, but it's only 20 minutes away from Siena, so any easy day trip. If you go, you can combine it with visits to Certaldo (great ceramics) and San Gimignano, making for a very nice full-day trip away from Siena.
18. Orbetello
Orbetello is a seaside town in the Argentario, with a lovely center with shops, restaurants, and a lively weekly market selling local food products. But Orbetello is much more: the town boasts a lagoon, which makes the area geographically unique. The Laguna di Orbetello is rich in fauna of all kinds, which is protected by the WWF.
The lagoon is surrounded by a cycle-pedestrian path that you can go through to admire pink flamingos, white herons, and flocks of coots.
19. Livorno
Livorno is an important port town in Italy, where ferries depart for many other parts of Italy, including the Elba Island in Tuscany.
Embellished during the Renaissance by the Medici family, in Livorno, you can visit many attractions like a castle (the Fortezza Nuova), the beautiful Terrazza Mascagni (a sea view terrace), and the Nuova Venezia (the streets surrounding the castle, which are lined with canals).
20. The Tarot Garden
A statue in the garden. Photo: Simone Ramella from Roma, Italy, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
For a rather unusual attraction, check out The Tarot Garden (Giardino dei Tarocchi in Italian). This artistic garden is located right outside of Capalbio, a little village in the Maremma region of Tuscany, and about 20 minutes from Porto Santo Stefano. It was created by the incredible French artist Niki de Saint Phalle and is unlike anything else you'll find in Tuscany.
The park houses installations representing the 22 major “arcana of the divinatory tarot”, which are made of iridescent mosaic tiles and metal. The artist took almost 20 years to complete this project, and this magical attraction is open from the beginning of April through mid-October.
It's quite far from pretty much anything else you'll be visiting in Tuscany, but if it piques your interest or you'll be visiting the southern reaches of the region, it's very much worth seeking out.
More Tuscany travel info
For more advice on planning your trip to Tuscany, have a look at some of our other guides and itineraries!
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Serena Baglioni
Tuscany Expert based in Montepulciano
Ciao ragazzi! 👋
Hi, I'm Serena, and I've been a tour guide and travel consultant here in Tuscany for the last 25 years. If you're looking for some local advice on your trip, I'd love to help!
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