Tuscany - the name immediately conjures up images of Chianti and Michelangelo. Renaissance architecture and cypress trees. It's the sheer wealth of different impressions - from the beauty of works of art to the delights of the seaside - that give this region of Italy its very special and abundant charm.

The unparalleled artistic achievements in Tuscany began with the works of the Etruscans, a happy, enthusiastic race, merry with wine, and true lovers of life. Their heritage is perhaps reflected in the fact that Tuscany became the greatest center of Renaissance culture and humanism. Indeed, Tuscany can even be said to have given birth to the Renaissance; in his paintings, Giotto projected Tuscany into space. Brunelleschi crowned space with his Florentine dome, the greatest feat of Renaissance engineering.

The result of 2,500 years packed with history are visible at every turn, and all this marvelous culture is rightly combined with a long tradition of pure enjoyment and celebration. The evening stroll, or passegiata, across the piazza is as much a part of it all as the simple ingredients that make up the delicious Tuscan food.

For centuries artists and writers have come to the region and found inspiration. The unique cultural monuments here gain a special energy from the idyllic natural landscape surrounding them, and it's this harmony between nature and art that so enchants visitors.

AN Italian saying describes Tuscany as gentile (gentle) and nobile (noble). The whole region exudes benignity, with its picturesque undulating hills, its beautiful coastline and its delightful inhabitants. And the works of art in the cities and towns have a nobility and grandeur all their own.

Anyone who drives along the curving country roads past olive groves and vineyards and through the odd small village will probably come closest tot he charms of Tuscany: a Romanesque church or a medieval palazzo will suddenly surprise, and the small bar on the piazza is just the place to sit back and soak it all in.

The Insight FlexiMap of Tuscany is a great travel addition. Here is an innovative laminated folding map that marries durability and convenience with accuracy, utility, and readability.

Produced with state-of-the-art technology, FlexiMaps feature detailed city street and road maps clearly marked with all the sites and services of particular interest to travelers.

Text and photographs offer a wealth of valuable tourist information including "10 sights you shouldn't miss," plus information on transportation, visas, currency, important telephone numbers, emergency services, and more.

Price: $7.95