Walking in Tuscany. Gillian Price
of monks and spiritual retreats in age-old forests, with the renowned town of Cortona as an added bonus.
Chapter 5, Chianti, evokes an area that needs little presentation as its picture-perfect vineyards and rolling countryside are famous the world over thanks to the celebrated red wine.
Chapter 6, West of Siena, introduces little-known gems such as Volterra and Sovicille, alongside top tourist choices the walled town of Monteriggioni and San Gimignano ‘of the fine towers’.
San Gimignano and its fine towers (Walk 24)
Chapter 7, The Crete and Val d’Orcia, reveals gorgeous postcard scenery and walks lined with cypresses.
Chapter 8, Elba and the Tyrrhenian coast, describes routes on the divine island of Elba and the adjacent coast, with their heritage of industrial archaeology.
Chapter 9, The Maremma coast and hinterland, embraces an exciting pristine coastal park then quiet inland villages joined by ancient Etruscan ways. Magical places.
See Appendix E for further reading material on Tuscany, including guides to trekking and climbing as well as more general literature.
Plants and flowers
The marvellous array of unusual trees and flowering plants is reason alone for a visit to Tuscany. Of the broad range of vegetation zones, the highest (at around 2000m) verges on alpine, with gentians, thrift and gorgeous lilies. Below are hills covered with woods of conifer and deciduous beech, which is synonymous with the Apennines; delicate cyclamens are a constant presence here too.
At lower altitudes, conifers and beech give way to woodland populated by typical Mediterranean trees such as the evergreen holm oak, or ilex, with its bushy foliage of glossy dark green oval leaves, a great favourite with charcoal burners. It is often in the company of the mastic tree, or lentisc, which has spear-shaped leaves and red-black berries; its resin was the world’s first chewing gum. Cork oaks are also widespread. Their thick fissured bark, impervious to fire, was used by the ancient Romans for sandals and for floaters on fishing nets; nowadays it is stripped for bottle corks every seven years, leaving the bare trunk bright red.
Clockwise from left: the curious fruit and blossom of the strawberry tree; cyclamen thrive in the woods; lavender and trefoil on Elba; fissured bark of the cork oak; olives ripening in autumn; delicate paper-like rock roses flower in spring
Also notable is the so-called strawberry tree, hung with delicate white bell-shaped flowers and, at the same time, clusters of lumpy orange-red fruit balls. The ripe fruit tastes like strawberry, although the second part of its Latin name Arbutus unedo means ‘eat one’, implying that one is enough! Sturdy bushes of tree heather bear tiny sweet-scented bell blooms in springtime: its branches are bound into bunches as brooms for city sweepers.
Majestic stands of pines thrive along the Tyrrhenian coast. The umbrella or stone pine, often bent into sculptured shapes by the wind, provides nutritious nuts, a key ingredient in pesto sauce. Similar maritime pines were planted to reclaim mosquito-ridden swamps and defeat malaria, as well as being an important source of turpentine and timber for boatbuilding.
As flowers go, there’s ubiquitous yellow broom, which scents the air with its distinctive perfume. Another early bloomer is the caper plant, a straggly spiny shrub that covers walls with its pink-white flowers – to be appreciated in haste before they are gathered for pickling. Spring and summer delights include rainbow masses of paper-like Cistus (rock roses) and pink-purple wild gladiolus, not to mention emerald-green wheat fields streaked with the brilliant blue of cornflowers and the red of poppies. Wild orchids come in myriad amazing varieties, from the minuscule Ophrys, so-called insect orchids, to the showy lady orchid and the common purple.
Towards the coast, prolific wild herbs reveal their presence with a pungent aroma or fragrance released when inadvertently trampled or even lightly brushed. The long list features oregano, mint, thyme, rosemary and sage. Sandy beaches and dunes are home to pale lilac sea lavender and to the woolly yellow plants of everlasting, an unassuming plant whose elongated silvery leaves conjure up oriental spices when rubbed, hence its nickname ‘curry plant’.
Late winter also brings delights. As early as February, acacia or wattle trees (of Australian origin) are decorated with dazzling yellow feathers. Fields and woods have black-centred pink-mauve anemones, periwinkles, crocuses, grape hyacinths, intense indigo bugloss, common mallow and the fresh green hellebore.
Last but not least, flanking the extant ‘wild’ vegetation bands, are the cultivated zones where ridges between fields are punctuated with archetypal cypresses. The other omnipresent Tuscan essentials are the olive trees of ancient standing and orderly ranks of precious grapevines.
See Appendix E for suggested further reading for wildflower enthusiasts.
Olive groves
Wildlife
Despite widespread agriculture, sprawling urbanisation and the popularity of hunting, an encouraging number of wild animals and birds inhabit the hills and coast of Tuscany. Both red and fallow deer graze in woodland clearings, easier to spot than the shy Sardinian mouflon with their showy curly horns, which inhabit impossible ridges on the Apennines and the island of Elba.
Thanks to protective 1970s laws, the wolf is making a silent comeback and the population in Tuscany alone is estimated around 500. Canis lupus italicus sports a light brown coat with grey overtones, although unfortunate crosses with dogs are producing variations. Its favourite prey are deer and boar, but it does not disdain sheep. Footprints in damp ground and droppings are pointers for attentive walkers to the passage of this beautiful elusive creature.
Another ‘invisible’ animal is the protected crested porcupine, whose visiting card is the black-and-white quills it scatters along woodland paths. The ancient Romans, ever the epicures, brought it from Africa as a banquet delicacy.
Porcupine quills
In contrast, foxes are a relatively common sight in dew-soaked fields in the early morning. As too is the pheasant, easily identified by its white neck ring and red face, not to mention its raucous ‘sore throat’ call. It was introduced from south-west Asia by hunting enthusiasts.
A multitude of wild boar leave telltale hoofprints in mud as well as upturned stones and diggings. However, despite their fierce reputation, the beasts are notoriously diffident so close encounters are rare. These days, a heftier and more prolific Eastern European boar has replaced the native species. The young ones, shaped like a rugby ball and coloured like a cappuccino with creamy stripes, may venture out alone, but in general the closest a walker will get to one is a stuffed creature in a shopfront advertising its ham! The ancient sport of boar hunting continues in Tuscany, with widespread group hunts in late autumn and winter.
Another immigrant is the comical nutria, or swamp beaver, brought from South America for fur breeding. Escapees have spread through Tuscany; these bulky creatures burrow into riverbanks and are considered a pest.
On the bird front, the eye-catching hoopoe is unforgettable as it runs and bobs its way along the ground. Vaguely like a woodpecker, it has a showy crest of black-tipped chestnut-brown feathers and black-and-white striped wings. European jays are a familiar sight, their bright metallic-blue plumage glinting in the trees. Cuckoos and cooing wood pigeons are also residents of woodland. Birds of prey such as kites, kestrels and hawks are not unusual circling overhead, keeping high above the ubiquitous grey-black hooded crows which inevitably attempt to chase them off.
The Italian branch of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF Italia) has been gradually purchasing land as part of its enlightened policy to extend environmental protection. The coastal oasi (reserves) around