We just spent a very pleasant holiday in Tuscany, Italy.

We stayed in a farmhouse in the hills on the edge of Chianti, and then in Florence.

It seems a very modern place - motorways and factories - and also a very ancient place. The countryside in particular seems ancient. There seems to be more small-scale agriculture practised than in many other parts of Europe.

Grapes growing in a hillside vineyard:

San Montione:

The Leaning tower of Pisa: (note how the top is at an angle to the rest of the tower!)

San Gimginiano: (beautiful hill town in Chianti)

Ponte Vecchio, Florence: (note the line of windows forming "Vasari's Corridor")

Vasari's Corridor is an incredible piece of extravagance (http://www.mega.it/eng/egui/monu/ufd.htm). It links the Uffizi Gallery to the Pitti Palace
running across existing buildings.

Another photo of "Vasari's Corridor"

Another photo of "Vasari's Corridor":