Top 10 Viewpoints in Tuscany
Tuscany is a landscape of soft hills, cypress avenues and medieval hill towns, where the best views are as much about composition as altitude: a Renaissance dome against the hills, a row of cypresses leading the eye, or a walled town crowning a ridge. From the panoramic terraces above Florence to the rolling Val d'Orcia, these ten viewpoints capture the painterly Tuscan countryside and its great cities.
Piazzale Michelangelo, Florence
The classic view of Florence is from the Piazzale Michelangelo, a terrace on the south bank of the Arno. The panorama frames the dome of the cathedral, the tower of the Palazzo Vecchio, the Ponte Vecchio and the Tuscan hills beyond. It is busiest at sunset, when the city glows gold; a short climb above to San Miniato al Monte gives an even higher, quieter view.
Brunelleschi's Dome, Florence
Climbing the 463 steps inside Brunelleschi's Dome of Florence Cathedral leads to a gallery at around 90 metres with a 360-degree view over the rooftops of the historic centre and the surrounding hills. The view also reveals the dome's own construction up close. It is one of the great urban viewpoints of Italy, requiring a timed ticket booked in advance.
San Gimignano towers
The hill town of San Gimignano is famous for its medieval towers, of which fourteen survive of an original seventy or so. The Torre Grossa, the tallest at 54 metres, can be climbed for a view over the town's red roofs, the other towers and the surrounding vineyards of the Vernaccia wine country. The skyline of towers is unique in Tuscany.
Val d'Orcia viewpoints
The Val d'Orcia, a UNESCO World Heritage landscape, is the quintessential Tuscan countryside: rolling hills, isolated farmhouses and cypress-lined roads. Viewpoints along the roads near San Quirico and the famous cypress group at the Podere Belvedere frame the gentle hills, especially in the golden light of dawn and dusk or under spring green.
Montepulciano
The hilltop town of Montepulciano, famous for its Vino Nobile wine, sits on a narrow ridge at around 600 metres. The terraces and the tower of the Palazzo Comunale give sweeping views over the Val d'Orcia and Val di Chiana, with the slopes of cypress and vine falling away on all sides. It is one of the finest hill-town viewpoints in the region.
Pienza
The Renaissance "ideal city" of Pienza was rebuilt by Pope Pius II in the 15th century, with a panoramic walkway along its southern walls. The terrace gives a classic view over the Val d'Orcia, the cypresses and the distant Monte Amiata. It is a compact, perfectly composed viewpoint and one of the most photographed corners of Tuscany.
Leaning Tower of Pisa
The Leaning Tower, the bell tower of Pisa Cathedral, can be climbed up its 294 steps despite its famous tilt. From the top, around 56 metres, the view takes in the Piazza dei Miracoli with the cathedral and baptistery, the city and the Tuscan plain toward the sea. The lean is felt as much as seen on the spiral climb.
Volterra
The ancient town of Volterra stands on a hill at around 530 metres, with Etruscan and Roman origins. The viewpoints from the town walls and the Parco Archeologico look out over the eroded clay badlands known as the Balze and the surrounding hills. It is a more rugged, dramatic landscape than the soft Val d'Orcia.
Monteriggioni
The tiny walled town of Monteriggioni crowns a hill with a complete ring of 13th- century walls and fourteen towers, famously mentioned by Dante. The walkway along the walls gives a view over the surrounding Chianti hills and vineyards. The town's silhouette, a crown of towers on a hilltop, is one of the most evocative in Tuscany.
Saturnia and the Maremma hills
In the southern Maremma, viewpoints over the rolling hills frame a wilder, less manicured Tuscany of pastureland, oak woods and hot springs. The terraces of towns such as Pitigliano, built dramatically on tufa cliffs, give striking views over the gorges and the surrounding countryside, a quieter corner of the region.
Explore on the map
From the terraces above Florence to the towers of San Gimignano and the hills of the Val d'Orcia, every viewpoint above is plotted on the interactive map. Use it to see which are city towers and domes, which are hill-town terraces or countryside overlooks, and plan a route through the painterly landscapes of Tuscany.