The first thing that any traveler to Tuscany will notice is that this place is awfully expensive. I wish there were a more positive note on which to begin, but the soaring prices of hotel rooms, restaurants, parking spaces, cab fares and everyday items like lemonade in the grocery store are the talk of the town. Hotel owners are lamenting that Americans -- once the most reliable spenders in Italy -- have taken to preparing picnic dinners in their hotel rooms. Even the el-cheapo restaurants throughout Tuscany have come up to par with the more moderately priced ones. Bargains are harder and harder to find.
It is true that much of this is a lingering effect of the inflation that struck the region, and the continent, when the euro was introduced in 2002. The unfavorable euro-dollar exchange rate in recent years has not helped matters either. But real prices have crept up consistently, in Florence especially, and the reason could not be clearer: Tourists are still willing to pay. They continue to arrive by the busload, driven by visions of Da Vinci's drawings, cooking lessons, and wine tasting in the countryside.
On the bright side, this has led to widespread investment in the tourism infrastructure, especially in small Tuscan towns, which have added museums and top-flight hotels where once there were none. It seems like anyone with a guestroom is turning it into a bed-and-breakfast. The increasingly popular wine sector has also joined the hospitality business, opening cooking schools and guest villas à go-go.
As if on cue, two new publications in English have sprung up to help fill the void left by "Italy Daily," the Italian insert to the International Herald Tribune that folded in 2003. They are: The Florentine, which, as the name suggests, is devoted to news and events around Florence; and The American, a glossy monthly dedicated to expatriate themes.
Florence
A few years back, many churches -- such as Santa Maria Novella and Santa Croce -- began charging entrance fees, much to the chagrin of the author of this guide book. While some of those church and baptistery prices have gone up, the good news for budget travelers is that many museums, instead, have reduced their entrance fees and now allow free admission to children under 15. That is about the only case in Florence where prices have gone in the right direction. Hotel rooms on average now cost about 10% more than they did in the lifetime of the last edition. And sadly, one notable hotel, Le Vigne at Santa Maria Novella, has closed.
As for restaurants, the only major news is that the glitzy Osteria No. 1 has closed, and has been replaced by a true gem, the Osteria di Giovanni (tel. 055-284-897), run by a member of the famous Latini family of restaurateurs. Also, the Trattoria Zà-Zà (tel. 055-215-411) has come up with a novel idea: nonstop kitchen service, which means those wacky Americans can have dinner at, say, the very non-dinner-like hour of 5:30pm.
Return shoppers may have some trouble finding their favorite boutiques on Via de' Tornabuoni. Many of the smaller shops previously located here, such as jewelers Mario Buccellati (tel. 055-239-6579) and leather specialists Beltrami (tel. 055-287-779), have relocated to Via della Vigna Nuova and environs.
Just about everything else should be right where it has been for years: The talk of overhauling the city's red-and-black address system has remained just that -- talk.
Fiesole
The town continues to undergo a face-lift and one of its major squares is still under heavy construction. Prepare for scaffolding, though not over any principal tourist attractions.
The Chianti
Farmhouses and estates in Chianti continue to capitalize on the rise in off-the-beaten-path tourism, adding guest rooms, villas, and cooking schools. One of the largest vintners, Rocca delle Macie, has begun offering culinary classes in conjunction with the training of chefs from Olive Garden at their guest villas at the Riserva di Fizzano (tel. 055-777-371; www.riservadifizzano.com).
Siena
The most significant cultural find in Tuscany in the past few years is here, recently unearthed beneath the city's cathedral. In 2004, restorers discovered a cycle of brilliantly preserved frescoes whose author remains a mystery.
In hotel news, the Palazzo Ravizza has undergone yet another renovation. PRATO
This is one city that has really been working to siphon off tourists from Florence's crowds and it deserves any attention it can get. It has just opened the Museo del Tessuto (tel.) 057-461-1503; www.museodeltessuto.it), a textiles museum, as a sort of tribute to the 40,000 Pratese employees in that industry.
Pisa
Now that the leaning tower has been righted (slightly) and has reopened to the public, the city seems to have decided it is time to close down another major attraction which, in my opinion, was vastly more interesting. The Museo Navi Antiche di Pisa, holding recently excavated Roman ships and their preserved ancient cargo, has been mothballed until further notice. Tourism authorities say it may reopen in 2007.
Pistoia
One of Pistoia's minor churches, the Chiesa della Madonna del Carmine, has reopened to the public after decades of restoration work. The marble altar and columns and its once-peeling exterior now glimmer with life.
Livorno
As if the historic center of this port town needed a blow to its already dreary nightlife, one of the more posh restaurants there has closed: La Chiave has locked its doors for good, and nothing yet has taken its place on the waterfront.
Bolgheri
The winemaking town has made strides in tourist facilities thanks to the growing international fame of its two big labels, Ornellaia and Sassicaia. Previously there were no hotels around for miles. One of the latest additions is a luxurious, if slightly bizarre, five-star spa/hotel on the beach, the Tombolo Talasso Resort (tel. 056-574-530; www.grandhoteltombolo.com) Guests can opt to ride bicycles under salt water or be hosed down against a wall. It is owned and run by the Antinori family.
Montalcino
Sadly, the Fortezza del Brunello, one of the better restaurants in the area, has closed. In its place in the small hill town of Sant'Angelo in Colle, however, is the Enoteca Il Leccio (tel. 0577-843-016; www.trattoriailleccio.it), a good restaurant forced to relocate from the center of Montalcino due to surging real estate prices there.
The Italian-American-owned Castello Banfi (tel. 0577-840-111; from the U.S. tel. 800/645-6511; www.castellobanfi.com), the largest-looming name in Brunello production, has just opened a new guest villa on the castle grounds.
Arezzo
Arezzo has never had much luck producing good hotels, and its bad fortune has only continued as it has chased a perceived rise in tourist dollars. A few of the erstwhile mid-range establishments have boosted their ratings to four-stars, without much added value. Meanwhile, the church of San Francesco remains closed for renovations.
Cortona
The once-modest Albergo Italia (tel. 0575-630-254) has changed ownership, renovated its rooms, and added a lovely new breakfast terrace.
Perugia
The renowned Umbria Jazz Festival has switched venues. Before, it traditionally was held at the city's Giardino del Frontone. Now, it takes place at the Arena Santa Giuliana.
Assisi
The devastating earthquake of 1997 is all but a distant memory, as virtually all of the churches and museums here have reopened, and most of the restoration work is complete. One exception is the Rocca Maggiore fortress that looms over town. It has been only partly restored, with two of its towers open to the public, as repair work continues on the rest. The cathedral's museum, Museo del Cattedrale (tel. 075-812-712), meanwhile, has moved to another, larger section of the church. At press time, it was due to be open at the end of 2005 and it will include a number of frescoes taken from the church, as well as some musical and liturgical artifacts from the sacristy.