Unforgettable hotels and inspirational travel ideas.

Of all the regions of Italy, Tuscany has by far the greatest concentration of artistic and architectural masterpieces: artworks dating from medieval times to the Renaissance and beyond, which are proudly displayed within the walls of both the region’s magnificent old cities and the tiny hilltop towns which punctuate Tuscany’s much painted landscapes.

For many, Tuscany is associated with the gently undulating profile of the Chianti hillside, the taste of fine wine, and the golden green color of its rolling fields and highly prized extra virgin olive oil. For others, memories of Tuscany are linked to the sweet perfume of the countryside surrounding Siena and the shimmering sea of Versilia. For all who come here, or dream of doing so, Tuscany represents a magical place in which both man and nature seem to have been inspired by the same quest for perfection. Whether it be a landscape, a cathedral, or a painting; in Tuscany everything appears to have been blessed with the same gift of beauty.

The homeland of great masters of 14th, 15th and 16th century art, such as Giotto, Donatello, Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, and Michelangelo; Tuscany is the birthplace of the Renaissance. It was here also, in the midst of great cultural and political ferment, that the writings of Dante, Petrach and Boccaccio led to the birth of the Italian Language, a language now studied and protected by the "Accademia della Crusca". In Tuscany every village, town and city is still happy to tell the story of its glorious past: whether it is in Florence, the Tuscan capital and city of the Medici; in Pisa, once home to the powerful Marine Republic; enclosed within the massif perimeter walls of Lucca; in the contrade which compete for the Palio of Siena; or in the shadow of the soaring towers of San Gimignano.

The cities, countryside and mountains of Veneto all share the same graceful beauty which have inspired so many of Italy’s greatest artists.

Verona, Padua, Vicenza: three cities which occupy significant chapters of the history of Italian art and architecture. Verona is the city where, in the shadow of the ancient Roman amphitheatre, Shakespeare set his tragic love story between Romeo and Juliet. Works by Titian, Giorgione, Mantegna, Tiepolo, Veneto’s master painters, adorn Padua’s churches and basilicas. Palladio was responsible for the neoclassical perfection of Vicenza’s wonderfully palatial villas.

Much of Veneto’s appeal lies in its incredibly varied landscapes: the sunny beaches of Jesolo, Caorle and the Venetian lagoon; the fertile countryside along the banks of the Po, where Veneto’s Pinot, Amarone, Valpolicella and sparkling Prosecco wines are produced; the romantic shores of Lake Garda; the jagged precipices of the Eastern Dolomites, mountains which create the dramatic backdrop to picturesque Alpine towns such as Belluno and Asiago, and the elegant ski resort of Cortina d’Ampezzo.