Taking You Back to Tuscany

Just back from Tuscany? Pining for the place? Not even a little? I know I am.

This website combines Google Maps and 360 degree panoramic photography to give you a real sense of being in 15 different spots across the region. There's even a bit of Umbria – Perugia and Assisi – thrown in for good measure.

I especially love this internal panorama of the Basilica di San Miniato al Monte, in Florence. The Romanesque basilica, just uphill from Piazzale Michelangelo (see the book, p. 61), is one of the few city spots you can find a bit of peace, even in high season. On p. 63 of the book we recommend a family Oltrarno walk, from the Giardino di Boboli, that'll guide you all there.

Okay, so a bit of surfing doesn't quite match basking under a Tuscan sun for yourself. But, from my desk in East London, it's as close as I'm getting for now. Alas.