San Gimignano
San Gimignano, Tuscany The town of San Gimignano in Tuscany is famous for its medieval towers and, despite its small size it is on many people's "must see" list when visiting the region. We went...
Art
Tuscany & Umbria are a treasure trove of medieval and Renaissance art. The Uffizi Gallery In Florence and the Basilica in Assisi are just a starting point.
Santa Croce, Florence
Santa Croce In Florence On our visit to Florence last week we visited the huge Franciscan church of Santa Croce, a short walk to the east from the centre. Several famous Tuscans are buried here,...
Spoleto
Spoleto, A Town In Umbria Spoleto is a town in southern Umbria that dates back to Roman times and became the capital of an independent Lombard duchy in the middle ages. Today it is also...
Chianti Sculpture Park
The Chianti Sculpture Park I love going to sculpture gardens and the Chianti Sculpture Park near Siena in Tuscany is one of my favourites. Set in 7 hectares of woodland and, positioned along a path...
Perugino's Tomb In Fontignano
The Tomb Of Perugino Last week I was passing through the village of Fontignano, just south east of Lake Trasimeno when I saw signs for the paintings and tomb of Perugino outside a small church...
Piero della Francesca Trail
Piero della Francesca's Paintings Piero della Francesca (1416/17-1492) was a Renaissance artist and mathematician. Perhaps because of his interest in mathematics his paintings are noted for their perfect perspective and the solid, almost sculptural, quality...
Towns In The Upper Tiber Valley
The Upper Tiber Valley The River Tiber has its source high in the Appenine mountains to the north of Sansepolcro. The watershed of smaller rivers that flow into the wide Tiber valley where Tuscany and...
Train Ride From Umbertide To Sansepolcro
Two days ago we took the train from our local town of Umbertide to Sansepolcro, a town further north along the Upper Tiber Valley famous for being the home town of Renaisssance artist Piero della...
The Paintings Of Piero Della Francesca
Piero della Francesca Art lovers who holiday on the Tuscany Umbria border are spoilt for choice when it comes to galleries and paintings, one painter, whose work you should try and see, is the Renaissance...
Arezzo
A Day Out In Arezzo, Tuscany Today we went on a day trip to the Tuscan city of Arezzo. We had booked ahead to see the frescoes by Piero della Francesco in the church of...
Spello
Spello, Umbria The last stop on our tour of small towns in Umbria was Spello. Spello was originally a Roman town and, as with Bevagna, there are many Roman remains still visible in the town....
Montefalco
Montefalco, A Town In Umbria Montefalco was the second stop on our tour of three small towns in Umbria: Bevagna, Montefalco and Spello. Montefalco is the centre of the Montefalco di Sagrantino wine producing area,...