"Where do Florentines go when they want to get away?" we asked our friend Luciano. "We travel to
Tuscany,” he winked. “Just not the Tuscany you know.” Only now we do, and you’re invited to join us along the coast where Tuscans who live the good life come to luxuriate in the even better life. It’s true what they say about Tuscany travel: Lucca is gorgeous enough to make you forget Florence. The gentle hills cradle a decadent swarm of villas, including one of our very fine hotels. In the spirit of the place, we dine in a castello, stroll country lanes and coastal paths, ferry out to a rustic island reminiscent of Sicily, chat up the local artisans, and sip the Supertuscan. (If you are a wine lover, note that this is the home of the revered Sassicaia vineyard.) Italians who vacation along the sea have made coastal Tuscany the local “it” spot in Italy since the days of the Medicis and now the cognoscenti say its popularity is about to expand. See it now!