Four great activities in Tuscany during the winter

Its sleek landscape with pencil-thin evergreen trees and gently undulating fields epitomises why Tuscany is a picture-postcard region of Italy.

This beautiful province is home to 3.8 million inhabitants and attracts a steady trickle of tourists all year round.  If you are taking a winter break then Tuscany, with its quality ski resorts, world-famous leaning Tower of Pisa, and 30 new microbreweries making stupendous ales, should certainly be a contender!

Here’s Four great activities Tuscany during the winter;

Booming beer brewers

Many small beer brewing businesses have sprung up in Tuscany during the last ten years or so. The beers are brewed traditionally using only the finest natural ingredients. Look out for “Contessa” and the prize winning “Amiatas Bastarda Rossa,” a little on the expensive perhaps, but if you’re a fan of real ale, are absolutely divine!

Skiing and snowboarding

Whilst it might to be as famous for skiing as the likes of Austria, Switzerland and the French Alps, Tuscany is home to many great ski resorts.

The village of Abetone, for example, which has been a skiing destination for a long as anyone cares to remember, is a top European ski resort with many great facilities. At an altitude of 1400 metres, Abetone boasts 60 kilometres of runs with various degrees of difficulty. In fact, Zeno Colo, one of the greatest Italian skiers of the last century, was born here. The village has a wide range of facilities, including several typical Tuscan restaurants and pizzerias.

Pisa

Being one of the most famous cities in the world, let alone Italy, Pisa and its legendary sights, attracts tourists all year round. In fact the wintertime is perhaps the best time to visit Pisa as the city is free of oppressive crowds and prices can often be less expensive.

The Leaning Tower is of course the most famous image of the city but there are many other works of art to visit, the splendid Square of Miracles with its rich works of art and the grandiose masterpiece of Romanesque the Cathedral of Pisa, being just two.

Florence

Similar to Pisa, Florence is great place to visit in the quieter winter months as opposed to battling with the crowds in the summer. The Tuscan capital was considered to be extremely sophisticated during the Middle Ages and has maintained is reputation as being a classy and urbane Italian city.

Not only is this historic city is UNESCO world heritage site but it is widely considered to be the place where the renaissance was born.