Where is Tuscany anyway ? Which part of Tuscany are we building and when? What actually fits in our legal definition of the Theme of Locus Ameounus?
Tuscan from Post roman to the beginning of World War One. Is that our theme?
So, first lets find the definition of post roman? When is that? Which roman empire? the East or the West? Lets go with West, since the area of Tuscany is in the Western part of the Roman Empire That puts us at somewhere and about 500 AD. World War One began in July of 1914.
Tuscany is named after its pre-Roman inhabitants, the Etruscans. It was ruled by Rome for many centuries. In the Middle Ages, it saw many invasions, but in the Renaissance period it helped lead Europe back to civilisation. Later, it settled down as a grand duchy. It was conquered by Napoleonic France in the late 18th century and became part of the Italian Republic in the 19th century. In the Middle Ages, Tuscany acquired many castles, abbeys and monasteries, while the main towns started again to grow demographically, turning themselves into communes mostly independent from the Holy Roman Empire.In the 11th century Pisa became the most powerful trade area (as well as colonial) empire in the Mediterranean and playing a key role in the Crusades. Banking, soon turned into an international activity with branches in Flanders, France and England, was instead the main resource of Florence, Siena and Lucca. The latter was also an important center for silk production.
In the leading city of Florence, the republic was from 1434 onward dominated by the increasingly monarchical Medici family. Initially, under Cosimo, Piero the Gouty, Lorenzo and Piero the Unfortunate, the forms of the republic were retained and the Medici ruled without a title, usually without even a formal office. These rulers presided over the Florentine Renaissance.[6]Though "Tuscany" remained a linguistic, cultural and geographic conception, rather than a political reality, in the 15th century, Florence extended dominion in Tuscany through the annexion of Arezzo in 1384, the purchase of Pisa in 1405 and the suppression of a local resistance there (1406). Livorno was bought in as well (1421).After the Medici dynasty died out, there was a take-over by Habsburg-Lorraine rulers with extensive Austrian domains.In 1809 Napoleon gave his sister Elisa the honorary title of Grand Duchess of Tuscany.In 1860 Tuscany became part of modern Italy. Florence replaced Turin as Italy's capital in 1865, hosting the country's first parliament, and was superseded by Rome six years later, in 1871.
So then to define the region of Tuscany, it is rather large..and diverse, Tuscany has two very diverse faces - the art cities such as Florence, Siena, Lucca and Pisa on one hand, and the countryside on the other. The small towns, villages, castles, villas and vineyards of Tuscany make a welcome change from the traffic and noise of some of the larger Tuscan cities. It has TEN provinces. It has ten cities Florence (Firenze) - Capital of the Region. Arezzo Cortona Chianni
Chiusi Lucca Montepulciano Pienza Pisa San Gimignano Siena. Then we add the time frame. .. hmm.. we are getting a vast array of things..
Tuscany includes the city of Florence from 500AD to 1914
it also includes the city of Verona from 500AD to 1914
It includes the city Pisa (One of the seven wonders of the world is there, btw, the famous leaning tower was completed in 1372 ) from 500AD to 1914
The Island of Elba, and the archipelo
Many many Mountains. Including the Apennines.
The western coast of Tuscany is quite varied and long, there are 17 beaches in Tuscany..The beach in the Versilia is very wide and long - there is basically a kilometers-long beach that goes from Forte dei Marmi in the north to Viareggio in the south. Forte dei Marmi and Lido di Camaiore b].Pisa[/b]..As you head south, the beaches get shorter and more narrow. Many of them start having copses as well as stretches of actual woods right behind the beach Livorno[/b] This area includes some of the most popular beaches in all of Tuscany. From Antignano down to Rosignano the waterfront is actually reef but this does not discourage anyone from spending the day at the sea. You actually climb on - make sure to bring water shoes or buy some from the many vendors - lay your towel, get some sun, then go snorkeling, then rest and get some more sun! Repeat as often as you like. The towns here all offer boardwalks with bars (cafes), gelato shops and restaurants as well as any beach paraphernalia you might have forgotten to bring along. Castiglioncello, Vada and Cecina are some of the easiest to reach with public transporation as the towns (and train station along the Pisa-Grosseto line) are on the coast or not far. 4.Grossetto long stretches of sandy beaches as well as some areas with reef.From Rosignano down to Riotorto the beach turns into small pebbles or coarse sand, the beaches tend to be very short before you reach a barrier of rock into the sea but there are lots of them.
Tuscany is a region in central Italy with an area of about 23,000 square kilometres.
Roughly triangular in shape, Tuscany borders the regions of Liguria to the northwest, Emilia-Romagna to the north and east, Umbria to the east and Lazio to the southeast. The commune of Badia Tedalda, in the Tuscan Province of Arezzo, forms an enclave and exclave within Emilia-Romagna.
Tuscany has a western coastline on the Tyrrhenian Sea, containing the Tuscan Archipelago, of which the largest island is Elba. Tuscany has an area of approximately 22,993 square kilometres (8,878 sq mi). Surrounded and crossed by major mountain chains, and with few (but fertile) plains, the region has a relief that is dominated by hilly country used for agriculture. Hills make up nearly two-thirds (66.5%) of the region's total area, covering 15,292 square kilometres (5,904 sq mi), and mountains (of which the highest are the Apennines), a further 25% (—5,770 square kilometres (2,230 sq mi)). Plains occupy 8.4% of the total area 1,930 square kilometres (750 sq mi),—, mostly around the valley of the River Arno. Many of Tuscany's largest cities lie on the banks of the Arno, including the capital Florence, Empoli and Pisa.
The climate is fairly mild in the coastal areas, and is harsher and rainy in the interior, with considerable fluctuations in temperature between winter and summer,[6] giving the region a soil-building active freeze-thaw cycle in part accounting for the region's once having served as a key breadbasket of ancient Rome.[7]
Pisa, Florence, Verona, seaside, wine country, Mountains, Spanish influence, French Castles, Monestary, rolling hills, rocky beaches sandy beaches cliffs, ....I could go on and on .. The truth is to lay out a small sim and have it represent all of Tuscany is probably impossible. The way CDS defines a theme and then allows people to build within it means that there is an almost INFINITE range of possibilities that would fit into the Tuscan theme as defined.
So add to it all this in popular culture today :
What is Tuscan Design?
As far as Interior Design and Architectural style it is a very popular, Ill even say "trendy" style in the USA .. it has been for quite a while now. The trend started being popular well over ten years ago.
My research shows finds:
"Although the Tuscan countryside is located in Italy, influences from the French and Spanish countryside, which border the Mediterranean Sea just west of Italy, can also be found in Tuscan style design. Influences from the ancient Etruscan culture and the Renaissance period of the Middle Ages are present as well.
Anyone who likes warm, earth tone colors and rustic, Old World Mediterranean style furnishings will love Tuscan style interior design. This decorating style is very similar to Southwestern style architecture and décor commonly seen in areas such as Southern California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico and parts of Texas.
Other natural influences found in the Mediterranean countryside include cypress and olive trees, grapes grown in the many wine vineyards, golden, luscious pears and the beautiful scents and colors of flowering plants such as jasmine, rosemary and bougainvillea.
Tuscan Colors
A Tuscan color scheme will be very warm and natural, just like the Mediterranean climate of the Tuscan countryside. Begin with earth-tone, neutral shades such as the brownish-orange of terra-cotta clay and the light, creamy shade of worn plaster walls. Shades of green represent the tall, magnificent cypress trees that line Tuscan country roads, the vines of grapes and the foliage and fruit of olive trees. Rich ocher and deep, golden yellow capture the colors of a Tuscan sunflower field, the ripe fruit of a lemon tree and the warm rays of the setting Tuscan sun. Cobalt blue reflects the colors of sea and sky while deep burgundy brings to mind a fine wine."