what's up guys my name is ryan and i
just got back from exploring tuscany and
i want to show you my favorite places so
here's my tuscany top 10.
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tuscany is easily one of the most
fascinating regions in all of italy
located in the central part of the
country tuscany is known for its
landscapes history and artistic legacy
it's a landfill of rolling hills dotted
with medieval hilltop towns from the
thermal hot springs of saturnia to the
renaissance city of florence tuscany is
a place that needs to be experienced
let's start this video off in san
gimignano now located about an hour to
drive from florence san gimignano is a
stunning medieval city perched upon a
hill one of the most iconic features of
the city is its medieval watchtowers
currently there are 14 watchtowers still
standing but during its prime there were
over 72 towers the highest being over 70
meters tall the towers were built as a
result of competing families who wanted
to build the tallest and most grand
tower can't imagine how it must have
looked like back then it was the
manhattan of the middle ages it was so
fun to walk through the city i mean you
literally feel like you're going back in
time san gimignano flourished as a city
until 1348 when the plague of black
death struck the town which resulted in
killing over half the population san
gimignano's medieval vibe has been
untouched throughout time and has become
one of the most popular medieval
locations in all of italy afterwards
we're going to visit the nearby city of
siena located about a 40 minutes drive
from san dimiano it's built upon three
hills with its central feature being the
piazza del campo this public square was
once a roman forum and it was rebuilt in
the 13th century if you look closely you
can see it's made of nine sections which
represents the council of nine the
impressive tower of mangia overlooks the
plaza it's over 87 meters high and it
takes 500 steps to reach the top now
twice a year the square hosts the wild
palio de siena horse race around the
edge of the piazza and i would love to
see that one day now another one of my
favorite features of the city is the
duomo di siena it's a visually stunning
church that was completed all the way
back in 1246 the interior blew my mind
with its black and white pillars and
endless artwork and i couldn't recommend
seeing it enough you're gonna fall in
love with this medieval city now right
in between sienna and san gimignano is
another really cool medieval town called
monterey joni it's one of the best
medieval wild fortresses i've seen it
was built all the way back in 1219 by
the people of siena to act as a front
line in the wars against florence
afterwards we're going to explore the
region of valdortja now when you think
of tuscany this is what you'll probably
imagine lush rolling hills perfectly
aligned cypress trees in those
picturesque hilltop towns this is easily
one of the most scenic parts of tuscany
now valdorta starts in the hills of
south siena and extends to monte amiata
now one of my favorite towns in
valdortja is pienza now looking about an
hour's drive from siena pienza is a
picture-perfect town built upon a hill
the town was first mentioned in the 9th
century but during the 15th century the
entire village was rebuilt to be a
renaissance town to serve as a retreat
from rome it's one of the first villages
to implement urban planning granting it
the nickname the touchstone of
renaissance urbanism i just love how the
city overlooks all the surrounding
landscapes one really cool place right
below the city is where the iconic shot
a gladiator was filmed i just remember
watching that movie and thinking how
cool it would be to explore tuscany now
just 20 minutes from pianza is the town
of monte pociano built high atop a
limestone ridge this medieval
renaissance town is sure to take you
back in time from 1390 to the mid 16th
century monte polciano enjoyed a
prosperous period as architects built
luxury homes and renaissance buildings
today it's one of the most popular towns
in the region it's where part of the
movie twilight new moon was filmed if
you're into drinking multiple channel is
home to some of italy's best red wines i
mean the town is just so impressive to
me definitely one of my favorites in
tuscany now afterwards we're going to
visit the saturnia hot springs now
located about a three hours drive from
florence these are some of the coolest
looking hot springs i've ever seen the
water is this milky blue color and it
drains down mineral terraces the water
is a warm 37 degrees celsius all year
round thanks to thermal activity of a
nearby volcano the romans used to bathe
here to experience the hot springs
healing effects today they are free to
visit all year round and one of
tuscany's most beautiful attractions i
went here a few weeks ago and it was
freaking packed granted it was during
the middle day during the peak of summer
i'd say if you want to avoid the crowds
i recommend coming to the hot spring
super early in the morning or during the
off season in spring or autumn
nonetheless it's still fun to be there
the water felt so good and i couldn't
believe the turquoise blue color such an
incredible spot you gotta visit if
you're in tuscany afterwards we're going
to visit the nearby down apitellano now
located about a 30-minute drive from
saturnia pitayano is a historic city
perched upon a volcanic rock it's
believed that the area around pittellano
was inhabited during a true skin times
and in the 1600s the town started to
grow a large jewish presence as some
jews fled from persecution in rome
giving it the nickname of little
jerusalem today pittellano is a quaint
town i just love how it's built upon
those cliffs such a sight to see now
just 10 minutes away is another
interesting village called serrano now
similar to pitayano is built upon
volcanic rock and due to its strategic
position it was frequently attacked
during medieval times and as a result it
became one of the most well fortified
villages in southern tuscany when you go
there you'll feel like you're back in
time as you explore this alluring
village now afterwards we're gonna go
visit the famous town of pisa now
located about an hour's drive from
florence pisa is known worldwide for its
leaning tower the tower is over 55
meters tall and has a lean of nearly 4
degrees the tower was completed all the
way back in 1372.
the lien is caused by an unstable
foundation that has been a problem ever
since it's been constructed i'm just
impressed that they've been able to keep
it from falling over all these years
it's definitely a wonder of the world
and you gotta witness it at least once
in your life for our final destination
we're gonna visit the iconic city of
florence i have to say that florence is
my favorite city in all of italy it's
considered to be the birthplace of the
renaissance and it was the most
important political cultural and
economical city in europe and the world
during that time the history of this
city is endless and without its
influence our world would probably be
very different today now one thing that
makes florence magical is that almost
the entire city is made up of medieval
buildings which really transports you
back in time one of the most impressive
sites in florence is the duomo and when
you look at it you just can't believe
how big it is it was completed in 1436
and just amazes me that they were able
to engineer such a big dome so long ago
the people of florence sure dreamt big
the ponte vecchio bridge is another
historic site it's where the famous poet
dante encountered his love beatrice and
also was the only bridge on the arno
river that wasn't destroyed in world war
ii the palazzo vecchio is another site
you gotta see now to get the best view
of all florence i recommend you go to
the piazzale michelangelo you'll be able
to get panoramic views of the city i
mean i just can't say enough good things
about florence you're gonna fall in love
with this enchanting city well that is
it for my tuscany top ten it's such a
fascinating region and i wish i could
visit all its towns and attractions let
me know where your favorite place is in
tuscany in the comments below i started
a second channel where i post hour-long
relaxation films of beautiful places
around the world i'll be doing a film on
tuscany very soon you can find me on
instagram and tick tock at shirley.films
it's ryan and we will see you later
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