Tuscans

Tuscans are the inhabitants of Tuscany, a central Italian region that extends from the Apennines to the Tyrrhenian Sea. The region includes major cities such as Florence, Siena, Pisa, Lucca, Arezzo, and Grosseto, and its landscape ranges from rolling hills and vineyards to medieval towns and a short coastal stretch. The term also covers the cultural identity associated with this area.

The Tuscan language refers to the varieties of Italian spoken in Tuscany; the Florentine variety, together with other Tuscan speech forms, contributed to the basis of standard Italian. Tuscan culture is renowned for the arts, architecture, and learning that flourished in the Renaissance, centered on Florence. The region hosts numerous UNESCO sites and works by masters such as Michelangelo, Brunelleschi, and Botticelli.

Historically, the region was settled by the Etruscans, then incorporated into the Roman Republic. In the Middle Ages, independent city-states and the patronage of the Medici family fostered a golden age of art and science. Tuscany joined the Kingdom of Italy in 1860. Today its economy relies on tourism, agriculture, notably wine production in Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino, and Vernaccia di San Gimignano, and fashion and artisan crafts. Local cuisine features ribollita, pappa al pomodoro, and bistecca alla fiorentina.