Italy walking tour, vineyards & villages

Tuscany - Living La Dolce Vita

Resources

Weather

Most of Italy has a Mediterranean climate, with sunny, dry summers and cool, rainy winters. The south of Italy can be very hot in the summer, while the north gets cold in the winter, with heavy snow in the mountains.

In the middle part of Italy, Tuscany's climate is mild. Winters are rainy - snowfall is rare. Summers are sunny, and temperatures tend to be warmer in the valleys than in the hills. Spring and fall are ideal times to visit, both for pleasant temperatures and smaller crowds than summer.

For more about weather in Tuscany, see:

             Weather averages (Florence)
             Current forecast (Florence)

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Reading list
Recommended reading for your Tuscany trip - learn about the history, culture, food, wine and more of this fascinating and important area.

cover Under the Tuscan Sun - Frances Mayes, 304 pp. Beautiful memoir of an American woman who buys and restores a classic villa in Tuscany, growing to love the country, its people and its food. * A personal favorite

Rick Steves' Italian Phrase Book and Dictionary - Rick Steves, 224 pp. This handy pocket guide gives you phrases for everyday needs, and an English-Italian and Italian-English dictionary;

cover Insight Guide Tuscany - Barbara Balletto, 128 pp. Part of the Insight Guides series, this guidebook covers Tuscany's sights, culture and history, enlivened with many color photographs and maps.

cover The Stones of Florence - Mary McCarthy, 252 pp. A witty tribute to Florence, and a loving exploration of the city's past and present. * Skip chapter 1. After that, it's full of fascinating tidbits & insights.

cover The Hill Towns of Italy - Richard Kauffman, 116 pp. This book is "a glorious tribute to one of the most beautiful regions in the world", with many stunning full-color photographs.

cover Flavors of Tuscany: Traditional Recipes from the Tuscan Countryside - Nancy Harmon Jenkins, 282 pp. Beautiful collection of traditional Tuscan recipes, with notes on the people and landscape too.

cover Renaissance Florence - Gene Brucker, 320 pp. Looks at all aspects of life in Florence between 1300 & 1500, including politics, the church, and the rise of the Renaissance.

cover The Most Beautiful Villages of Tuscany - James Bentley, 224 pp. Tuscany is brought to life through gorgeous color photos and accounts of life in 36 villages and towns in the region.

cover Brunelleschi's Dome: How a Renaissance Genius Reinvented Architecture - Ross King, 194 pp. Engaging story of this Florentine landmark - a remarkable feat of engineering, and its hot-tempered creator.

cover Vino Italiano: The Regional Wines of Italy - Joseph Bastianich, 528 pp. Comprehensive & authoritative guide to the wines of Italy, with the different regions, styles and producers.

cover The City of Florence: Historical Vistas and Personal Sightings - R. W. Lewis, 368 pp. The author shares his vision of the city, in this "deeply personal & learned labor of love."

A Concise History of Italy (Cambridge Concise Histories) - Christopher Duggan, 334 pp. This condensed, easy to read history covers the period from the fall of the Roman Empire to the present day.

The Etruscans (Peoples of Europe) - Graeme Barker, 400 pp. A complete and well presented history of the Etruscans, a people and culture that flourished on the Italian peninsula centuries before the Romans.

The New Penguin Atlas of Medieval History - Colin McEvedy, 112 pp. An fascinating, broad-brush history of Europe in the Middle Ages, showing the rise & fall of empires.

Putumayo Presents: Italian Café - Various artists, CD. Italian cafe music of the style born after World War II, a mix of jazz, swing, and Italian flair.

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