Tuscany

Tuscany (/ˈtʌskəni/ TUSK-ə-nee; Italian: Toscana,
pronounced [toˈskaːna]) is a region in central
Italy

Italy with an
area of about 23,000 square kilometres (8,900 square miles) and a
population of about 3.8 million inhabitants (2013). The regional
capital is
Florence

Florence (Firenze).
Tuscany

Tuscany is known for its landscapes, traditions, history, artistic
legacy, and its influence on high culture. It is regarded as the
birthplace of the Italian Renaissance[4] and has been home to many
figures influential in the history of art and science, and contains
well-known museums such as the
Uffizi

Uffizi and the Pitti Palace. Tuscany
produces wines, including Chianti, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano,
Morellino di Scansano

Morellino di Scansano and Brunello di Montalcino. Having a strong
linguistic and cultural identity, it is sometimes considered "a nation
within a nation".
Tuscany

Tuscany is traditionally a popular destination in Italy, and the main
tourist destinations by number of tourist arrivals in 2014 were
Florence, Pisa, Montecatini Terme,
Castiglione della Pescaia

Castiglione della Pescaia and
Grosseto.[5] The village of
Castiglione della Pescaia

Castiglione della Pescaia is the most
visited seaside destination in the region,[5] with seaside tourism
accounting for approximately 40% of tourist arrivals in Tuscany.
Additionally, Siena, Lucca, the
Chianti

Chianti region,
Versilia and Val
d'Orcia are also internationally renowned and particularly popular
spots among travellers.
Seven Tuscan localities have been designated World Heritage Sites: the
historic centre of
Florence

Florence (1982); the Cathedral square of Pisa
(1987); the historical centre of
San Gimignano

San Gimignano (1990); the historical
centre of
Siena

Siena (1995); the historical centre of
Pienza

Pienza (1996); the
Val d'Orcia

Val d'Orcia (2004), and the
Medici

Medici Villas and Gardens (2013). Tuscany
has over 120 protected nature reserves, making
Tuscany

Tuscany and its capital
Florence

Florence popular tourist destinations that attract millions of
tourists every year.[6] In 2012, the city of
Florence

Florence was the world's
89th most visited city, with over 1.834 million arrivals.[7]
Contents
1 Geography
2 History
2.1 Appennini and Villanovan cultures
2.2 Etruscans
2.3 Romans
2.4 Medieval period
2.5 Renaissance
2.6 Modern era
3 Culture
3.1 Art
3.2 Art schools
3.2.1 Main artistic centres
3.3 Language
3.4 Music
3.5 Literature
3.6 Cuisine
3.7 Postage stamps
4 Economy
4.1 Agriculture
4.2 Industry
4.3 Tourism
4.4 Fashion
5 Demographics
6 Government and politics
7 Administrative divisions
8 See also
9 Footnotes
10 References
11 External links
Geography[edit]
Thornthwaite climate classification of Tuscany
A: Im > 100
B: 80 < Im < 100
B1-B2: 20 < Im < 80
C2: 0 < Im < 20
C1: −33,3 < Im < 0
D: Im < −33,3
Roughly triangular in shape,
Tuscany

Tuscany borders the regions of
Liguria

Liguria to
the northwest,
Emilia-Romagna

Emilia-Romagna to the north,
Marche

Marche to the northeast,
Umbria

Umbria to the east and
Lazio

Lazio to the southeast. The comune
(municipality) of Badia Tedalda, in the Tuscan Province of Arezzo, has
an exclave named Ca' Raffaello within Marche.
Tuscany

Tuscany has a western coastline on the
Ligurian Sea

Ligurian Sea and the Tyrrhenian
Sea, among which is the Tuscan Archipelago, of which the largest
island is Elba.
Tuscany

Tuscany has an area of approximately 22,993 square
kilometres (8,878 sq mi). Surrounded and crossed by major
mountain chains, and with few (but fertile) plains, the region has a
relief that is dominated by hilly country used for agriculture. Hills
make up nearly two-thirds (66.5%) of the region's total area, covering
15,292 square kilometres (5,904 sq mi), and mountains (of
which the highest are the Apennines), a further 25%, or 5,770 square
kilometres (2,230 sq mi). Plains occupy 8.4% of the total
area—1,930 square kilometres (750 sq mi)—mostly around
the valley of the River Arno. Many of Tuscany's largest cities lie on
the banks of the Arno, including the capital Florence,
Empoli

Empoli and
Pisa.
The climate is fairly mild in the coastal areas, and is harsher and
rainy in the interior, with considerable fluctuations in temperature
between winter and summer,[8] giving the region a soil-building active
freeze-thaw cycle, in part accounting for the region's once having
served as a key breadbasket of ancient Rome.[9]
Sunflower field in Maremma
Tuscan landscape near Siena
Hilly landscape in Val d'Orcia
Vineyard in Tuscany
Valley in Tuscany
History[edit]
Main article: History of Tuscany
Appennini and Villanovan cultures[edit]
Main articles:
Apennine culture

Apennine culture and Villanovan culture
Cinerary urns of the Villanovan culture
The pre-Etruscan history of the area in the late Bronze and Iron Ages
parallels that of the early Greeks.[10] The Tuscan area was inhabited
by peoples of the so-called
Apennine culture

Apennine culture in the late second
millennium BC (roughly 1350–1150 BC) who had trading relationships
with the Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations in the Aegean Sea.[10]
Following this, the
Villanovan culture

Villanovan culture (1100–700 BC) saw Tuscany,
and the rest of Etruria, taken over by chiefdoms.[10] City-states
developed in the late Villanovan (paralleling Greece and the Aegean)
before "Orientalization" occurred and the Etruscan civilization
rose.[10]
Etruscans[edit]
Main article: Etruscan civilization
The Chimera of Arezzo, Etruscan bronze, 400 BC
The Etruscans (Latin: Tusci) created the first major civilization in
this region, large enough to establish a transport infrastructure, to
implement agriculture and mining and to produce vibrant art.[11] The
Etruscans lived in
Etruria

Etruria well into prehistory.[10] The civilization
grew to fill the area between the
Arno River

Arno River and
Tiber River

Tiber River from the
8th century BC, reaching its peak during the 7th and 6th centuries BC,
finally succumbing to the Romans by the 1st century.[12] Throughout
their existence, they lost territory (in Campania) to Magna Graecia,
Carthage

Carthage and Celts.[11] Despite being seen as distinct in its manners
and customs by contemporary Greeks,[13] the cultures of Greece, and
later Rome, influenced the civilization to a great extent. One reason
for its eventual demise[12] was this increasing absorption by
surrounding cultures, including the adoption of the Etruscan upper
class by the Romans.[11]
Romans[edit]
Soon after absorbing Etruria,
Rome

Rome established the cities of Lucca,
Pisa, Siena, and Florence, endowed the area with new technologies and
development, and ensured peace.[11] These developments included
extensions of existing roads, introduction of aqueducts and sewers,
and the construction of many buildings, both public and private.
However, many of these structures have been destroyed by erosion due
to weather.[11] The Roman civilization in the West collapsed in the
5th century AD, and the region fell briefly to Goths, then was
re-conquered by the Byzantine Empire. In the years following 572, the
Longobards

Longobards (Lombards) arrived and designated
Lucca

Lucca the capital of
their Duchy of Tuscia.[11]
Medieval period[edit]
Battle of Montaperti, 1260
See also: March of Tuscany
Pilgrims travelling along the
Via Francigena

Via Francigena between
Rome

Rome and France
brought wealth and development during the medieval period.[11] The
food and shelter required by these travellers fuelled the growth of
communities around churches and taverns.[11] The conflict between the
Guelphs and Ghibellines, factions supporting the
Papacy

Papacy or the Holy
Roman Empire

Roman Empire in central and northern
Italy

Italy during the 12th and 13th
centuries, split the Tuscan people.[11] The two factions gave rise to
several powerful and rich medieval communes in Tuscany: Arezzo,
Florence, Lucca, Pisa, and Siena.[11] Balance between these communes
was ensured by the assets they held: Pisa, a port; Siena, banking; and
Lucca, banking and silk.[14] But by the time of the Renaissance,
Florence

Florence had become the cultural capital of Tuscany.[14]
One family that benefitted from Florence's growing wealth and power
was the ruling
Medici

Medici family. Its scion
Lorenzo de' Medici

Lorenzo de' Medici was one of
the most famous of the Medici. The legacy of his influence is visible
today in the prodigious expression of art and architecture in
Florence. His famous descendant
Catherine de' Medici

Catherine de' Medici married Prince
Henry (later King Henry II) of
France

France in 1533.
The
Black Death

Black Death epidemic hit
Tuscany

Tuscany starting in 1348.[15] It
eventually killed 70% of the Tuscan population.[16][17] According to
Melissa Snell, "
Florence

Florence lost a third of its population in the first
six months of the plague, and from 45% to 75% of its population in the
first year."[18] In 1630,
Florence

Florence and
Tuscany

Tuscany were once again ravaged
by the plague.[19]
Guido of Arezzo
A page from Fibonacci's
Liber Abaci

Liber Abaci (1202)
Battle of Giglio (1241)
Dante Alighieri, author of the Divine Comedy
Renaissance[edit]
Further information: The
Renaissance

Renaissance and Italian Renaissance
Primavera (1482) by Botticelli
Hanging and burning of
Girolamo Savonarola

Girolamo Savonarola in Piazza della Signoria in
Florence

Florence 1498 - Painting depicting
Renaissance

Renaissance Florence
Tuscany, especially Florence, is regarded as the birthplace of the
Renaissance. Though "Tuscany" remained a linguistic, cultural and
geographic conception, rather than a political reality, in the 15th
century,
Florence

Florence extended its dominion in
Tuscany

Tuscany through the
annexation of
Arezzo

Arezzo in 1384, the purchase of
Pisa

Pisa in 1405 and the
suppression of a local resistance there (1406).
Livorno

Livorno was bought in
1421 and became the harbour of Florence.
From the leading city of Florence, the republic was from 1434 onward
dominated by the increasingly monarchical
Medici

Medici family. Initially,
under Cosimo, Piero the Gouty, Lorenzo and Piero the Unfortunate, the
forms of the republic were retained and the
Medici

Medici ruled without a
title, usually without even a formal office. These rulers presided
over the Florentine Renaissance. There was a return to the republic
from 1494 to 1512, when first
Girolamo Savonarola

Girolamo Savonarola then Piero Soderini
oversaw the state. Cardinal Giovanni de'
Medici

Medici retook the city with
Spanish forces in 1512, before going to
Rome

Rome to become Pope Leo X.
Florence

Florence was dominated by a series of papal proxies until 1527 when
the citizens declared the republic again, only to have it taken from
them again in 1530 after a siege by an Imperial and Spanish army. At
this point
Pope Clement VII
_-_Pope_Clement_VII_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg/440px-Sebastiano_del_Piombo_(Italian)_-_Pope_Clement_VII_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg)
Pope Clement VII and Charles V appointed Alessandro de'
Medici

Medici as the first formal hereditary ruler.
The Sienese commune was not incorporated into
Tuscany

Tuscany until 1555, and
during the 15th century
Siena

Siena enjoyed a cultural 'Sienese Renaissance'
with its own more conservative character.
Lucca

Lucca remained an
independent republic until 1847 when it became part of Grand Duchy of
Tuscany

Tuscany by the will of its people.
Piombino

Piombino and other strategic towns
constituted the tiny
State of the Presidi

State of the Presidi under Spanish control.
Leonardo da Vinci
Lorenzo de Medici
Niccolò Machiavelli, author of The Prince
Amerigo Vespucci
Modern era[edit]
See also: Grand Duchy of Tuscany
Map of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany
In the 16th century, the Medicis, rulers of Florence, annexed the
Republic of Siena, creating the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. The Medici
family became extinct in 1737 with the death of Gian Gastone, and
Tuscany

Tuscany was transferred to Francis,
Duke of Lorraine

Duke of Lorraine and husband of
Austrian Empress Maria Theresa, who let rule the country by his son.
The dynasty of the Lorena ruled
Tuscany

Tuscany until 1860, with the exception
of the Napoleonic period, when most of the country was annexed to the
French Empire. After the Second Italian War of Independence, a
revolution evicted the last Grand Duke, and after a plebiscite Tuscany
became part of the new Kingdom of Italy. From 1864 to 1870 Florence
became the second capital of the kingdom.
Under Benito Mussolini, the area came under the dominance of local
Fascist leaders such as
Dino Perrone Compagni (from Florence), and
Costanzo and
Galeazzo Ciano

Galeazzo Ciano (from Leghorn). Following the fall of
Mussolini and the armistice of 8 September 1943,
Tuscany

Tuscany became part
of the Nazi-controlled Italian Social Republic, and was conquered
almost totally by the Anglo-American forces during summer 1944.
Following the end of the Social Republic, and the transition from the
Kingdom to the modern Italian Republic,
Tuscany

Tuscany once more flourished
as a cultural centre of Italy. After the establishment of regional
autonomy in 1975,
Tuscany

Tuscany has always been ruled by centre-left
governments.
Cosimo I de' Medici, first Grand Duke of Tuscany
Galileo Galilei
Pinocchio, created by
Carlo Collodi

Carlo Collodi (1883)
An Italian partisan in
Florence

Florence (August 1944)
Culture[edit]
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (December
2009)
Tuscany

Tuscany has an immense cultural and artistic heritage, expressed in
the region's churches, palaces, art galleries, museums, villages and
piazzas. Many of these artifacts are found in the main cities, such as
Florence

Florence and Siena, but also in smaller villages scattered around the
region, such as San Gimignano.
Art[edit]
Michelangelo's David
Tuscany

Tuscany has a unique artistic legacy, and
Florence

Florence is one of the
world's most important water-colour centres, even so that it is often
nicknamed the "art palace of Italy" (the city is also believed to have
the largest concentration of
Renaissance

Renaissance art and architecture in the
world).[20] Painters such as
Cimabue

Cimabue and Giotto, the fathers of
Italian painting, lived in
Florence

Florence and Tuscany, as well as Arnolfo
and Andrea Pisano, renewers of architecture and sculpture;
Brunelleschi,
Donatello

Donatello and Masaccio, forefathers of the Renaissance;
Ghiberti and the Della Robbias,
Filippo Lippi

Filippo Lippi and Angelico;
Botticelli, Paolo Uccello, and the universal genius of Leonardo da
Vinci and Michelangelo.[21][22]
The region contains numerous museums and art galleries, many housing
some of the world's most precious works of art. Such museums include
the Uffizi, which keeps Botticelli's The Birth of Venus, the Pitti
Palace, and the Bargello, to name a few. Most of the frescos,
sculptures and paintings in
Tuscany

Tuscany are held in the region's abundant
churches and cathedrals, such as
Florence

Florence Cathedral,
Siena

Siena Cathedral,
Pisa

Pisa Cathedral and the Collegiata di San Gimignano.
Art schools[edit]
A painting from the
Sienese school

Sienese school by Pietro Lorenzetti
Main articles: Florentine school, Sienese school, and Lucchese School
In the medieval period and in the Renaissance, there were four main
Tuscan art schools which competed against each other: the Florentine
School, the Sienese School, the Pisan School and the Lucchese School.
The
Florentine School

Florentine School refers to artists in, from or influenced by the
naturalistic style developed in the 14th century, largely through the
efforts of
Giotto

Giotto di Bondone, and in the 15th century the leading
school of the world. Some of the best known artists of the Florentine
School are Brunelleschi, Donatello, Michelangelo, Fra Angelico,
Botticelli, Lippi, Masolino, and Masaccio.
The
Sienese School

Sienese School of painting flourished in
Siena

Siena between the 13th
and 15th centuries and for a time rivaled Florence, though it was more
conservative, being inclined towards the decorative beauty and elegant
grace of late Gothic art. Its most important representatives include
Duccio, whose work shows Byzantine influence; his pupil Simone
Martini; Pietro and Ambrogio Lorenzetti; Domenico and Taddeo di
Bartolo; and Sassetta and Matteo di Giovanni. Unlike the naturalistic
Florentine art, there is a mystical streak in Sienese art,[citation
needed] characterized by a common focus on miraculous events,
distortions of time and place, and often dreamlike coloration, with
less attention to proportions. In the 16th century the Mannerists
Beccafumi and
Il Sodoma

Il Sodoma worked there. While Baldassare Peruzzi was
born and trained in Siena, his major works and style reflect his long
career in Rome. The economic and political decline of
Siena

Siena by the
16th century, and its eventual subjugation by Florence, largely
checked the development of Sienese painting, although it also meant
that many Sienese works in churches and public buildings were not
discarded or destroyed by new paintings or rebuilding.
Siena

Siena remains a
remarkably well-preserved Italian late-Medieval town.
The Lucchese School, also known as the School of
Lucca

Lucca and as the
Pisan-Lucchese School, was a school of painting and sculpture that
flourished in the 11th and 12th centuries in the western and southern
part of the region, with an important center in Volterra. The art is
mostly anonymous. Although not as elegant or delicate as the
Florentine School, Lucchese works are remarkable for their
monumentality.
Main artistic centres[edit]
Arezzo
Florence
Pisa
Prato
Siena
Grosseto
San Gimignano
In the province of Arezzo:
Arezzo
Castiglion Fiorentino
Cortona
Lucignano
Poppi
Sansepolcro
In the province of Florence:
Florence
Fiesole
Certaldo
In the Province of Grosseto:
Grosseto
Massa Marittima
Orbetello
Pitigliano
Roselle
Sorano
Sovana
In the province of Livorno:
Campiglia Marittima
Livorno
Bibbona
Bolgheri
Piombino
Populonia
Suvereto
In the province of Lucca:
Barga
Castelnuovo di Garfagnana
Castiglione di Garfagnana
Lucca
Pietrasanta
Villa Basilica
In the province of Massa and Carrara:
Massa and Carrara
Pontremoli
Fivizzano
+ Fosdinovo
In the province of Pisa:
Pisa
San Miniato
Volterra
Vicopisano
In the province of Prato:
Carmignano
Poggio a Caiano
Prato
In the province of Pistoia:
Pescia
Pistoia
In the province of Siena:
Colle di Val d'Elsa
Pienza
Montepulciano
Montalcino
San Gimignano
Siena
Language[edit]
Main article: Tuscan dialect
Apart from standard Italian, the
Tuscan dialect

Tuscan dialect (dialetto toscano) is
spoken in Tuscany. The
Italian language

Italian language is a "literary version" of
Tuscan. It became the language of culture for all the people of
Italy,[23] thanks to the prestige of the masterpieces of Dante
Alighieri, Petrarch, Giovanni Boccaccio,
Niccolò Machiavelli

Niccolò Machiavelli and
Francesco Guicciardini. It would later become the official language of
all the Italian states and of the Kingdom of Italy, when it was
formed.[23]
Music[edit]
Giacomo Puccini
Main article: Music of Tuscany
See also: Music of Florence
Tuscany

Tuscany has a rich ancient and modern musical tradition, and has
produced numerous composers and musicians, including Giacomo Puccini
and Pietro Mascagni.
Florence

Florence is the main musical centre of Tuscany.
The city was at the heart of much of the Western musical tradition. It
was there that the
Florentine Camerata convened in the mid-16th
century and experimented with setting tales of
Greek mythology

Greek mythology to
music and staging, resulting in the first operas, fostering the
further development of the operatic form, and the later developments
of separate "classical" forms such as the symphony.
There are numerous musical centres in Tuscany.
Arezzo

Arezzo is indelibly
connected with the name of Guido d'Arezzo, the 11th-century monk who
invented modern musical notation and the do-re-mi system of naming
notes of the scale;
Lucca

Lucca hosted possibly the greatest Italian
composer of Romanticism, Giacomo Puccini; and
Siena

Siena is well known for
the Accademia Musicale Chigiana, an organization that currently
sponsors major musical activities such as the
Siena

Siena Music Week and the
Alfredo Casella International Composition Competition. Other important
musical centres in
Tuscany

Tuscany include Livorno,
Pisa

Pisa and Grosseto.
Literature[edit]
Tuscan poet and literary figure Petrarch
Several famous writers and poets are from Tuscany, most notably
Florentine author Dante Alighieri. Tuscany's literary scene
particularly thrived in the 13th century and the Renaissance.
In Tuscany, especially in the Middle Ages, popular love poetry
existed. A school of imitators of the Sicilians was led by Dante da
Maiano, but its literary originality took another line — that of
humorous and satirical poetry. The democratic form of government
created a style of poetry which stood strongly against the medieval
mystic and chivalrous style. Devout invocation of God or of a lady
came from the cloister and the castle; in the streets of the cities
everything that had gone before was treated with ridicule or biting
sarcasm. Folgóre da
San Gimignano

San Gimignano laughs when in his sonnets he tells
a party of Sienese youths the occupations of every month in the year,
or when he teaches a party of Florentine lads the pleasures of every
day in the week. Cenne della Chitarra laughs when he parodies
Folgore's sonnets. The sonnets of Rustico di Filippo are half-fun and
half-satire, as is the work of
Cecco Angiolieri of Siena, the oldest
humorist we know, a far-off precursor of
François Rabelais

François Rabelais and Michel
de Montaigne.
Another type of poetry also began in Tuscany. Guittone d'
Arezzo

Arezzo made
art abandon chivalry and Provençal forms for national motives and
Latin forms. He attempted political poetry, and although his work is
often obscure, he prepared the way for the Bolognese school. Bologna
was the city of science, and philosophical poetry appeared there.
Guido Guinizelli was the poet after the new fashion of the art. In his
work the ideas of chivalry are changed and enlarged. Only those whose
heart is pure can be blessed with true love, regardless of class. He
refuted the traditional credo of courtly love, for which love is a
subtle philosophy only a few chosen knights and princesses could
grasp. Love is blind to blasons but not to a good heart when it finds
one: when it succeeds it is the result of the spiritual, not physical
affinity between two souls. Guinizzelli's democratic view can be
better understood in the light of the greater equality and freedom
enjoyed by the city-states of the center-north and the rise of a
middle class eager to legitimise itself in the eyes of the old
nobility, still regarded with respect and admiration but in fact
dispossessed of its political power. Guinizelli's Canzoni make up the
bible of Dolce Stil Novo, and one in particular, "Al cor gentil" ("To
a Kind Heart") is considered the manifesto of the new movement which
would bloom in
Florence

Florence under Cavalcanti, Dante and their followers.
His poetry has some of the faults of the school of d'Arezzo.
Nevertheless, he marks a great development in the history of Italian
art, especially because of his close connection with Dante's lyric
poetry.
In the 13th century, there were several major allegorical poems. One
of these is by Brunetto Latini, who was a close friend of Dante. His
Tesoretto is a short poem, in seven-syllable verses, rhyming in
couplets, in which the author professes to be lost in a wilderness and
to meet with a lady, who represents Nature, from whom he receives much
instruction. We see here the vision, the allegory, the instruction
with a moral object, three elements which we shall find again in the
Divine Comedy. Francesco da Barberino, a learned lawyer who was
secretary to bishops, a judge, and a notary, wrote two little
allegorical poems, the Documenti d'amore and Del reggimento e dei
costumi delle donne. The poems today are generally studied not as
literature, but for historical context. A fourth allegorical work was
the Intelligenza, which is sometimes attributed to Compagni, but is
probably only a translation of French poems.
In the 15th century, humanist and publisher
Aldus Manutius

Aldus Manutius published
the Tuscan poets
Petrarch

Petrarch and
Dante Alighieri

Dante Alighieri (Divine Comedy),
creating the model for what became a standard for modern Italian.
Cuisine[edit]
An assortment of Tuscan foods (from Lucca): various wine and cheese,
and different sorts of salamis and hams
Main article: Tuscan cuisine
See also: Tuscan wine
Simplicity is central to the Tuscan cuisine. Legumes, bread, cheese,
vegetables, mushrooms and fresh fruit are used.
Olive oil

Olive oil is made up
of Moraiolo,
Leccino

Leccino and Frantoiano olives. White truffles from San
Miniato appear in October and November. Beef of the highest quality
comes from the Chiana Valley, specifically a breed known as Chianina
used for Florentine steak. The indigenous
Cinta Senese
.jpg/440px-Il_Passeggere_(5724676257).jpg)
Cinta Senese breed of pork
is also produced.[24]
Wine

Wine is a famous and common produce of Tuscany.
Chianti

Chianti is arguably
the most well-known internationally. So many British tourists come to
the area where
Chianti

Chianti wine is produced that this specific area has
been nicknamed "Chiantishire".
Postage stamps[edit]
4 crazie stamp from 1851
Main article: Postage stamps and postal history of Tuscany
Between 1851 and 1860, the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, an independent
Italian state until 1859 when it joined the United Provinces of
Central Italy, produced two postage stamp issues which are among the
most prized classic stamp issues of the world, and include the most
valuable Italian stamp. The
Grand Duchy of Tuscany
.svg/250px-Flag_of_the_Grand_Duchy_of_Tuscany_(1840).svg.png)
Grand Duchy of Tuscany was an independent
Italian state from 1569 to 1859, but was occupied by
France

France from 1808
to 1814. The Duchy comprised most of the present area of Tuscany, and
its capital was Florence. In December 1859, the Grand Duchy officially
ceased to exist, being joined to the duchies of Modena and Parma to
form the United Provinces of Central Italy, which was annexed by the
Kingdom of Sardinia
.svg/250px-Flag_of_Kingdom_of_Sardinia_(1848).svg.png)
Kingdom of Sardinia a few months later in March 1860. In 1862 it
became part of Italy, and joined the Italian postal system.
Economy[edit]
Vineyards in the
Chianti

Chianti region
Agriculture[edit]
The subsoil in
Tuscany

Tuscany is relatively rich in mineral resources, with
iron ore, copper, mercury and lignite mines, the famous soffioni
(fumarole) at Larderello, and the vast marble mines in Versilia.
Although its share is falling all the time, agriculture still
contributes to the region's economy. In the region's inland areas
cereals, potatoes, olives and grapes are grown. The swamplands, which
used to be marshy, now produce vegetables, rice, tobacco, beets and
sunflowers.[8]
Industry[edit]
The industrial sector is dominated by mining, given the abundance of
underground resources. Also of note are textiles,
chemicals/pharmaceuticals, metalworking and steel, glass and ceramics,
clothing and printing/publishing sectors. Smaller areas specialising
in manufacturing and craft industries are found in the hinterland: the
leather and footwear area in the south-west part of the province of
Florence, the hot-house plant area in Pistoia, the ceramics and
textile industries in the
Prato

Prato area, scooters and motorcycles in
Pontedera, and the processing of timber for the manufacture of wooden
furniture in the
Cascina

Cascina area. The heavy industries (mining, steel and
mechanical engineering) are concentrated along the coastal strip
(
Livorno

Livorno and
Pisa

Pisa areas), where there are also important chemical
industries. Also of note are the marble (
Carrara

Carrara area) and paper
industries (
Lucca

Lucca area).[8]
Tourism[edit]
Maremma

Maremma encapsulates the most visited seaside destinations in Tuscany.
Above, the Tuscan littoral of Monte Argentario
Tuscany

Tuscany is a traditionally popular destination in Italy, and the main
tourist destinations by number of tourist arrivals are Florence, Pisa,
Montecatini Terme,
Castiglione della Pescaia

Castiglione della Pescaia and Grosseto.[5]
Additionally, the
Chianti

Chianti region,
Versilia and
Val d'Orcia

Val d'Orcia are also
internationally renowned and particularly popular spots among
travellers.
As far as seaside tourism is concerned, which represents 40% of
tourist arrivals in the region, Castiglione della Pescaia's sea has
been repeatedly nominated as Italy's best sea by the Italian
non-governmental environmentalist organisation Legambiente.[25]
Castiglione gained the first place in the most recent ranking too,
published in 2015. The town is also the most visited seaside
destination in Tuscany, and fourth most visited overall, with circa
1.3 million tourist arrivals recorded in 2015.[25] Other popular
seaside destination are
Grosseto

Grosseto (second most popular after
Castiglione),
Orbetello

Orbetello (third most popular), Monte Argentario,
Viareggio,
Elba

Elba and Giglio Island.
Many towns and cities in
Tuscany

Tuscany have great natural and architectural
beauty. There are many visitors throughout the year. As a result, the
services and distribution activities, so important to the region's
economy, are wide-ranging and well-organised.
Fashion[edit]
See also: Fashion in
Florence

Florence and Fashion designers of Florence
The
Via de' Tornabuoni

Via de' Tornabuoni in Florence, the city's top fashion and
shopping street, contains some of the world's most luxurious clothing
and jewelry houses, such as Cartier, Ferragamo, Gucci,
Versace

Versace and
Bulgari, to name a few.
The fashion and textile industry are the pillars of the Florentine
economy. In the 15th century, Florentines were working with luxury
textiles such as wool and silk. Today the greatest designers in Europe
utilize the textile industry in Tuscany, and especially Florence.
Italy

Italy has one of the strongest textile industries in Europe,
accounting for approximately one quarter of European production. Its
turnover is over 25 billion euros. It is the third largest supplier of
clothing after
China

China and Japan. The
Italian fashion

Italian fashion industry generates
60% of its turnover abroad.[26]
Demographics[edit]
Historical population
Year
Pop.
±%
1861
1,920,000
—
1871
2,124,000
+10.6%
1881
2,187,000
+3.0%
1901
2,503,000
+14.4%
1911
2,670,000
+6.7%
1921
2,810,000
+5.2%
1931
2,914,000
+3.7%
1936
2,978,000
+2.2%
1951
3,159,000
+6.1%
1961
3,286,000
+4.0%
1971
3,473,000
+5.7%
1981
3,581,000
+3.1%
1991
3,530,000
−1.4%
2001
3,498,000
−0.9%
2011
3,750,000
+7.2%
2017
3,742,437
−0.2%
Source: ISTAT 2011
The population density of Tuscany, with 161 inhabitants per square
kilometre (420/sq mi) in 2008, is below the national average
(198.8/km2 or 515/sq mi). This is due to the low population
density of the provinces of Arezzo, Siena, and especially Grosseto
(50/km2 or 130/sq mi). The highest density is found in the
province of
Prato

Prato (675/km2 or 1,750/sq mi), followed by the
provinces of Pistoia, Livorno,
Florence

Florence and Lucca, peaking in the
cities of
Florence

Florence (more than 3,500/km2 or 9,100/sq mi), Livorno,
Prato, Viareggio, Forte dei Marmi and
Montecatini Terme

Montecatini Terme (all with a
population density of more than 1,000/km2 or 2,600/sq mi). The
territorial distribution of the population is closely linked to the
socio-cultural and, more recently, economic and industrial development
of Tuscany.[8]
Accordingly, the least densely populated areas are those where the
main activity is agriculture, unlike the others where, despite the
presence of a number of large industrial complexes, the main
activities are connected with tourism and associated services,
alongside many small firms in the leather, glass, paper and clothing
sectors.[8]
Italians

Italians make up 93% of the total population. Starting from the 1980s,
the region has attracted a large flux of immigrants, particularly from
China. There is also a significant community of British and American
residents. As of 2008[update], the Italian national institute of
statistics ISTAT estimated that 275,149 foreign-born immigrants live
in Tuscany, equal to 7% of the total regional population.
Government and politics[edit]
Main article: Politics of Tuscany
Tuscany

Tuscany is a stronghold of the center-left Democratic Party (PD),
forming with Emilia-Romagna,
Umbria

Umbria and
Marche

Marche the so-called Italian
political "Red Quadrilateral". Since 1970,
Tuscany

Tuscany has been
continuously governed by the Socialist-Communist or PD-led
governments. At the February 2013 elections,
Tuscany

Tuscany gave more than
40% of its votes to Pier Luigi Bersani, and only 20.7% to Silvio
Berlusconi.[27] At the 2014 European elections,
Tuscany

Tuscany gave 56.4% of
its votes to Matteo Renzi's center-left Democratic Party.[28] Tuscany
was one of only three regions to vote YES in the 2016 Italian
constitutional referendum.
Administrative divisions[edit]
Tuscany

Tuscany is divided into nine provinces and one Metropolitan City:
Florence
Arezzo
Grosseto
Siena
Livorno
Pisa
Lucca
Pistoia
Prato
Massa and
Carrara
Province
Area (km²)
Population
Density (inh./km²)
Province of Arezzo
3,232
345,547
106.9
Metropolitan City of Florence
3,514
983,073
279.8
Province of Grosseto
4,504
225,142
50.0
Province of Livorno
1,218
340,387
279.4
Province of Lucca
1,773
389,495
219.7
Province of Massa and Carrara
1,157
203,449
175.8
Province of Pisa
2,448
409,251
167.2
Province of Pistoia
965
289,886
300.4
Province of Prato
365
246,307
674.8
Province of Siena
3,821
268,706
81.9
See also[edit]
Cities and towns in Tuscany
People from Tuscany
Line of succession to the Tuscan throne
Tuscan Archipelago
Footnotes[edit]
^ "Statistiche demografiche ISTAT". Retrieved 10 March 2010.
^ "Eurostat - Tables, Graphs and Maps Interface (TGM) table".
Epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu. 2012-04-02. Retrieved 2012-11-07.
^ "European Commission - PRESS RELEASES - Press release - Regional GDP
per inhabitant in 2008 GDP per inhabitant ranged from 28% of the EU27
average in Severozapaden in Bulgaria to 343% in Inner London".
^ Burke, P., The European Renaissance: Centre and Peripheries (1998)
^ a b c "La
Maremma

Maremma regina del turismo. Solo le città d'arte la
superano. Castiglione presenze record". 8 October 2015.
^
Florence

Florence receives an average of 10 million tourists a year, making
the city one of the most visited in the world.
^ Bremner, Caroline; Grant, Michelle (27 January 2014). "Top 100 City
Destinations Ranking". Euromonitor International. Retrieved 6 July
2014.
^ a b c d e "TOSCANA - Geography and history". Retrieved 9 March
2011. Text finalised in March 2004 - Eurostat.
^
Military Channel

Military Channel (Discovery Network) documentary series Rome: Power
and Glory, episode "The Grasp of an Empire", copyright unknown,
rebroadcast 11-12:00 hrs EDST, 2009-06-29.
^ a b c d e Barker 2000, p. 5
^ a b c d e f g h i j Jones 2005, p. 2
^ a b Barker 2000, p. 1
^ Barker 2000, p. 4
^ a b Jones 2005, p. 3
^ Kohn, George C. (2008). Encyclopedia of Plague and Pestilence: From
Ancient Times to the Present. Infobase Publishing. p. 126.
ISBN 0-8160-6935-2.
^ Benedictow, Ole Jørgen (2004). The Black Death, 1346-1353: The
Complete History. Boydell & Brewer. p. 303.
ISBN 0-85115-943-5.
^ "The Economic Impact of the Black Death". EH.Net.
^ Snell, Melissa (2006). "The Great Mortality". About.com Education.
Retrieved 2009-04-19.
^ Cipolla, Carlo M. (1981). Fighting the Plague in Seventeenth Century
Italy. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press.
^ Miner, Jennifer (2008-09-02). "
Florence

Florence Art Tours,
Florence

Florence Museums,
Florence

Florence Architecture". Travelguide.affordabletours.com. Retrieved
2010-04-18.
^ "Florentine Art and Architecture". Annenberg Learner. Retrieved
January 28, 2016.
^
Renaissance

Renaissance Artists http://library.thinkquest.org/2838/artgal.htm
^ a b "History of the Language Italy". Lifeinitaly.com. Retrieved
2010-04-18.
^ Piras, 221-239.[clarification needed]
^ a b "
Legambiente e Touring Club Italiano presentano: "Il Mare più
bello", la Guida Blu 2015 - Legambiente".
^ [1] Archived 2 February 2009 at the Wayback Machine.
^ "::: Ministero dell'Interno ::: Archivio Storico delle
Elezioni".
^ "::: Ministero dell'Interno ::: Archivio Storico delle
Elezioni".
References[edit]
Barker, Graeme; Rasmussen, Tom (2000). The Etruscans. Malden, MA:
Blackwell. ISBN 0-631-22038-0.
Jones, Emma (2005). Adventure Guide
Tuscany

Tuscany & Umbria. Edison, NJ:
Hunter. ISBN 1-58843-399-4.
External links[edit]
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WorldCat Identities
VIAF: 128956370
LCCN: n81041919
GND: 4060485-8
BNF: cb119361811 (data)
NDL: 00651835
Coordinates: 43°46′17″N 11°15′15″E / 43.77139°N
11.25417°E /