23 Interesting Facts About Tuscany, Italy [True Facts]
Tuscany is one of the most famous regions in Italy, and it has a very rich history.
From the home of the Italian Renaissance to beautiful rolling hills, there is much to discover about this region.
Keep reading to learn no less than 23 interesting facts about Tuscany!
The Main Tuscany Facts
1. Pinocchio was originally from Tuscany
The cute little puppet from Disney was in fact invented way before, by a man named Carlo Collodi. Carlo wrote The Adventures of Pinocchio in 1883, and he was heavily inspired by Tuscany, where he grew up.
You can visit the town of Collodi, where you’ll even find a Pinocchio Park!
2. The Italian language was created from the Tuscan dialect
There hasn’t always been a universal language in Italy. In fact, there used to be a wide variety of dialects, all derived from Latin.
In the Renaissance, around the 14th century, Tuscan writer Dante wrote poems in Florentine, a local dialect from Florence. His work spread throughout the country, and soon the written dialect became the most widely understood dialect in Italy.
As more people wrote in Florentine, and used the dialect, it became the basis for the new official language of Italy: Italian.
The view from the Duomo Firenze in Florence
3. The first paved roads in Europe were in Tuscany
Romans had been paving roads a long time ago, but as the Roman Empire fell, paved roads were abandoned, and no country would pave their roads again.
Fast forward to 1339: banks and merchants all donated money to the city of Florence, to fund the paving of the streets.
Florence became the first European city to pave its streets; the trend caught on pretty quickly, and soon all major cities began paving their streets too.
4. Tuscany has 7 UNESCO World Heritage Sites
Yes you read that right: there are 7 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Tuscany. It’s a lot for a country, and even more for a single region!
Here are all of the 7 sites listed:
- The city of Florence
- Piazza dei Miracoli in Pisa
- the medieval towers of San Gimignano
- Siena historical center
- the historic center of Pienza
- the landscape of Val d’Orcia
- the 12 Medici Villas and pleasure gardens
5. There is a desert in Tuscany
Wait a second, what?!
Yep, there is a desert in Tuscany.
The Accona desert in Tuscany by Gunther Tschuch / CC BY-SA
Far from the usual image of Tuscany with the green rolling hills, the Accona Desert is a real desert in the heart of Tuscany.
It’s made of sand, dome-shaped formations, and temperatures reach 47.1°C (116.78°F).
6. The region is a great producer of wine
Tuscany is one of the best wine regions in Italy. And Chianti is one of the most famous areas of Tuscany: it’s where you’ll find plenty of vineyards, producing the famous Chianti red wine.
It’s actually a pretty popular place for tourists, who come to Chianti to tour the cellars and taste the local wine.
7. The great mathematician Fibonacci was from Tuscany
Tuscany is the birthplace of a famous mathematician, Fibonacci.
Leonardo Fibonacci was born in Pisa, and is regarded by many as the first to introduce the decimal number system in Europe.
8. Tuscany has a rich Etruscan heritage
The Etruscans are an ancient people who lived between 900 to 300 years Before Christ.
They lived in Italy way before the Romans, and even back then they already had a thriving empire.
Etruscans lived mostly in what’s called today Tuscany, and the region has many artworks and ruins from this historical period. If you love history, you can walk in the footsteps of the Etruscans in Tuscany.
9. You’ll love Tuscany if you love meat
Are you vegan? Then skip this fact!
While Tuscany is pretty famous for being home to some of the finest food in Italy, it’s particularly known for its meat.
The region is home to the Chianina beef, used to produce Florentine steak, or bistecca alla fiorentina. They also produce very fine cured meat, made from the local pork breed Cinta Senese.
If you’re a true meat lover, you’ll find many more local delicacies to try there!
10. Death Penalty was first abolished in Tuscany
This is a pretty big deal: Tuscany, or Grand Duchy of Tuscany, was the first state in the entire world to abolish the death penalty on November 30th 1786.
It was only several years later that the death penalty was abolished in Italy as a whole, in 1889.
11. The astronomer Galileo Galilei was from Tuscany
Tuscany gave the world another great man, Galileo Galilei.
The astronomer, physicist and engineer was born in Pisa in 1564, and went to the University of Pisa where he studied and taught.
He is most famous for his theory that the Earth revolved around the Sun, which was in great opposition with the previous convictions that the Earth was the center of the Universe.
As a result, he was put to trial by the Inquisition, and was convicted by the Catholic Church for “vehement suspicion of heresy”. He spent the rest of his life (9 years) in house arrest.
12. In Tuscany you can go from a desert to snowy mountains
As we saw above in these Tuscany facts, there is a desert in Tuscany, the Accona Desert.
But did you know that there are also ski resorts?
You can spend the morning in the desert, and then be in the snowy mountains for the afternoon.
The Abetone ski resort in Tuscany
13. It’s home to the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa – which is not the only leaning tower in Tuscany
One of the most famous monuments in Tuscany is the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
The tower is known for its visible tilt, but did you know there are other tilted towers in Tuscany?
You can see the church of San Nicola, also in Pisa, and the San Michele degli Scalzi tower that’s tilting by 5%.
14. Tuscany has been used as the background of many major Hollywood movies
If you’re a movie buff, you’ll probably recognize Tuscany as the background of many popular Hollywood movies.
It’s no wonder that the stunning landscapes of the region were chosen for these movies:
- Gladiator
- Hannibal
- James Bond Quantum of Solance
- Twilight New Moon
- and many more!
15. Most of the beaches in Tuscany are private beaches
This is one of the Tuscany fun facts: most of the beaches are private beaches!
Ok, this might not be fun if you’re trying to find a beach to chill. But who would have thought that Tuscany was the land of private beaches?
The coast is literally full of private bathing establishments, where you’ll need to pay to access the beach. But don’t worry, you can still find some pretty nice private beaches if you look around!
16. Tuscany was the birthplace of sculptor and painter Michelangelo
Michelangelo was one of the forefront figures of the Italian Renaissance.
This sculptor, painter, architect and poet (what can’t he do?!) is mostly famous for his David marble statue, and for the painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican.
While he lived most of his life in Rome, Michelangelo always believed he was a Florentine, since he grew up in Florence.
The statue of David from Michelangelo
17. Operas were created in Tuscany
Another reason to love Tuscany, as it was the birthplace of Opera.
A group of artists, writers and musicians came together, and formed the Florentine Camerata. Their objective was to recreate the Greek storytelling through music.
Following this movement, Jacopo Corsi, a rival of the first group, created the masterpiece Dafne in 1598, considered as the very first opera.
18. The region is literally filled with incredible piece of art
This fact should not come as a surprise, in regard to all of the previous facts.
Tuscany was home to many artists, and they left behind a great number of absolutely amazing artworks, especially in the Leonardo da Vinci museum in Florence.
If you love art and history, this region would be the ideal place to visit for you.
19. You might run into many celebrities in Tuscany
Going on a completely different topic here, but with all that you read above, you’ve figured out that Tuscany is a pretty sweet region to live in.
Many famous people have chosen Tuscany as a place to live or a secondary residence. Here are some of the celebrities that you might run into: Sting, Giorgio Armani or even Antonio Banderas. Many more celebrities often choose Tuscany as the place to spend their vacation, such as Bob Dylan or Stevie Wonder.
20. There’s an island in Tuscany
The western coast of Tuscany is on the sea (Tyrrhenian Sea and Ligurian Sea). As part of the Tuscan territory, there is an island.
Actually, it’s an archipelago: a group of islands!
The Tuscan Archipelago is made of 7 islands, and the biggest (and most famous) is the island of Elba.
If you want to see some pristine nature, head to the islands!
Portoferraio on the Elba island
21. Leonardo da Vinci was also from Tuscany
Ok I promise this is the last fact about famous people from Tuscany.
But hey, I had to include this one!
Probably the most famous Renaissance man, Leonardo da Vinci, was also from Tuscany. He was born in the village of Vinci, and spent most of his life in Florence.
The Vitruvian Man from Leonardo da Vinci
22. The Black Plague wiped out 70% of Tuscany in 1348
This is definitely NOT one of the fun facts about Tuscany. But a pretty important one in the history of the region.
The Black Death, other name for the Plague, hit Europe hard in the 14th century.
The plague swarmed over Tuscany in 1348, and killed 70% of the population within a year.
23. 66% of Tuscany is made of hills
Let’s not end this list of facts about Tuscany with such a dark one.
Here’s a more neutral fact: the rolling hills of Tuscany make 2/3 of the territory, and we’re not mad about it.
I mean, just look at this stunning view!
So there you have them, the 23 interesting facts about Tuscany Italy!
If you want to learn more about the region, keep reading for some general facts and info.
General Tuscany Italy Facts
You’ll find below a few general Tuscany Italy facts, to learn more about this Italian region:
- Name: Tuscany / Toscana
- Capital: Florence
- Land area: 22,985 km² / 8,875 square miles
- Population: 3,742,437
- Name of inhabitants: Tuscan
- Website: Visit Tuscany
Where is Tuscany? Tuscany on a Map
Tuscany is a region in central Italy.
Here you can see it on the map, to have a better understanding of where it is in Italy:
It has borders with 5 other regions of Italy:
- Liguria in the north west
- Emilia Romagna in the north
- Marches in the east
- Umbria in the south east
- Lazio along the sea in the south east
The Provinces of Tuscany
Tuscany is divided in provinces: there are 9 provinces, and one Metropolitan City.
The provinces of Tuscany on a map
Here there are, ranked from most populated to least populated:
- Metropolitan City of Florence
- Province of Pisa
- Province of Lucca
- Province of Arezzo
- Province of Livorno
- Province of Pistoia
- Province of Siena
- Province of Prato
- Province of Grosseto
- Province of Massa and Carrara
Tuscany Flag
More Facts!
Do you want even more facts about Italy?
Check out the following posts:
Or click here to see ALL the facts up on the blog! Spoiler alert: there is A LOT of them.
The Full List of 23 Tuscany Facts
- Pinocchio was originally from Tuscany
- The Italian language was created from the Tuscan dialect
- The first paved roads in Europe were in Tuscany
- Tuscany has 7 UNESCO World Heritage Sites
- There is a desert in Tuscany
- The region is a great producer of wine
- The great mathematician Fibonacci was from Tuscany
- Tuscany has a rich Etruscan heritage
- You’ll love Tuscany if you love meat
- Death Penalty was first abolished in Tuscany
- The astronomer Galileo Galilei was from Tuscany
- In Tuscany you can go from a desert to snowy mountains
- It’s home to the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa – which is not the only leaning tower in Tuscany
- Tuscany has been used as the background of many major Hollywood movies
- Most of the beaches in Tuscany are private beaches
- Tuscany was the birthplace of sculptor and painter Michelangelo
- Operas were created in Tuscany
- The region is literally filled with incredible piece of art
- You might run into many celebrities in Tuscany
- There’s an island in Tuscany
- Leonardo da Vinci was also from Tuscany
- The Black Plague wiped out 70% of Tuscany in 1348
- 66% of Tuscany is made of hills
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