Tuscany
- For other uses, see Tuscany (disambiguation).
Toscana | |
200px | |
Geography | |
Status | |
---|---|
Capital | Florence |
President | Claudio Martini (DS-Union) |
Provinces | 10 |
Area | 22,990 km² |
- Ranked | 4th (7.6 %) |
Population (2006 est.) | |
- Total | 3,619,872 |
- Ranked | 9th (6.1 %) |
- Density | 157/km² |
Tuscany (Italian: Toscana) is one of the 20 Regions of Italy. The capital is Florence, and it has an area of 22,990 km² and about 3.6 million inhabitants. Tuscany is known for its landscapes and its artistic legacy. Six Tuscan localities have been made UNESCO protected sites: the historical center of Florence (1982), the historical center of Siena (1995), the square of the Cathedral of Pisa (1987), the historical center of San Gimignano (1990), the historical center of Pienza (1996) and the Val d'Orcia (2004).
Geography
Tuscany is a region of Central Italy, bordering Emilia-Romagna north, Liguria to the north-west, Tyrrhenian Sea to the west, Umbria and Marche to east, Lazio to the south-east. The territory is two thirds hilly and one fourth mountainous. The remainder is constituted by plains, that form the valley of the Arno River.
Tuscany is divided into ten provinces:
- Arezzo
- Florence (Firenze)
- Grosseto
- Livorno
- Lucca
- Massa-Carrara
- Pisa
- Pistoia
- Prato
- Siena
History
Apennine and Villanovan cultures.
The pre-Etruscan history of the area in the late Bronze and Iron ages parallels that of the early Greeks.[1] The Tuscan area was inhabited by peoples of the so-called Apennine culture in the late second millennium B.C.E. (roughly 1350–1150 B.C.E.) who had trading relationships with the Minoan and Mycenaean civilisations in the Aegean Sea.[1] Following this the Villanovan culture (1100–700 B.C.E.) came about which saw Tuscany, and the rest of Etruria, taken over by chiefdoms (as was also the case at this time in France and the Aegean after the collapse of Mycenae and Troy).[1] City-states developed in the late Villanovan (again paralleling Greece and the Aegean) before "Orientalization" occurred and the Etruscan civilisation rose.[1]
Etruscans
The Etruscans were the first major civilization in this region of Italy; large enough to lay down a transport infrastructure, implement agriculture and mining, and produce vivid art.[2] The people who formed the civilisation lived in the area (called Etruria) well into prehistory.[1] The civilisation grew to fill the area between the rivers Arno and Tiber from the eighth century B.C.E., reaching their peak during the seventh and sixth centuries B.C.E., and finally ceded all power and territory to the Romans by the first century B.C.E.[3] Throughout their existence, they lost territory to the surrounding civilisations of Greece, Carthage and Gaul.[2] Despite being described as distinct in its manners and customs by contemporary Greeks,[4] the cultures of Greece, and later Rome, influenced the civilisation to a great extent and this increasing lack of cultural distinction, including the adoption of the Etruscan upper class by the Romans,[2] was one of the reasons for its eventual demise.[3]
Romans
Soon after absorbing Etruria, Rome established the cities of Lucca, Pisa, Siena, and Florence, endowed the area with new technologies and development, and ensured peace.[2] These developments included extensions of the existing transport infrastructure, introduction of aqueducts and sewers, and the construction of many buildings, both public and private.[2]. The Roman civilization in the West finally collapsed in the fifth century AD and the region was left by the Goths, and others, without control. In the sixth century, the Longobards arrived and designated Lucca the capital of their Duchy of Tuscia.[2]
The medieval period
With pilgrims travelling along the Via Francigena between Rome and France came wealth and development during the mediæval period.[2] The food and shelter needed by these travellers fuelled the growth of new communities around churches and taverns.[2] The conflict between the Guelphs and Ghibellines, factions supporting, respectively, the Papacy and the Holy Roman Empire in central and northern Italy during the 12th and 13th centuries, split the Tuscan people.[2] These two factors gave rise to several powerful and rich communes in Tuscany: Arezzo, Florence, Lucca, Pisa, and Siena.[2] The balance between these communes were ensured by the assets they held; Pisa, a port; Siena, banking; and Lucca, banking and silk.[5] By the renaissance, however, Florence succeeded in becoming the cultural capital of Tuscany and ensured a bright, and peaceful, future for the region.[5]
The Renaissance
- See also: Italian Renaissance
Tuscany is considered the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance, and its artistic heritage includes architecture, painting and sculpture, collected in dozens of museums in towns and cities across the region. Perhaps the best-known are the Uffizi and the Bargello in Florence. Tuscany was the birthplace of Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and Dante Alighieri ("the father of the Italian language").
Economy
Tuscany is known for its wines (most famous of which are Chianti, Morellino di Scansano and Brunello di Montalcino) and has 120 protected regions (nature reserves). Other agricultural products include Chianina cattle (particularly the famous "Fiorentina" steak) and the production of olive oil, principally in Lucca and the surrounding hills. The industry comprises factories producing Piaggio cars, motorcycles, scooters and aeroplanes, the texile industrial district of Prato, the petrochemical plants of Leghorn and the steel factories of Piombino.
Tourism is the economic backbone of the so-called "Cities of Art" (Florence, Lucca, Pisa, Siena, San Gimignano), as well as on the coast and in the isles (Elba). Marble is quarried in Versilia (Massa and Carrara), Garfagnana and in the Alpi Apuane.
Politics
Tuscany is a stronghold of the center-left coalition The Union, forming with Emilia-Romagna, Umbria and Marche the famous Italian political "Red Quadrilateral". At the April 2006 elections, Tuscany gave more than 61% of its votes to Romano Prodi.
Demographics
In the '80s and '90s the region attracted an intense influx of immigrants, in particular from China and Northern Africa. There is also a significant community of British and Americans. As of 2006, the Italian national institute of statistics ISTAT estimated that 215,490 foreign-born immigrants live in Tuscany, equal to 5.9% of the total regional population.
Towns of Tuscany with a population of 50,000 or more:
Comune | Population (2006 est.) |
---|---|
Florence | 366,901 |
Prato | 183,823 |
Livorno | 160,534 |
Arezzo | 95,229 |
Pisa | 87,737 |
Pistoia | 85,947 |
Lucca | 84,422 |
Grosseto | 76,330 |
Massa | 69,399 |
Carrara | 65,125 |
Viareggio | 63,389 |
Siena | 54,147 |
See also
- Cities and Towns in Tuscany
- People from Tuscany
- Tuscan dialect
Citations
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Barker 2000, p. 5
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9 Jones 2005, p. 2
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Barker 2000, p. 1
- ↑ Barker 2000, p. 4
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Jones 2005, p. 3
ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
- Barker, Graeme & Rasmussen, Tom (2000), The Etruscans, Blackwell, Malden, MA, ISBN 0-631-22038-0
- Jones, Emma (2005), Adventure Guide Tuscany & Umbria, Hunter, Edison, NJ, ISBN 1-58843-399-4
External links
- Travel guide to Tuscany from Wikitravel
- Regione Toscana (Official page)
- inToscana.it - Tuscany Official Portal
- Tuscany Map - Italy for Visitors
Photo galleries
- Borghi di Toscana
- PhotoGlobe - Tuscany offers geo-referenced photos
- Paradoxplace Tuscany Photo Pages
|
name=
}} |
ar:توسكانا
frp:Toscana
be-x-old:Таскана
bs:Toskana
br:Toskana
bg:Тоскана
ca:Toscana
cs:Toskánsko
co:Toscana
da:Toscana
de:Toskana
et:Toscana
eml:Tuschèna
es:Toscana
eo:Toskanio
eu:Toskana
fr:Toscane
fur:Toscane
ga:An Tuscáin
gl:Toscana
ko:토스카나 주
hr:Toskana
io:Toskania
id:Toscana
ia:Toscana
is:Toskana
it:Toscana
he:טוסקנה
ka:ტოსკანა
kw:Toscana
sw:Toscana
lad:Toskana
lbe:Toscana
la:Tuscia
lv:Toskāna
lb:Toskana
lij:Toscann-a
lt:Toskana
hu:Toszkána
nl:Toscane
ja:トスカーナ州
no:Toscana
oc:Toscana
pms:Toscan-a
pl:Toskania
pt:Toscana
ro:Toscana
ru:Тоскана
simple:Tuscany
sk:Toskánsko
sl:Toskana
sr:Тоскана
sh:Toskana
fi:Toscana
sv:Toscana
tr:Toskana
uk:Тоскана
ur:تسکانہ
vec:Toscana
zh:托斯卡纳
Credits
New World Encyclopedia writers and editors rewrote and completed the Wikipedia article in accordance with New World Encyclopedia standards. This article abides by terms of the Creative Commons CC-by-sa 3.0 License (CC-by-sa), which may be used and disseminated with proper attribution. Credit is due under the terms of this license that can reference both the New World Encyclopedia contributors and the selfless volunteer contributors of the Wikimedia Foundation. To cite this article click here for a list of acceptable citing formats.The history of earlier contributions by wikipedians is accessible to researchers here:
The history of this article since it was imported to New World Encyclopedia:
Note: Some restrictions may apply to use of individual images which are separately licensed.