Within its wall, the town's rustic center offers an evocative Tuscan charm.Īnd San Marino - all 24 square miles of it - is unique in that it's still an independent country. Volterra was an Etruscan capital centuries before Christ. Its massive basilica remains a favorite destination for countless pilgrims today. Its sprawling main square and towering City Hall recall the days when it rivaled even Florence.Īssisi - with its walls, gates, and castle - was home to St. Siena maintains much of its medieval character.
Ironically, the bad news of the 14th century mothballed these towns, leaving them with a unique charm and a tourism-based affluence today. That, combined with the increasing dominance by the regional bully, Florence, turned many bustling cities into docile backwaters. Then, the bubonic plague swept through Tuscany in 1348.
YOUTUBE I WALK 500 MILES CHARMAS FREE
In their glory days, they proudly charted their own course.generally free from the dictates of popes or emperors. Over time, these towns were fortified and eventually functioned as independent city states. People naturally grabbed for the high ground to escape the marauding barbarians that characterized those Dark Ages. When Rome fell, Europe was engulfed in chaos. Many of this region's hill towns date back to Etruscan times - well before ancient Rome. In this episode, we visit Civita di Bagnoregio, Orvieto, Cortona, and, finally, San Gimignano. And in Italy the regions of Tuscany and Umbria are home to the greatest hill towns - all within easy striking distance of Rome or Florence. So many European travel dreams feature Italy. We'll drive through the Tuscan and Umbrian countryside connecting all the hill town dots, admire a ceiling fresco masterpiece not by Michelangelo, eat rustic bruschetta, visit a vineyard that goes all the way back to Etruscan times - and more, all while exploring a string of hill-capping medieval towns that somehow manage to keep their heads above the flood of the 21st century. Built on hilltops for defensive purposes in ancient and medieval times, today their lofty perches seem only to protect them from the modern world. Thanks for joining us.Ĭonnoisseurs of Italy find the quintessential charms of this country in its characteristic hill towns. It's springtime in Italy and while it's a little early for grapes, it's a perfect time for exploring the hill towns. Hi, I'm Rick Steves, back with more of the best of Europe. See the Travel Details above for recommendations highlighted in bold, excerpted from Rick's guidebooks. It stars an astonishingly detailed inlaid choir, and a cloister frescoed with vivid, detail-and-symbolism-packed, sometimes outlandish scenes. What you see today is very close to what a pilgrim would have seen during a 16th-century visit. The order spared no expense in decorating their main church, importing the great artists of the day: Fra Giovanni da Verona, one of the most talented inlaid-wood artists who ever lived, and the skilled fresco artists Luca Signorelli and Il Sodoma. Abbey of Monte Oliveto Maggioreįive miles south of Asciano, this Benedictine abbey features perhaps the best in-situ art you'll find in rural Tuscany. High-energy Giovanni takes up to five people in his car to Montepulciano, Pienza, Montalcino, and a winery for a tour and tasting he also offers tours in and around Cortona. Giovanni exudes information and can be a great resource for anyone home-basing in Cortona with limited time and an interest in the highlights of Tuscany. Their wines are considered to be some of the best in the region. Tenuta Le Veletteįor a short tour of a historic winery with Etruscan cellars, make an appointment to visit Tenuta Le Velette, where Corrado and Cecilia Bottai offer a warm welcome (but be sure to call ahead). It's a total of 496 steps up and down-lots of exercise and not much to see other than some amazing 16th-century engineering, though an audioguide available onsite provides interesting background. Modern engineers are impressed by this deep well, designed in the 16th century with a double-helix pattern. The optical-illusion interior features some fine art, including Luca Signorelli's lavishly frescoed Chapel of San Brizio. This colorful, prickly Gothic facade, divided by four pillars, has been compared to a medieval altarpiece. Orvieto's duomo has Italy's liveliest facade.
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