Globe Trekker

Tuscany (9x3)

Date de diffusion: Août 31, 2003

Traveller Ian Wright makes the cultural pilgrimage to the extraordinary Italian region of Tuscany - a finely made combination of cultural wealth, beautiful landscapes, quality food, fashion and passion. Ian starts his journey in Florence, a massive, beautiful monument to the Renaissance. It's a cultural treasure trove as Ian discovers touring the Piazza della Signoria, the Accademia and the Uffizi Museum, coming face-to-face with priceless works like Michelangelo's David statue and Caravaggio's Medusa shield. Inspired, he tries his hand at painting himself, at the Palazzo de Cataloni that's been teaching art since 1975 - amazingly he's not too bad! No visit to Florence would be complete without a tour of its dominating cathedral the Duomo which is so big there's nowhere in the city where you can see in all its entirety. A climb into its dome takes his breath away. As does the Palio, a crazy version of football combined with wrestling, boxing and rugby, dating back to the fifteenth century. He's had his fill of Florence, but not before he tucks into two city favourites, ice-cream and a Florentina steak. In Carrara, Ian meets an American artist who gives him the lowdown on the area. Its marble has been quarried since Roman times and 40 per cent of US marble comes from here. Michelangelo even spent five years up in the mountains here, such is the quality of its stone. Then it's off south to the home of another Renaissance master, Leonardo da Vinci, where he visits a museum showcasing the designs of his great scientific mind - he not only invented the bicycle but even an underwater diving suit! Chianti is synonymous with its fine wines - Ian meets the owner of Castello de Brolio where Chianti Classico was invented in the 19th century. Then it's off to Castello di Cafaggio to visit a beautiful old farmhouse near the village of Impruneta. The farmhouse is owned by Enrico Benci and is part of the Italian agriturismo home-stay movement. But... Ian so