Florence and Tuscany holidays

Visit Tuscany and you’ll find picture-perfect Italian scenes at every turn. Rolling hills are patchworked with vineyards and sunflower fields. Shady piazzas are lined with cafés for al fresco lunches and evening aperitivo. Hilltop towns are crowned with centuries-old churches that glow in the afternoon sun.

This part of Italy is a joy to explore. Discover the Etruscan walls of Volterra and medieval towers of San Gimignano, or step inside the grand cathedral in Siena, with its wedding-cake façade of white marble. Be sure to indulge in a little of the local cuisine, too – perhaps panzanella (bread salad) or a hearty Florentine steak (ideally washed down with a couple of glasses of Chianti).

Then, of course, there’s the region’s pin-up capital: Florence. The Duomo is its most famous sight (climb the steps of the dome or campanile for 360-degree views of the city), but there’s plenty more to explore here. Marvel at paintings and sculptures in the Uffizi, gaze up at the frescoes in the Palazzo Vecchio, or perhaps go for a quiet stroll through the sprawling Boboli Gardens.

Grand Tour of Italy

16 days from £2,499