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This is one of the best known Tuscany vacation destinations. First an
Etruscan village and then a Roman port, Pisa experienced its height of splendor
after the year 1000, when it asserted itself in the Tyrrhenian Sea as a
maritime republic. The pathetic defeat in the battle against Genoa at Meloria was
fatal to Pisa in 1284. After a period of obscurity, it again took off under the
domain of the Medici, and in the 1400s under the Lorena, when it became an
important cultural center. It owes its world fame to the Leaning Tower and to
the other works in the Campo dei Miracoli, which is a symbol of Pisa's period of
greatest glory.
A visit to Pisa is not just for the Tower, but continues with the villages of the Pisan hills, the natural oasis of San Rossore, beach establishments, and extraordinary archaeological and artistic beauties of Volterra and Massa Marittima (the latter in the territory of Grosseto).
According to legend Siena was founded by Senio, the son of Remus one of the two founders of Rome. The origin for the name of Siena, undoubtedly one of the most beautiful cities in Tuscany and in the world, is still a matter of research. Some attribute it to the Etruscan family of the Saina, some to the Roman family of the Saenii. It is certain that its development only took off in the Middle Ages, when it expanded towards three nucleuses which later became known as the tertiary: the original city center, San Martino and Camollia. A Ghibelline city, Siena often crossed swords with the Florentine Guelfs in epic and cruel battles that forged the history of medieval Italy. One of the most famous battles was the Battle of Montaperti, on 4 September 1260, when the Sienese routed the Florentines.
The city reached its peak of splendor in the 1300's, when most of the civic
monuments were built and the construction of the monumental new Duomo, or
church, was attempted. In 1348, however, Siena was laid low by the Black Death, which, like an earthquake, exterminated three fifths of the population.
After a period of obscurity and alternating domination by other powers, in 1559
Siena became part of the grand duchy of Tuscany, effectively losing its own
independence. With its brilliant Tuscan Gothic buildings, Siena is a jewel of world-wide fame. However, its surroundings also merit
consideration. The natural beauty of the Tuscan countryside carries equal
weight to the fascination of its perfectly-conserved medieval cities, for
example San Gimignano.
The valley of Valdarno originally was a large fresh water lake created by
several streams. The valley was roughly eight kilometers wide between the
mountains of Pratomagno and Chianti and fourty kilometers long between Laterina
and Lignano. The Arno river was absorbed by this lake and formed the final
shape of the valley. In the year 1198 the old Figline came under the rule of
the municipality of Florence; however, it was a very rebelliuos submission.
There used to be a castle on the opposite hills which originally belonged to the feudal landowners Ubertini Da Gaville in the middle of the 13th century. The population of Figline offered asylum to the Ghibellines that had run away from Florence and at that time the castle was besieged and forced to yield.
This act convinced Florence to destroy completely the walls and the houses of the rebellious Valdarno people. Some families were forced to move to town while others had to rebuild their houses on the plain where the trading area had developed.
The new village remained without walls until the year 1357, at which time Florence decided to protect this new center, which was considered the barn of Florence due to the abundance of corn. The impressive walls were built in 1390 but this didn't prevent the village from going through bloody attacks by mercenary troops.