47. Tuscany

If Florence is the heart of the Renaissance, Tuscany, the province in which Florence is situated, is its body and soul. Culturally, historically, economically, and gastronomically, this is one of the richest parts of Italy. This region, running along the "upper thigh" of the boot on the Mediterranean coastline, contains many of the country's most important cities and was home to its most influential personalities.

The sunny skies and the fertile ground are also part of what makes the region vibrant. Because the area gave birth to a new kind of art and literature which influenced the rest of the Continent and the world, it is here that la lingua italiana is spoken in its purest form. The finest olive oil and superior wines practically gush from its soil. Tuscan food is an art form in itself, with bread and oil staple ingredients of almost every course. The famous twice-boiled soup, ribollita, spills from the ladles of restaurants everywhere, and the bistecca alla fiorentina, a grilled steak with a bit of Tuscan olive oil goodness, fills the nostrils with its wonderful aroma and satisfies the tastebuds with its unmistakable flavor. Wild game and boar constitute more exotic elements of the Tuscan palate, making every meal a culinary paradiso, especially if washed down with a brimming glass of Chianti wine.

And then there are the cities, each with its own uniquely beautiful personality. There's Lucca, a tiny walled city that was one of the first of the independent city-states, which flourished with the silk trade. And charming Carrara, whose marble was hand picked from the quarries by Michelangelo for many of his masterpieces. In the east, there's Arezzo, with its famous fresco cycle by Piero della Francesca and renowned antique fairs, and in the hills there are the towers that comprise the medieval skyline of San Gimignano.

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