Tuscany's History and Culture
Tuscany is one of twenty regions in Italy. The region is located in the central, western part of the country, north of Rome and south of Genoa. It is bounded by the Apennine Mountains to the North and East, the Apuan Alps on the northwest and by the Tyrrhenian Sea on the West. Its land area is about 9,000 square miles (23.300 square kilometers). Its major cities are Florence, Pisa, Siena and Arezzo Its major river, the Arno, begins in the Apennines and heads toward the coast - both Florence and Pisa sit astride the Arno river.
This section offers pieces of Tuscany's history and culture that should prove to be interesting to anyone wishing to learn more about what lies behind the Tuscan - and for that matter Florentine, Sienese and Pisan - personality and character. The identity of any Tuscan today is deeply tied to the territory's past and, as we glimpse and discover various aspects of that identity, we hope to be able to share it with you.
