Wicked Travels Fall, 2013 | Seite 43

To make the most of everything the Provence has to offer it’s worth taking over a week (ten days is even better) to really get into it. This would allow a few days at each area to settle in a hotel or agritourismo and sample some of the more gastronomically important aspects of Tuscany.

Locational highlights include Grotta del Vento, one of Europe’s most extensive cave networks, the old Pilgrim paths of the Etruscan hills and the Alto Mugello.

If you’re in the area and only have time to walk for one day, the ridge-top walk through Lozzole, ‘the village in the sky’ is a fantastic excursion with views up to 70km across North-East Tuscany.

With Siena, Pisa and the historical centres of San Gimignano and Pienza all offering anthropogenic beauty aplenty, Tuscany really does provide the best of civilization and nature. Whether you seek open countryside that rolls into the most peaceful and beautiful landscapes, or towns and cities that ooze with historical charm and cultural magnificence, a walking holiday in Tuscany will take your breath away time after time.

Nature isn’t the only bounty with which Tuscany has been blessed: one of the most breathtaking walks is to spend an afternoon strolling through the halls of the famous Uffizi Gallery in Florence.

Ufizzi Gallery Tuscany

If inclement weather interrupts your journey, wandering through the nearly 50 halls of masterpieces from some of the greatest artists who have ever lived, will delight and inspire. You could feasibly spend a good couple of days taking in the wondrous exhibits.