A celebration of one of the most rich and varied landscapes in Europe, here are thirty-six villages and towns from all over Tuscany chosen both for their intrinsic beauty and for the part they have played in Tuscan history. Stand at the edge of a Tuscan hill village and gaze across one of the most extraordinarily rich and varied landscapes in Europe. There are vineyards producing the finest wine, and miles of wild mountain scenery; almost any view will take in other villages, clustering around the upper reaches of some hill, or the russet roofs of a fortified town deep in a valley. Here are thirty-six villages and towns from all over Tuscany, chosen both for their intrinsic beauty and for the part they have played in Tuscan history and culture. The book opens with those communities clustered around the great towns of Lucca and Florence. As we move south through the Chianti region to the valley of the Orcia, we discover the unique characteristics of each area. Here is the small town of Pienza, once called the “pearl of the Renaissance” for its unique concentration of palaces and churches. Here too is San Gimignano, where the medieval towers loom over the town’s squares and streets. The elegance of Tuscanys grand cities is found on a more intimate scale in its numerous small towns and villages, the most charming of which are celebrated in this revised, compact edition of the bestselling book. Thirty-six villages from all over Tuscany feature here, from those clustered around the great cities of Lucca and Florence, which produce some of the finest olive oil and are home to some of the world's greatest works of art, to the Chianti region and the valley of the Orcia, devoted to the cultivation of aromatic herbs. The vivid, highly descriptive accounts of each village are accompanied by page after page of marvellous colour photographs. "Beautifully composed photographs graceful, knowledgeable text". ("Country Living"). "Breathtaking photographs the riches and variety of Tuscany are laid out for all to see a well balanced, well presented and well written exploration of one of Italys most beautiful regions". ("Contemporary Review"). Kniha nejkrásnějších vesnic Toskánska je dokonalou obrazovou poctou nadčasové kráse těchto malebných míst. Prohlédněte si jednu z nejúchvatnějších a nejrozmanitějších krajin v Evropě, kde spatříte vinice i kilometry divoké přírody. Každá z vesnic vám nabídne zcela jiný pohled. Do této knihy bylo pečlivě vybráno 36 vesnic pro jejich krásu a také význam, který hrají v toskánské historii a kultuře. Je to kniha, která udělá obrovskou radost těm, kteří Toskánsko dobře znají, stejně jako těm, kteří ho jejím prostřednictví teprve začnou objevovat.