ITALY: TUSCANY AND LOMBARDIA

After travelling to Rome last year, I have come back to Italy to visit two nice areas of northern Italy: Tuscany and Lombardia. There are really lovely villages in these two provinces of Italy, as well as the beautiful city of Florence.

This time I didn't rent a car because I could arrive at the cities and villages I wanted to visit by bus or train. Besides, I had read that it's easy to get lost on the winding roads of Tuscany.

However, I would recommend renting a car since you have more freedom, it's less tired and there are some lovely villages like Volterra, Monteriggioni o Montepulciano which can only be reached by car.

If you don't rent a car, you can easily reach Pisa and Lucca from Florence, and Lago di Como and Bergamo from Milano, by train. You can go from Florence to Siena and San Gimignano catching a SITA bus in Santa Maria Novella Station.

Next you can see the cities and villages I visited:

- Tuscany

• Florence
• San Gimignano
• Siena
• Pisa
• Lucca

- Lombardia

• Milano
• Lago di Como and Bellagio
• Bergamo

Florence

Piazzale Michelangelo is one of the places in Florence I liked the most. From here the views of Florence were fantastic

From San Miniato al Monte, a church located near Piazzale Michelangelo, I could enjoy this view of Florence with the Duomo and Palazzo Vecchio

The campanile from the dome of the Duomo. From here the views of Florence are also fantastic

Palazzo Vecchio and Piazza della Signoria, one of the places in Florence I like the most, together with Piazzale Michelangelo and Ponte Vecchio

Sculptures, among them the David, in front of the Palazzo Vecchio in Piazza della Signoria. Next to the Palazzo Vecchio you can see The Uffizi

Colourful look of Ponte Vecchio. I was really surprised by this bridge when I walked along it for the first time

Ponte Vecchio is always truly crowded and its look is quite medieval with the flags and wood shops

San Gimignano

Piazza della Cisterna from Torre Grossa, the highest tower in San Gimignano

Piazza della Cisterna is one of the most crowded places in San Gimignano. It's better to visit this lovely village after 2am to avoid the massive presence of tourists

Siena

Spending a lovely afternoon at Piazza del Campo in Siena, a huge and charming square next to the Palazzo Vecchio

The Doumo of Siena is impressive, and it's still more beautiful on the inside

Pisa

Campo dei Miracoli in Pisa with the Battisterio in the foreground. Behind, the duomo and La Torre de Pisa, which I found more leaned than I thought

Lucca

From the city walls of Lucca, certainly incredibly well preserved, I enjoyed this nice view of San Frediano church and Pfanner Gardens

It's possible to walk along or to cycling along Lucca city walls, a really beautiful environment

Milano

Walking along the terraces of the duomo of Milano is one of the things you have to do in Milano

Parco Sempione is the most beautiful place I visited in Milano. It's huge and, while I walk along this park, I felt as if I weren't in a big city

Castello Sforzesco in Milano. Behind this castle is the Parco Sempione

Il Navigli is one of the most lively areas in Milano, especially at night. There are a lot of restaurants and pubs where you can dinner at a good price

Lago di Como and Bellagio

Romantic view of Lago di Como from Bellagio

Bellagio is a fantastic village to spend a lovely day in the area of Lago di Como

Colourful street in Bellagio, a really nice village next to Lago di Como with a medieval look I liked a lot

Bergamo

The old city of Bergamo is amazing. Here, one of the gateways to the old city

One of the most beautiful places in Bergamo is Piazza Vecchia, with a nice fountain in the middle and some of the most interesting buildings in Bergamo next to it

Fountain in the middle of Piazza Vecchia in Bergamo with the Palazzo della Ragione behind

Capella Colleoni, the most impressive building in Bergamo, appear behind the Palazzo della Ragione

This post is a summary of all the interesting places and nice villages I visited during my trip to Tuscany and Lombardia. In future posts I will give more information and show more pictures about all the places I visited in each village, beginning by Florence.

Finally, you can see more pictures of the days I spent in Rome last year clicking on the next links:

• Pictures of our first day in Rome
• Pictures of our second day in Rome
• Pictures of our third day in Rome
• Pictures of our fourth day in Rome
• Pictures of our fifth and sixth day in Rome

Other great cities and countries I have visited are:

• Barcelona
• Berlin
• New York and Washington
• London
• Dublin in Irleland
• Istanbul in Turkey
• Saint Petersburg
• Rome and The Vatican
• Paris
• Lisboa in Portugal
• Madrid
• Venezia
• Dubrovnik in Croatia

• The Greek Islands and Athens
• Bruges, Ghent and Brussels in Belgium

• Helsinki and Lapland in Finland

• Tallinn in Estonia

• Tortuguero, Caribe, Arenal, Monteverde and San José in Costa Rica

• Marrakech in Morocco