Weird And Wonderful Tourist Attractions To Visit On Vacation In Tuscany

The Museum of Medieval Torture Instruments

Okay, so for many, this might not be the most appealing suggestion for a way to spend time on your holidays but for those who might be interested in the darker side of history, a visit to the Museum of Medieval Torture Instruments in San Gimignano is sure to give you chills. A small museum, it is located on Via del Castello, in the historic centre of this beautiful medieval town. Not actually just some terrible celebration of past evils, the museum actually aims to combat violence by showing how human beings have been tortured throughout the centuries and serve as reminders that torture still exists in different forms today. They remind us not to be complacent when it comes to such horrors or to naively believe them to be entirely a thing of the past. Devices held in the museum include the Maiden of Nuremberg (more well-known as an Iron Maiden), a torture chair with more than a thousand spikes that were kept sharp and burning hot, the Masks of Infamy that were used to publicly ridicule people, the Pear of Anguish, and the Guillotine, to name but a few. Not for the faint of heart, it is still fascinating. And, in fact, for whatever reason, there are several such museums in Tuscany with others to be found in Siena, Lucca, and Montepulciano. So, if you are planning a holiday in San Gimignano, specifically, or Tuscany, generally, you will have plenty of opportunities to delve into Europe’s grisly past...

The Tarot Garden

Another intriguing but less morbid and more enchanting unique tourist attraction in Tuscany is Capalbio’s Tarot Garden. Created by Niki de Saint Phalle and her husband Jean Tinguly in 1979, this whimsical and surreal outdoor art installation is inspired by the Tarot cards and has giant sculptures of the Tarot's major arcana, including The Empress, The High Priestess, and The Devil. Unlike anything you might have seen or experienced before, this weird and wonderful garden gives visitors the feeling of stepping into another world. A must for Tarot fans especially but also a fascinating place for anyone to wander if they have found a holiday rental in Capalbio and are exploring this lovely part of the world...

The Abbey of San Galgano

For those who have always loved Arthurian legend and who want to add more whimsy and wonder to a vacation in Tuscany, a trip to the Abbey of San Galgano is another must. When you get to the Cistercian abbey, you will find the Chapel of Montesiepi, which was built in honour of Galgano Guidotti, the son of a minor noble and a violent knight who renounced his ways after a vision of the Archangel Michael. After becoming a hermit who lived in a cave, he was led to Montesiepi, a hill near his home town of Chiusdino, where he had another vision. In this vision, the Apostles, Christ and Mary asserted once more that he should turn his back on his former ways. Two versions of the ending follow. One says that he replied that it is easier said than done and about as easy as splitting a rock with a stone and thrust his sword into the rocky ground at his feet to prove his point. However, he was surprised to find that it sank almost to the hilt with ease. In the other version, he merely marked the spot he was shown with his sword as a make-shift cross. Whichever tale may or may not have actually happened, the case remains that a sword is deeply embedded in a rock in the chapel to this day. Guidotti was canonised after his death a year after he plunged his sword into the rock and the chapel was built in his memory. The abbey is in ruins nearby but the sword remains on display under a glass case that was put over it to prevent attempts to free it (as this resulted in damage in the past). Carbon-dated to have come from the correct period, the mystery of how it became so deeply embedded remains... While you won’t get a chance to try and free it and become a legendary king or queen, you can still see this curious wonder if you find a villa with a pool in Siena and come visit the abbey and chapel.

The Wine Window

Florence was once home to lots of Buchette del vino, or wine windows. These were in their hundreds at one point and were used by noble families to sell their wine directly from their palaces. The windows opened out onto the streets at waist-level height and connected to the storage rooms beneath the palaces. A jug, flask, or bottle of wine and money were exchanged through the window, cutting out the middle-man and the need to go to a merchant or market to obtain wine. Eventually, olive oil, flour, vegetables, and other goods were also sold through the windows and the more benevolent families also used these windows to give food and wine to poor people who knocked and asked for assistance. However, as families moved out and hotels and businesses took over the palaces, the windows fell out of use and many were bricked up. Back in 2019, however, a restaurant named Babae in the Santo Spirito began to use the wine window on their premises to sell glasses of wine once more – a very whimsical way to be served! Since the pandemic, several other businesses have followed suit, as this was a way to serve customers without direct contact and the idea stuck. So, in 2023, there are even more wine windows that can be visited. For example, you can also order a wine to enjoy with a meal on the terrace at the Belle Donne osteria. For foodies looking for a unique experience while enjoying a luxury villa in Florence, this is a must!

In conclusion, Tuscany is a region that is full of surprises, and there is no shortage of unusual tourist attractions to explore. Whether you're interested in history, art, or just something a little bit different, there's something here for everyone. So why not step off the beaten path and discover some of the region's more eccentric offerings while staying in one of our incredible villas in Tuscany? You might just find your new favourite spot.