Winter in Tuscany 2023 - in photos
By Kathleen Olive
Limelight Arts Travel’s recent Winter in Tuscany tour was a survey of this rewarding destination’s outstanding heritage of medieval and Renaissance art and architecture - but it was also a reminder of why we love off-season travel. Here’s a quick look at the tour in pictures, taken by tour leader Dr Kathleen Olive.
Leading a small group tour to Lucca, Pisa, Siena and Florence is not exactly a hardship posting - particularly as my periods of residence in Italy have always taken me to Tuscany for my research, so bringing a group here feels a little like introducing them to my personal family and friends!
This year, I was also struck by the tranquillity of the region after the Italian Epiphany crowds had all returned home, and by the beautiful blue skies that we enjoyed for almost the entire duration of our stay. Honestly, the weather could not have been better! I think we all also noticed the friendliness of locals, who told us about the overwhelming crowds that now flood these relatively small towns from March to late October.
Finally, as you look at these images I think you’ll also appreciate what we were struck by again and again: the amazing gift of enjoying monumental works of art and architecture without the crowds. From the Piccolomini Library in Siena’s cathedral, to Michelangelo’s tombs in Florence’s New Sacristy and Benozzo Gozzoli’s Magi Chapel for the Medici, time and again we had Tuscany’s masterpieces to ourselves.
Outside Lucca’s sixteenth-century city walls
We met at Florence’s Santa Maria Novella railway station and travelled by private transfer to Lucca, a beautiful walled city that was our base for three nights. We explored its lovely Romanesque churches - and had a few misty mornings as we adjusted to jetlag!
From Lucca, we travelled by local train to Pisa for the day, where we discovered the history of this mighty medieval maritime republic with our local guide Vincenzo, from the well-known “Square of Miracles” to the city’s lesser-known museums, such as the sculpture- and fresco-filled Camposanto and the Museo nazionale di San Matteo, which focuses on medieval fine and decorative arts. We also uncovered a little-known gem - Pop artist Keith Haring’s last work, the giant mural Tuttomondo.
Leaving Lucca - somewhat reluctantly, as we’d all enjoyed the breakfast rotation of local biscuits and cakes, and had finally worked out how to use the high-tech showers - we moved on to Siena, travelling via San Gimignano. We climbed one of the city’s famous towers and were intrigued by Ghirlandaio’s interpretation in fresco of the life of local girl and ‘holy anorexic’, St Fina.
In addition to its celebrated towers, the remnant of medieval political factionalism, San Gimignano is also known for its well-preserved and world-class medieval and Renaissance frescoes. Imagine our disappointment when we arrived at Sant’Agostino to find Benozzo Gozzoli’s St Augustine cycle closed for emergency restoration - and imagine our delight when a helpful church attendant unlocked the worksite so that we could look at them anyway!
Our three nights in Siena were my tour highlight. (Although it’s hard to choose!) I always think this city is overlooked, visited on quick day trips without sufficient time to enjoy its elegant charm. We enjoyed so many highlights of art and architecture without the crowds, including Simone Martini’s Maestà in the Palazzo Pubblico, Duccio’s Maestà in the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo and the stunning Piccolomini Library in the cathedral.
You might understand my choice of this tour highlight if I add in the weekend passeggiata, where the Sienese still parade through town in their weekend best, the local knowledge – and style – of our guide Cristina, and the opportunity to see the Lorenzetti Good and Bad Government cycle on an up-close-and-personal-scaffold visit. I wish I could show some photographs from our visit to the restoration scaffold of the Lorenzetti frescoes, but they weren’t allowed and we were all too scared of the extremely fierce attendant to disobey.
On the road to Florence, where we would stay for a full week, we travelled through the Chianti wine region. Although the vines were bare, it was still green as far as the eye could see, thanks to heavy rainfalls in December.
We called in at a small, woman-led family winery that specialises in organic Chianti Classico DOCG, the highest appellation for an Italian wine. Monica took us for a walk through the vineyards, explaining the biodynamic farming methods to us, and then took us into the cantina for a tasting of three wines. Italians don’t drink on an empty stomach, so we also sampled fresh Tuscan bread, two types of pecorino cheese, and an assortment of fine local salumi (small goods). You wouldn’t think it possible, but we were still able to enjoy a traditional lunch in a tiny medieval town, our restaurant located within the medieval fortress.
On to Florence for a week of wonderful art, architecture, sculpture and more - all of it almost entirely to ourselves. On our two visits to the Uffizi we could walk straight into the museum with no queues - if you’ve visited, you’ll know how rare this is! - and we spent more than half an hour looking carefully at Benozzo Gozzoli’s Magi Chapel in the Palazzo Medici. (In the high season, groups of seven can “enjoy” five minutes at a time.)
There were no crowds jostling us as our guide Sara explained Michelangelo’s David in the context of his other architectural and sculptural projects, and she also had the time to chat with us over coffee about her experiences growing up in Florence and as a local guide. We enjoyed a day out in the Florentine countryside, from Prato to Carmignano, surveying panoramas of olive-covered hills, and had a fantastic lunch together in one of Tuscany’s most celebrated fish restaurants.
Over our farewell meal, a degustation concocted around winter truffles, we agreed that we’d seen extraordinary works of art and architecture, a testament to the prominence of Tuscany in the Middle Ages and Renaissance. And I left the tour reinforced in my belief that winter remains the best time to see these cultural highlights: due to the significantly lower visitor numbers, the likelihood of meeting blue skies and mild temperatures, and the friendliness of locals who have the time to welcome those who appreciate the breadth of everything that Tuscany offers.
Limelight Arts Travel’s Winter in Tuscany tour is a regular feature in our program and our 2024 itinerary is now on sale. Read more or reserve your place on the tour here.
EXPLORE ITALY with limelight arts travel
WINTER IN TUSCANY
09 - 22 January 2024
Explore the best of Tuscany’s medieval and Renaissance art and architecture, on this two-week long-stay tour timed to take advantage of off-season travel.
