Archive for 'Pisa'

A post shared by Andrea Pucci (@prookie78) on Jun 22, 2017 at 10:22am PDT

On the 16th of June each year Pisa is home to the Luminara of San Ranieri Festival. Commemorating and celebrating the city’s Patron Saint, San Ranieri, it sees the whole town lit up magically by tens of thousands of candles upon nightfall. Dating back to 1688, the festival is said to trace its origins to when a simple urn containing the ashes of San Ranieri in a local cathedral was transferred to a more decorative modern urn by order of the Grand Duke of Tuscany.

There are lots of fascinating sights and attractions all around Tuscany and there could never be enough time to see or do it all. However, if you are particularly interested in photography, commemorating your trip and picture-perfect scenery, there are some suggestions that we would like to make of places that you should add into your itinerary. Here are more of this author's picks of the most photogenic sights in Tuscany…

5. Haring's mural in Pisa: the ultimate backdrop

Keith Haring's “Tuttomondo” mural, located in the Tuscan town of Pisa, near the station in Piazza Vittorio Emanuele, is his last public work. Painted in 1989, just before the artist died prematurely in 1990, when he was already beginning to fall sick due to HIV-related complications, it was produced in collaboration with the students of Caparol Center.

Palazzo Blu is one of Tuscany's artistic highlights, an excellent art museum located in the historic heart of Pisa. It houses both a permanent collection and important temporary exhibitions throughout the year in a beautiful former palace. Permanent artists include Artemisia and Orazio Gentileschi, Benozzo Gozzoli and Umberto Vittorini and recent temporary exhibitions have included works by the likes of Dali and Lautrec in the past year. The Palazzo Blu which has become more and more well-known for its world-class exhibitions and has been put on the map as a must-see museum for art lovers visiting Tuscany. At the moment, there is another incredible temporary exhibition on until the new year and it is just one more reason to find a luxury villa in Pisa and visit that extraordinary city!

From October 13 to January 28, Palazzo Blu will be home to “Escher. Oltre il possibile”, (“Escher – Beyond possibility”) an exhibition of the work of 20th century artist Maurits Cornelis Escher (or M. C. Escher), a Dutch graphic artist who made mathematically inspired woodcuts, lithographs, and mezzotints.

Driving in Tuscany is kind of impossible to avoid and necessary to avoid – both at the same time. It really depends on where you are spending your holiday.

If you are staying in a small town or the countryside, a car is kind of a must, unless you want to have an incredibly relaxed time and do little other than relax in a vacation rental with a pool in Tuscany or there is a train station in the town. Realistically, however, relying on public transport can be awkward for tourists in rural Tuscany and it also means some places will still be pretty much impossible to get to. One of the best days of my family's recent trip to Tuscany was spent in a winery that was up a mountainside, down some winding back roads that would have been impossible to reach otherwise.

Tuscany is an incredible region that is full of things to see and do. Tourists flock to its endless museums, architectural gems, historic sites, restaurants, gelaterias and activities and all of these things have their own charms.

However, among all of the different attractions in Tuscany, seven have been designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the historic centre of Florence (initiated in 1982); the Cathedral square of Pisa (1987); the historical centre of San Gimignano (1990); the historical centre of Siena (1995); the historical centre of Pienza (1996); the Val d'Orcia (2004), and the Medici Villas and Gardens (2013).

These heavy hitters present a list of some key and iconic spots to visit in the region. If you are planning a trip to Tuscany, visits to any, or all, of these attractions would enrich your vacation.