Toscana - Italy

Italy is one of my favorite countries and is always great to receive cards from there! Today i've received 7 beautiful cards from Italy sent by Riccardo.

Tuscany (Toscana) is a region in Central Italy. The territory is two thirds hilly and one fourth mountainous. The regional capital is Florence.
Tuscany is known for its landscapes and its artistic legacy. Six Tuscan localities have been UNESCO protected sites.

Siena is 1 of that 6 Tuscan WHS. The card shows the Palazo Pubblico and the Torre del Mangia. The Palazzo Pubblico (town hall) is a palace and its construction began in 1297 and its original purpose was to house the republican government. The Torre del Mangia, built in 1325-1348, is a tower located in the Piazza del Campo, Siena's premier square, adiacent to the Palazzo Pubblico. When built it was one of the tallest secular towers in mediaeval Italy.

"Lucca is a city situated on the river Serchio in a fertile plain near (but not on) the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Lucca. Among other reasons, it is famous for its intact Renaissance-era city walls (although the city has expanded beyond the wall's boundaries). The rectangular grid of its historical center preserves the Roman street plan, and the Piazza San Michele occupies the site of the ancient forum. Traces of the amphitheatre can still be seen in the Piazza dell'Anfiteatro." - in: wikipedia

The 13th century Massa Maritima cathedral, containing a Romanesque font (1267 with a cover of 1447) and a Gothic reliquary (1324) of Saint Cerbone, to whom the cathedral is dedicated.

"Volterra was a bishop's residence in the fifth century and its episcopal power was affirmed during the twelfth century. With the decline of the episcopate, Volterra was the subject of the interest of Florence, which defeated Volterra many times though rebellions sometimes took place." - in: wikipedia

"Greve in Chianti (the old name was Greve; in 1972 was renamed Greve in Chianti after the inclusion of that area in the Chianti wine district) is a town and comune (municipality) in the province of Florence. Sitting in the Val di Greve, it is named for the small, fast-flowing river that runs through it, is the principal town in the Chianti wine district." - in: wikipedia

Livorno is a port city on the Tyrrhenian Sea on the western edge of Tuscany. "The Livorno lightouse was built in 1304. Livorno, now and in the past a very important harbour both for passengers and merchandises, is located on the Northern Italian coasts of Tuscany, on the Mediterranean sea. The new tower, erected using natural stones, is made of two embattled cylinders for a total heigh of 47 meters, it has 11 floors reachable by a spiral staicase, cut in the thickness of the inside wall itself. In 1944, during WWII, the lighthouse was completely destroyed by the withdrawing German forces and rebuilt in 1956 following the original design and using for the outside facing as many original stones as possible.This lighthouse is the oldest existing on the Italian coasts still in use and it has been declared a national monument." - http://www.cyberlights.com/lh/italy/livorno.htm