Deruta

The town of Deruta, located in the hills of Umbria, is famous for its fine pottery, ceramics and majolica. The qualities of the local clay led to Deruta becoming the capital of ceramic production, particularly during the Renaissance period. To this day pottery production is still the main economic activity. The Museum of Ceramics in Deruta is internationally known, and worth a visit to learn more of the history of this wonderful town and its beautiful ceramics.

The famous bright, colorful and luminous pottery may be the principal attraction, but the old part of the town is also beautiful. Go through an ancient gateway, the Porta di S. Michele Arcangelo, to the historic centre with its winding medieval streets where you will find a number of interesting buildings, churches, galleries and museums.

Paestum

Paestum is an ancient Greco-Roman city in the Campania region of southern Italy, 40 km south of Salerno, not far from the beautiful Amalfi Coast. Paestum is the Roman name of the city. The original Greek name was Poseidonia.

The modern town of Paestum, directly to the north of the archaeological site, is a popular seaside resort. In the region of Paestum there are long, sandy beaches and some of the best food in Italy. 

The main reason to come to Paestum is to see the most complete Doric temples in Italy. Paestum has three: the Basilica of Hera, the Temple of Ceres, and, on the southern end of the site, the Temple of Neptune, built in 450 BC, the oldest and best-preserved of the Greek temples in Italy.

There are also ruins of ancient houses and the National Archeological Museum of Paestum which contains the painted tombs, and artifacts and statues from the temples.

Paestum makes an excellent complement to the later, and more crowded, Roman ruins at Pompeii and Herculaneum and a unique Greek experience in Italy

Tuscany

Tuscany is a region on Italy's west coast, on the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is one of the most popular places to visit in a country that is itself one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world.

There are several reasons to visit Tuscany: some of the most important ones are seeing Renaissance art in Florence, eating Tuscan food and tasting the excellent local wines, and after all this enjoying a day at the beach in Viareggio.

Tuscany has two very diverse faces - the art cities such as Florence, Siena, Lucca and Pisa on one hand, and the countryside on the other. The small towns, villages, castles, villas and vineyards of Tuscany make a welcome change from the traffic and noise of some of the larger Tuscan cities.

Besides wandering in beautiful cities and looking at Renaissance art, there are many other things you can do in Tuscany. For example, you can learn to cook or just taste Tuscan food, go trekking or play golf in the beautiful rolling hills, or enjoy the famous landscapes by retreating to a health spa.

The region is famed for its wines, most notably the Sangiovese reds Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and the white Vernaccia di San Gimignano. Of these, Chianti can be anything from inexpensive, drinkable plonk to, when it comes to the best examples of Chianti Classico, a world class wine.

The wines of Montalcino and Montepulciano are generally of a high standard, and in particular Brunello regularly receives lots of awards (something reflected in the price as well). If you are not prepared to pay a fortune for your wine but would still like something a bit nicer, both Montalcino and Montepulciano have the common man's version of their wines, Rosso di Montalcino and Rosso di Montepulciano.

Florence

Florence is the capital of the region of Tuscany in Italy, with a population of about 366,500. Over a million people visit every year. The city is considered a cultural, artistic and architectural gem, one of the most beautiful cities in the world. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Florence’s legendary artistic heritage attracts art lovers and students of art from all over the world. History and art are the most important aspects of the city, but fashion, jewellery, and gastronomy are other important attractions.

Florence was the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance. Politically, economically, and culturally it was the most important city in Europe for around 250 years, from some time before 1300 until the early 1500s.

Some of the most important sights in Florence are: the Uffizi Gallery- one of the world's most famous fine art museums with collections of Renaissance paintings and sculptures from classical antiquity; the Accademia Gallery - highlights are Michelangelo's David and the unfinished Slaves; The Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore -also known as the Duomo di Firenze is the city's beautiful cathedral, the symbol of the city. Its dome, Brunelleschi's Dome was an engineering feat of the Renaissance. Its Baptistery is famous for bronze doors by Andrea Pisano (14th century) and Lorenzo Ghiberti (15th century); Ponte Vecchio - the oldest and most famous bridge over the Arno and the only Florentine bridge to survive WW2; Santa Croce church - contains the monumental tombs of Galileo, Michelangelo, Machiavelli, Dante, and many other notables in addition to artistic decorations; Santa Maria Novella - near the train station, is a beautiful church and contains great artwork, including a recently restored Trinity by Masaccio.