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Florence, a unique city in the world for its monumental grandeur, is situated in a scenic location in the valley of the Arno river and is surrounded on three sides by green hills. Its origins date back to many centuries before Christ, even if the known history of this city began in 59 B.C., when …

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Lucca has Etruscan origins, although the most significant evidences date back to Roman times, such as the amphitheater (now transformed into a square that has retained the characteristic elliptical shape), the Forum (that was located in the to-day’s San Michele square) and the streets of the oldest part of the town, which have preserved the …

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Pisa, birthplace of the famous scientist Galileo Galilei, is one of the most important cities of Italy for its monuments, palaces, squares, churches and works of art. It is also a qualified cultural centre, thanks to its University and the Scuola Normale Superiore. Pisa, of Etruscan origin, played an important role even when it was …

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San Gimignano is situated on a hill overlooking the Elsa river valley. This city is famous for the characteristic outline of its towers (so that it has been nicknamed the “Manhattan of the Middle Ages”). San Gimignano is a Unesco World Heritage Site because of its typical medieval architecture: in fact its urban structure, on …

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Arezzo is a charming hill town situated in an area inhabited since prehistoric times, as evidenced by the discovery of the so-called “Olmo Man” (a skull dating back to 50,000 years ago). Arezzo was a major Etruscan city: great works of art date back to this period, such as the Chimera, preserved in Florence, whose …

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Siena has preserved its medieval city centre enclosed by mighty walls. This city is situated in a splendid territory and is surrounded by hills covered with vineyards and olive groves, farmhouses, villages, churches and castles scattered in the beautiful Chianti countryside. Of Etruscan origin, Siena became a Roman colony at the time of Emperor Augustus. …

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Montepulciano, city of Etruscan origin, is called the “Pearl of the Fifteenth Century” because it preserves the works by famous Renaissance artists such as Vignola, Sangallo and Peruzzi. Its history is particularly rich in events, especially since the Middle Ages: in fact, at the beginning of the fourteenth century the vitality of Montepulciano, promoted by …

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Bagno Vignoni, a hamlet surrounded by olive groves and renowned vineyards, is a spa town known since ancient times (recent excavations have unearthed the remains of Roman baths). At the heart of the village there is the “Square of the Springs”, a sixteenth-century rectangular tank, which collects the waters of a spring that flows from …

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Orvieto is situated on a steep tuff cliff. It is an ancient Etruscan city, that was once near a famous shrine, the Fanum Voltumnae, visited annually by the inhabitants of Etruria, who came there to celebrate religious rituals, games and events. Invaded and destroyed by the Romans in 264 B.C., its population was forced to …

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