Tuscany
Tuscany is one of those few, precious things in
life – like Shakespeare, springtime and the power
of first love – that cannot be overrated. Despite
incessant praise, the beauty of this region continues
to defy description. It is as if Tuscany, located
as it is in the heart of Italy, has condensed the
best characteristics of the whole nation. It boasts
internationally famous art and architecture, with
six UNESCO World Heritage Sites – more than many
countries. There are the sunny isles and electric
blue surf of the Tuscan Archipelago and the rugged
Alpine peaks of the Lunigiana, the gentle Chianti
hill country and the wild moorlands of the Maremma,
and more – all in a space about the size of New
Jersey. Not to mention some of the headiest, more
heartwarming food on the planet.
Tuscany also has the Tuscans, which other Italians
will tell you is a decidedly mixed blessing. Tuscans
are a rare breed, tough yet intensely self-conscious,
sarcastic and sharp-tongued yet once you get beneath
the veneer, capable of great generosity. They have
a profound reverence for the traditions of their
homeland, which they define not as Italia or Toscana,
but their native village, even their neighborhood.
Tuscans also have an extra helping of what is superficially
called passion, but is better termed obsession;
an intense, even savage attention to life’s fine
print. A surprising number of people here care deeply
about the floral aftertastes of sharp cheese, the
correct way to cut marble, the nuances of a Gregorian
chant. And lurking behind the disinvoltura – the
appearance of effortlessness much valued among Tuscans
– is a cool calculation that leaves nothing to chance.
It is no accident that double-entry accounting was
invented here during the Renaissance.
Even earthy things have an otherworldly refinement
in Tuscany. The landscape itself shows the hidden
hand of the master, with subtle balances satisfying
to eye and mind. If a road curves just so, that
is, ever so scenically, or the sunset bathes the
façade of a villa in a most picturesque golden light,
it’s likely because of Tuscan wanted it so. It is
a charmed land, equally blessed by the genius of
man and nature, and often by the combined efforts
of both.
Think of the vineyards; rows of baby green vines
that manage somehow to march in arrow-straight formation
up the gently rolling hillsides, bounded by single
files of darker green cypress trees, snaking sandy
roads leading to rust-colored farmhouses and moss-coated
castles, symmetrically rounded hilltops surmounted
by towns so homogeneous as to seem one single building.
Every inch of land has been sculpted, first by
the elements and then by generations of inhabitants,
whose goals were always twofold: make the land produce
as much as possible, and make the land as beautiful
as possible. Tuscany enchants us today because it
holds together as a region, from the tiniest hamlet
to Florence the Magnificent. For the living proof,
take a short walk one day along the sides of the
Belvedere in Florence … you will leave behind the
traffic and suddenly find yourself strolling down
quiet lanes bounded by tall stone walls, cypress
trees and creamy-colored villas. You could be anywhere
in Tuscany, and I dare you not to fantasize about
living here.
In few places do art and life intermingle so beautifully.
Here a butcher becomes a virtuoso, and the distinction
between shopping and museum-going fades. Even the
centuries melt away as the graceful lords and ladies
of a Renaissance fresco look down at you with that
same toscanaccio brazenness and curiosity you’ve
just witnessed on the street. There is a harmony
here that strikes up echoes in the heart.
A visit to Tuscany will introduce you to some world-famed
attractions and also to some of its lesser-known
jewels, such as the colorful outdoor food markets,
spectacular natural parks, an ancient Etruscan mineral
spa, a dozen paintings of the Last Supper in Florence
… and a thousand narrow farm roads waiting patiently
for you to make the wrong turn and find your own
secret treasure, basking happily in the Tuscan sun.
Test your Geo intelligence:
What is the name of the only country in the world
named after a tree?
How many airports in Moscow are open to the public?
Which country's airport sits at the highest elevation
of any airport in the world?
What country produces the most ice cream per capita
in the world?
Which country boasts the three longest suspension
bridges in the world?
Which country is the most densely populated in
the world?
Transylvania, also known as Dracula's home, is
located in what country?
Answers:
1) Brazil, 2) four, 3) Bolivia 4) New Zealand,
5) Egypt, 6) Netherlands, 7) Romania
