Under the Tuscan Sun Trivia Quiz

Answer: Piazza dei Miracoli, Pisa

The Piazza (or Campo) dei Miracoli lies north-west of the centre of Pisa. It comprises four great religious buildings - the Cathedral (Duomo), the Baptistery, the Campanile (known worldwide as the Leaning Tower), and the Monumental Cemetery - all built of white marble.

The site also hosts a hospital and two museums. The Cathedral was the first to be built (construction started in 1064), in the distinctive Pisan Romanesque style; the Cemetery was begun in the late 13th century, and completed almost 200 years later.

Besides their magnificent exterior, these monuments contain priceless masterpieces of art, such as the carved marble pulpits by Nicola and Giovanni Pisano (found respectively in the Baptistery and the Duomo). The name "Piazza dei Miracoli" was coined by Italian writer Gabriele D'annunzio.

The complex was inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1987.

Answer: Piazza del Campo, Siena

Surrounded by largely intact walls, the historic centre of Siena is one of the most impressive examples of medieval architecture in Italy and Europe. Its heart is the splendid town square, Piazza del Campo (which the locals call simply "la Piazza"), opening like a shell before the curved stone and brick façade of the Palazzo Pubblico (Town Hall) with its elegant bell tower, the Torre del Mangia. Opposite the entrance to the Palazzo, on the northwestern edge of the square, lies the Renaissance fountain named "Fonte Gaia".

The Piazza was paved in red brick in 1349. The colourful, frantic horse race called the Palio is held in the square twice a year, on July 2 and August 16, attracting visitors from all over the world. Siena's historic centre (which also includes the city's majestic Gothic Cathedral) was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1995.

Answer: San Gimignano

The town of San Gimignano lies northwest of Siena, surrounded by gentle hills and beautiful countryside. Surrounded by walls like most towns of medieval origin, it boasts a wealth of very well-preserved medieval and Renaissance buildings - both religious and secular - of which the most prominent (in every sense of the word!) are the 14 towers of varying heights that were built by the town's noble families.

It is recorded that in the Middle Ages, when San Gimignano was a thriving commune, there were 72 of them. San Gimignano is also noteworthy for its white wine, Vernaccia di San Gimignano, and the production of a variety of saffron.

The town has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage list since 1990.

Answer: Santa Maria del Fiore, Florence

Built by Filippo Brunelleschi in the early 15th century, the massive red brick dome of Santa Maria del Fiore towers over Florence's skyline. The groundbreaking Renaissance architect was inspired by Rome's Pantheon in his visionary project that put the finishing touch to the huge Cathedral (Duomo), whose construction had begun in 1296.

The church was designed by Arnolfo di Cambio, one of the foremost architects and sculptors of the Middle Ages, who also designed Florence's Town Hall (Palazzo Vecchio) and the Basilica of Santa Croce.

The Duomo's outer walls are covered with panels of white, green and pink marble; the façade was completed in the 19th century. While the church's Gothic interior looks somewhat bare, its proportions are awe-inspiring.

The cathedral complex includes the 11th-century Baptistery (Florence's oldest building) and the Campanile designed by Giotto. Florence's historic centre was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1982.

Answer: Pienza

Though nowhere as famous as Pisa, Siena or Florence, Pienza is one of those hidden jewels that people who love art and nature should definitely get acquainted with. Located in the heart of the gorgeous Val d'Orcia (also a World Heritage Site, inscribed in 2004), the town used to be called Corsignano, but was renamed Pienza after Pope Pius II (1405-1464), who had been born there as Enea Silvio Piccolomini. Pius II had the town entirely rebuilt as an ideal Renaissance town, according to the concepts of humanist urban planning; the architect charged with the project was Florentine Bernardo Rossellino.

The heart of the town is the Piazza, defined by four stately, perfectly-proportioned buildings - the Duomo, the Palazzo Piccolomini, the Palazzo Vescovile (Bishop's Palace), and the Palazzo Comunale (Town Hall). Pienza was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996.

Answer: Medici Villas and Gardens

Like all noble families, the Medicis owned a number of residences outside the city centre dedicated to leisure activities such as hunting. The twelve Medici Villas and two gardens are all located near Florence; one of the gardens, the Giardino di Boboli, lies directly behind Palazzo Pitti, the Medici residence on the south bank of the Arno River.

Some of the villas were built in the late 15th century, others in the 16th century; most of them, even those who are privately owned, can be visited. One of the most famous is the Villa di Poggio a Caiano (also known as Ambra), commissioned by Lorenzo de' Medici around 1480 to architect Giuliano da Sangallo, which now houses two museums.

The Medici Villas were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2013.

Answer: Cortona

Located south of Arezzo, not far from Lake Trasimeno (central Italy's biggest lake), Cortona is one of Italy's oldest towns. The Etruscans gave it the name of Curtun (a word that probably meant "enclosed place", referring to the walls that encircled it), and made it into one of their most important cultural and political centres.

The medieval hilltop town offers many interesting sights, including an Etruscan museum containing many beautiful artifacts of that intriguing civilization, and Etruscan chamber tombs nearby. Most of the town's architecture, however, dates from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. American author Frances Mayes wrote her memoir "Under the Tuscan Sun: At Home in Italy" (1996) about her experience in countryside around Cortona; the book was made into a film in 2003.

Answer: Lucca

Lucca is located in northwestern Tuscany, about 30 km (18.6 mi) north of Pisa, not far from the Tyrrhenian Sea. Its striking Renaissance-era city walls, still intact, were turned into a park and pedestrian promenade by Elisa Bonaparte, Napoleon's sister, who was the city's ruler for a short time. Most of the buildings that make up the city centre date from the Middle Ages: among them, the magnificent Romanesque Duomo and Church of San Michele in Foro, and the Torre Guinigi, a stone and brick tower crowned by oak trees.

The Piazza dell'Anfiteatro, one of Italy's most beautiful city squares, follows the elliptical shape of a 2nd-century Roman amphiteatre. The famous opera composer Giacomo Puccini was born in Lucca.

Answer: Montepulciano

Like Pienza, which lies not far from it, Montepulciano may not be the best-known of places, but is well worth visiting. This beautiful medieval and Renaissance town sits on a ridge straddling the Val d'Orcia and the Val di Chiana, surrounded by lush countryside and splendid vineyards.

Indeed, Montepulciano's wines (Vino Nobile, Rosso and Vin Santo) are one of the town's claims to international fame. The town centre is compact and highly walkable, offering a number of sights such as palaces and churches.

However, Montepulciano's most famous sight (reproduced on many postcards and calendars) lies outside the city walls: the imposing sanctuary church of San Biagio, built in the early 16th century by architect Antonio da Sangallo the Elder.

Answer: Island of Elba

The island of Elba is the largest island in the Tuscan Archipelago, and Italy's third-largest after Sicily and Sardinia. Inhabited since prehistory, the island offers a lot to everyone, not just to worshippers of sun, sand and sea - though its beaches are among the most beautiful to be found in Italy.

Its typically Mediterranean flora and abundant fauna - both marine and terrestrial - as well as its intriguing geology make Elba a must-visit for naturalists. Napoleon was exiled to Elba in 1814, and stayed on the island for 300 days; the two villas where he resided, in the island's capital of Portoferraio, are open to the public. Vineyards are found all over the island, and the wines produced there are quite renowned.