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Area: 22.997 km2
Population: 3.553.343 (2001)
Regional Capital: Firenze -Florence-
Tuscany is located in central Italy, it is surrounded by the Tyrrhenian Sea to the west, Liguria and Emilia-Romagna to the north, Umbria to the east and Lazio to the south.

Places to see - Things to do:
- Florence, Lucca, Pisa, San Gimignano, Siena...
- Arezzo, Carrara and marble quarries, Elba island, Livorno, Massa, Pistoia, Prato, Volterra...
- picturesque tiny towns: Anghiari, Barga, Pitigliano, Poppi, Sovana, Suvereto, San Miniato, Sansepolcro, Vicopisano, Vinci...
- the park of Maremma, the park of Migliarino-San Rossore-Massaciuccoli, the Val d'Orcia...
- Versilia's coast: Camaiore, Forte dei Marmi, Pietrasanta, Viareggio ; Etruscan coast: Castiglioncello, Cecina, Quercianella, Populonia, San Vincenzo...

Gastronomy: -non exhaustive list-
antipasti (crostini, panzanella...) ; pasta and first dishes (acquacotta, gnudi, pappa al pomodoro, pici, ribollita...) ; spelt from Garfagnana, 'Uccelletto' made beans, chick peas ; truffles... ; pork meats (finocchiona, 'cinta senese' ham, boar ham, lard from Colonnata, mallegato from Livorno...) ; Florentine style steak, peposo, Florentine style tripe... ; cheese (brusco, caciotta, marzolino, pecorino, ricotta, stracchino...) ; chestnuts, cherries, figs, apples, pears, peaches... ; bread and similar (bread from Altopascio, Tuscan bread -without salt-, testaroli...) ; biscuits and desserts (brigidini from Lamporecchio, cantuccini, castagnaccio, panforte, ricciarelli) ; extra-virgin olive oil ; wines (Brunello di Montalcino, Carmignano, Chianti, Vernaccia di San Gimignano, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Vin Santo... to hold some as an example)...

Festivities & Events: -non exhaustive list-
January/Febrauary
¤ Shrove Tuesday period: Viareggio Carnival
March/April
¤ during Holy Week, many festivities mostly in every part of the region.
June
¤ Penultimate Sunday, 'Giostra del Saracino "in Arezzo: historical and medieval tournament (also in September)
¤ 24, soccer in period costum in in Florence
¤ last Sunday, 'Gioco del Ponte' in Pisa: historical parade and competition with the representatives of the different districts in a showdown taking place on the Ponte di Mezzo.
July
¤ 02, "Palio" of Siena, bareback horserace taking place on the Piazza del Campo (also in August)
August
¤ 16, "Palio" of Siena (also in July)
September
¤ 1st Sunday, 'Giostra del Saracino' Arezzo (also in June) ...
¤ 07/09, 'Festa della Rificolona' in Florence: festival of the lanterns that lights up the streets of Florence with an almost Oriental air and a pagan ambience.

Native People: -non exhaustive list-
D. Alighieri, writer ; R. Benigni, actor, director ; Botticelli, painter ; Donatello, sculptor ; G. Galilei, astronomer, physicist ; Michelangelo, painter, sculptor ; L da Vinci, architect, botanist, ingeneer, inventor, painter, sculptor, writer, and more...