With its huge diversity of landscapes, ranging from the hilly and lush Lunisiana to the classic region of Chianti or the south with vibrant green or deep brown hillocks with sentry like cypresses silhouetted strikingly on the crest against a blue sky, this is Tuscany - a vista that has not changed for centuries. Few landscapes anywhere are more ancient or civilised: in the paintings of the Renaissance, the background of rolling hills, cypresses and vineyards are often more beautiful than the more important religious subject.
To the north, historic Lucca and the nearby golden beaches of Versilia. In the small province of Liguria, the stunning coastline and towns of the Cinque Terre, easily accessed from all of our houses in the area. It is Chianti, however, the area between Florence and Siena with its green hills, undulating rows of vines, olive groves and swathes of pine and ancient oak with mediaeval villages that is perhaps the best known of all Tuscany's varied panoramas, and for many it is here that they can continue their enduring love affair with Italy.
The Tuscan coast, where we have many beautiful villas, washed by the Tyrrhenian sea is only a short drive for a day trip to the sea, offering a complete contrast, and separated by the plains of the Maremma, where the last herds of buffalo still roam. The wild and beautiful coastline of Monte Argentario, reached by a causeway from the ancient Roman town of Orbetello, is the haunt of the Roman ‘beau monde.' Here, the pleasures of eating in the pretty and lively Porto Santo Stefano and Porto Ercole can be combined with admiring the glamorous yachts in their marinas – or taking a boat trip to the lovely Isola del Giglio with its sparkling clear waters.