Tuscany is a constellation of art cities, ancient cities which rise up proudly above the region's vine and olive carpeted countryside. Tuscany is an exceptionally fertile and prosperous land, inhabited since the times of the Etruscans, as has been substantiated by findings in Comeana and Artimino, near the city of Prato.
Since medieval times, Prato has been famous for its textile industry. The history of the city's cloth trade is recorded in the Textile Museum. In the 13th century Prato was the seat of the Imperial Viceroy of Frederick II of Swabia, who built his Emperor's Castle here: the only Frederician stronghold in Tuscany. The city has a number of impressive houses of worship, many of which are embellished with the works of famous artists. Filippo Lippi and Paolo Uccello were responsible for a number of the frescoes in the Cathedral of Santo Stefano. Andrea della Robbia's majolica frieze adorns the Basilica di Santa Maria delle Carceri.
Like Prato, Pistoia has always occupied a strategic position in inland Tuscany. The city's historical importance is especially evident in Piazza del Duomo where, in just a few square meters, one finds the seats of both civil and ecclesiastic power: Palazzo del Comune, Palazzo Pretorio, Palazzo dei Vescovi and the Cathedral of San Zeno. The cathedral conserves a masterpiece of medieval silver work, which took some two centuries to complete: the Altar of San Jacopo. Every July, the piazza is transformed into a spectacular arena for the city's "Pistoia Blues" music festival.
Much of the wealth of Tuscany can be found underground, in the form of health inducing spring waters; like those which surface in Montecatini Terme. This elegant Tuscan city is home to many historic thermal baths and, more recently, ultra modern spas and beauty farms. Those traveling with children should be sure to make the trip to the little town of Collodi, chosen by Carlo Lorenzini (alias Collodi, author of Pinocchio) as the ideal setting for his Pinocchio Park, complete with a Butterfly House, in which there are over a hundred species of the colorful insect. Both children and adults will love the nearby Historic Garden of Villa Garzoni: the prefect synthesis of Renaissance and Baroque garden design.
In Lucca, once again it is the works of art inspired by religion which draw our attention. Known as the City of a Hundred Churches, Lucca is home to any number of beautiful houses of worship, the most important of which is the Romanesque Cathedral of San Martino. The cathedral is the final resting place of Ilaria del Carretto the, beloved wife of Paolo Guinigi, for whom the Siena-born Jacopo della Quercia sculpted an incredibly ornate sarcophagus, in 1407.
Our journey draws to a close in Pisa. Its strategic position on the delta of two rivers, the Serchio and the Arno, gave birth to the city's important seafaring and trading traditions. Pisa's golden years were those between the 12th and 13th centuries, when the city became a powerful Marine Republic. Today, this period is celebrated in the form of the Regatta of the Ancient Marine Republics, contested between Pisa, Genoa, Venice and Amalfi. Not surprisingly, this was the era in which the city's most important works of architecture were constructed, the most famous being those in Piazza dei Miracoli: the cathedral, baptistery and, of course, the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
