Tuscany is a true open-air museum, where art cities rich in works unlike any other alternate with ancient villages and a harmonious landscape shaped by man, amid rolling hills and rows of cypress trees.
This is why UNESCO has recognized 16 wonders of Tuscany as a World Heritage Site, counting 7 Cultural Sites, 3 Biosphere Reserves, 2 Geoparks, 2 Transnational Sites, a Creative City and an Intangible Asset.
Included in the prestigious list is the historic center of Florence, with its iconic monuments and palaces including the Uffizi and Ponte Vecchio, but also with the treasures of the Oltrarno area such as the Abbey of San Miniato, Piazzale Michelangelo and the Rose Garden. Then there is the historic center of Siena, home to the Palazzo Pubblico and the splendid Duomo. In Pisa, there is the Piazza dei Miracoli, which encompasses the famous Leaning Tower.
With its rolling hills, cultivated fields and rows of cypress trees, the Val d’Orcia is a World Heritage Site, along with Pienza, built according to Renaissance principles, and San Gimignano, the city of towers. Montecatini Terme, known for its historic spas and Art Nouveau architecture, is part of the transnational serial World Heritage Site, “The Great Spa Towns of Europe”.
Carrara, the city of ‘white gold’ (its precious marble) between the sea and the Apuan Alps, has been recognized as a UNESCO Creative City, awarded to places where creativity and culture play a central role in economic and social development.
Completing the list of Tuscany’s cultural heritage are 12 Villas and 2 Medici Gardens built under Medici rule, between the 15ᵗʰ century and the first half of the 18ᵗʰ century. Surrounded by beautiful parks, the Villas are ideal destinations for a pleasant outing.
Tuscany likewise safeguards a rich natural heritage within 568,342 acres (230,000 hectares) of parks and protected areas.
In 2017, the ancient beech forests of the Foreste Casentinesi National Park became a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This Park represents an extraordinary example of non-man-made forests that grew after the end of the last ice age.
Included in the list of UNESCO World Geoparks are both the Colline Metallifere Park and the Apuan Alps Park due to the important geological heritage they hold.
Part of UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere (MaB) Reserves are the Islands of Tuscany, protected by the Arcipelago Toscano National Park, the coastal forests of the Migliarino, San Rossore and Massaciuccoli Park, and the territory of the Tuscan-Emilian Apennine National Park.
Finally, since 2021, Truffle Hunting and Extraction in Italy has also been recognized as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. This milestone celebrates an ancient and tradition-rich practice that is deeply rooted in these lands and well-managed in respect of the natural balance and biodiversity. The heart of this practice lies in San Miniato.
