Tuscany is an important tourist, agricultural and industrial center in Italy. As the birthplace of the Renaissance era, Tuscany is rich in art and history. Tuscany's Chianti district is renowned for its wine. Scenic coastal areas include the famous dolce vita of Versilia. Some of the sights include the Apaun Alps, rustic farmhouses, cultivated fields, castles, medieval hamlets and parish churches.
Tuscany is a region of Italy on its west coast, bordering the seas of Ligurian and Tyrrhenian. Tuscany is situated south of Genoa and north of Rome. It includes the 10 provinces of Arezzo, Firenze, Grosseto, Livorno, Lucca, Massa-Carrara, Pisa, Pistoia, Prato and Siena. The major cities of Tuscany are Florence, Pisa, Siena and Arezzo, with Florence being its regional capital.
Italy has 20 regions, with Tuscany being its fifth largest. Tuscany encompasses approximately 8,880 square miles. In 2007 Tuscany had an estimated population of 3,677,048.
Approximately 1350--1150 B.C. the area was occupied by the Apennine culture. The Villanovan culture was from 1100--700 B.C. Etruscan culture rose, and eventually the region was annexed by Rome in 351 B.C. The Roman civilization collapsed in the fifth century. Longobards arrived in the sixth century. During the 12th and 13th centuries, conflict over the church divided the Tuscan people. The Renaissance began at the end of the 14th century, continuing to about 1600. Modern day Tuscany was created in the 1400s with the annex of lands by the Medicis, which ended in the 1730s. After the Italian War of Independence in the 1850s, the area was transferred from Austria to Italy.
The Etruscans settled the Tuscany area sometime between 900 and 800 B.C. Archaeologists believe the Etruscans may have come from Asia Minor or the Mediterranean. Historians site the Etruscans as being a significant influence on the Roman culture's transition to civilization. The Etruscans had a powerful military, which they used to dominate surrounding people, which they then forced to work on their farms. This allowed the Etruscans to focus on industry and commerce. After the fall of the Roman Empire, the region came under the authority of a series of rulers.
