Discovering Tuscany

A friend from Lucca, a beautiful and well-known town just over the mountain from Pisa, asked me recently if I'd ever been to Monte Carlo. "Yes," I responded, "several times. We lived in Nice and Monte Carlo is nearby."  "Not that Monte Carlo," she said, "Montecarlo di Lucca."  

Montecarlo, it seems, is a town perched on an isolated hilltop in the Province of Lucca. Its medieval center is well-preserved and it is still surrounded by its splendid wall. It is one of the seemingly hundreds of small, beautiful Tuscan towns unknown to me, even after all these years of visiting and living in Tuscany. Every year though, thanks to Italian friends, we discover more of these hidden treasures. 

Many travel writers have described Tuscany as passé, with nothing new to discover. They need to go traveling with our friends. If they do, they'll find - to name just a few - places like Montecarlo, Camaiore, Populonia, Peccioli, Vicopisano, Giglio Castello, Celle di Puccini, Sarzana, Fosidinovo and Barga, a medieval town with a modern-day jazz tradition. 

There is enough beauty, interest and culture in each one of these town to merit its own article, but it's a bit of a Catch-22. If I take the time to write about every beautiful town we see, I won't have time to visit the towns. Instead I'll use this post to share with you photos taken all over Tuscany.

Pisa, Florence and Siena may be the crown jewels of Tuscany, but there are plenty of other Tuscan gems waiting for you to discover. So if you come, don't be afraid to wander off the beaten track.  

In the meantime, click here to see my photos.

Ciao,

Geraldine

Photos by Geraldine Calisti Kaylor

Italy