Category: Tuscany – Florence

If Rome is ancient history, Florence is the renaissance. The renaissance was born here, the most important figures of the this era were from here or worked here. Michelangelo, Galileo, DaVinci to name a few.  The Arno river runs through the heart of the city, separating the city into two parts. The Medici family controlled Florence for 150 years. On Easter Sunday 1478, Lorenzo de’Medici and his brother Giuliano were attacked in the Duomo in what is known as the...

Fiesole is a small town on the hill above Florence. Settled by the Etruscans and later taken over by the Romans. After the Romans took over the area and founded Florence in the valley below, Fiesole became a favorite place to get away from the heat and ciaos of Florence. In the middle ages, Wealthy and powerful families built villas in Fiesole. There is a Medici villa at the edge of town built in the 1450s. This custom continues through...

Contona is a wonderful Tuscan hill town about an hour and a half from Florence by train. Note that the train station is at the town of Camucia in the valley below Cortona – a bus takes you up into Cortona. As was the case for many cities in this part of Italy, it was originally settled by the Etruscans and later taken over by the Romans. We were there in early December, so Christmas season was well under way....