Author of the highly successful The Most Beautiful Villages of Tuscany, James Bentley, along with photographer Alex Ramsay, has now turned his attention to more extensive, though equally beautiful, Tuscan communities. Travelling from north to south of the region, as in the Villages volume, we encounter first the towns with substantial Etruscan and Romanesque features, then the walled towns of central Tuscany, followed by the coastal and thermal communities of the south. The country towns described and photographed in this book have been selected not only to exemplify the remarkable variety of this part of Italy but also because they embody its altogether exceptional artistic, gastronomic and cultural heritage. Twenty of the most beautiful towns of this opulent land are treated in this visual and textual feast by Alex Ramsay and James Bentley, which is completed by a guide to the principal sights, events, hotels and restaurants of each town. The whole volume makes a wonderful companion to The Most Beautiful Villages of Tuscany.

Table of Contents

Introduction Northern Tuscany: Barga * Bibbiena * Fiesole * Impruneta * Montecatini Terme * Pescia * Pontremoli * San Casciano in Vali di Pesa * San Miniato * Sansepolcro Central Tuscany: Castiglion Fiorentino * Certaldo * Colle di Val d'Elsa * Montepulciano * Monteriggioni * Volterra Southern Tuscany: Chianciano Terme * Chiusi * Massa Marittima * Orbetello Useful Information

About the Author

James Bentley was a distinguished travel writer who specialized in Italy and France. He was the author of the volumes on Tuscany, The Dordogne, Burgundy, England and Brittany in The Most Beautiful Villages... series. Hugh Palmer is one of Britain's foremost photographers of rural life. His previous books include Garden Ornament and The Water Garden, both published by Thames & Hudson, as well as many titles in The Most Beautiful Villages... series.