As any visitor to Tuscany will tell you, it’s difficult not to fall under this region’s unique spell. A rolling landscape of umber, olive and ochre, dotted with fortified hill towns and awe-inspiring cities crammed with renaissance art, this is one of the most popular places to explore in one of the most visited countries in the world.

Renaissance Cities

When it comes to cities of culture and beauty, Tuscany offers an embarrassment of riches. The Renaissance began here in the 14th century; 700 years on and this is still a region of high culture and staggering beauty. Here’s the lowdown on Tuscany’s finest Citta d’Arte (Cities of Art).

Florence

It’s hard to know where to begin in Florence. From the pink and green marble exterior of the Duomo (Cathedral) to the Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge) that spans the River Arno, there is much to wonder at here. The city boasts the world’s greatest concentration of art: head to the Pitti Palace and the Uffizi to see some of the most important works.

Pisa

Home to one of the most recognized buildings in the world, there is a lot more to Pisa than its leaning tower. Now shored up to stop it collapsing, the white marble campanile is just one superlative building close to the Piazza dei Miracoli, or ‘Miracles Square’.

Lucca

Situated on the banks of the River Serchio, Lucca is rightly renowned for the city walls that encircle the old town and have survived intact for more than 600 years. Lucca’s cache of historical gems also includes many opulent churches.

Siena

That the historic heart of Siena has been declared a World Heritage Site says plenty about its ease on the eye. The wonderful shell-shaped town square, the Piazza del Campo, is the area’s hub and hosts the world-famous Palio horse race, which dates from medieval times.

Arezzo

Lying south-east of Florence, Arezzo is home to a wealth of surviving medieval architecture. Visitors flock to the Piazza Grande, once the main marketplace and now the city’s finest medieval square.

Food & wine

There’s a good deal more to Italian cuisine than pizza. Tuscany might not have invented this most famous of dishes – that honour goes to Naples – but it certainly holds its own, not least in the form of one of the world’s finest red wines, the Chianti Classico. Unlike the fussier dishes of northern Italy, the culinary delights to sample in these parts tend to be of the simple, rustic variety. Superior olive oils, pecorino cheese, game, wafer-thin prosciutto ham, chestnuts and a huge array of vegetables and herbs are what to look out for. Leave some room for pudding: Tuscany is renowned for its confectionary and desserts flavoured with almonds, honey and ginger, best washed down with a sweet glass of Vin Santo.

Coastal Tuscany

As if the ancient cities and idyllic countryside of this region weren’t enough, Tuscany also has a beautiful coastline, where the dramatic peaks of the Apuan Alps run down to meet the pale sands fringing the azure waters of the Ligurian Sea. The sun-kissed climate and a collection of sophisticated resorts with palm-lined promenades and glitzy restaurants have long attracted the discerning holidaymaker: the more unmissable places to visit include the historical coastal city of Viareggio, lovely Portovenere and Marina di Pietrosanta, a resort known for its beautiful beach and the fragrant pinewoods that form its backdrop.

5 things you shouldn’t miss

• Seeing Michaelangelo’s David, probably the world’s most famous sculpture, at the Galleria dell’ Accademia
• Crossing the River Arno by the Ponte Vecchio, a bridge still inhabited by jewellers’ shops
• Sampling a glass of Chianti Classico
• People-watching along the seafront at Viareggio
• It might be a cliché but who can resist getting their photo taken in front of the Leaning Tower of Pisa?

So what are you waiting for?