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Tuscany Geography

The Tuscan Countryside

Tuscany is a prosperous economic region with farming (olive oil, vineyards, produce) and tourism being at the top of the list. The region is mostly hilly and mountainous with picturesque farms dotted all over the landscape.

The original name of Tuscany was derived from the Latin word Tuscia. Tuscia was used from the 3rd century BC to describe the area known as Etruria, a region between the Tiber and Arno rivers, occupied formerly by the Etruscans. The word Tuscany first became used in the 10th century.

Much of the soil is fertile especially in the Arno River valley and in the Maremma, a coastal strip. The Apennine mountains are in northern and eastern Tuscany with the Alpi Apuane in the northwest, where the famous Carrara marble is quarried. There are also mountains in the south of Tuscany, where iron, magnesium, and quicksilver are produced. Additionally borax is produced in the Maremma, and iron is mined on Elba island. Along the low lying sandy northern coast fine pine woods are forested.

Farming products of the region include cereals, olives, tobacco, and grapes and sheep, goats, and hogs are widely raised. The wine produced in the Chianti district near Siena is world famous.

Other manufacturing industry includes cotton and woollen textiles, metal products, chemicals, machinery, motor vehicles, precision instruments, glass, refined petroleum, and fertilizer. The region is also well-known for its artisans, especially those in Florence.

Beaches:
Tuscany’s coastline offers a great variety from sandy beaches to a rugged coastline and hidden coves which stretch from Marina di Carrara to Argentario.

The best sandy beaches are from Marina di Carrara to Livorno, then again from a few kilometers south of Livorno to Piombino, the gulf of Fallonica, and finally from Castiglione della Pescaia to the Argentario.

There are also the islands of Elba, Capraia and Giglio to visit.

In contrast, the best rocky coastline is just south of Livorno, again from Baratti to Piombino, and the Argentario.