The previous pages have been dedicated to the monuments, palaces, institutions and villas of Pisa. In the following two chapters of this tourist guide the attention will be directed outside the city walls that embrace the town of the Leaning Tower.

Towards which direction? Well, towards the hills around Pisa, a landscape made of gentle ups and downs covered with corn fields, vineyards and olive groves in which you could look for a typical Tuscan villa for your holidays in Pisa.

The tour begins in the Val di Cecina, a strip of land that stretches between the provinces of Pisa and Livorno, around the homonymous river. The peaceful towns of the Val di Cecina have maintained their medieval and Renaissance character in spite of the passing of time. Except for the three main towns, namely Cecina, Volterra and Pomarance, the other municipalities of the area have a population of barely 2,000 inhabitants.

Our tour reaches then the "real" Colline Pisane, although nowadays part of this territory is called Valdera. The region includes about 15 municipalities, the most important being - from a historical point of view - Lari, an ancient hamlet that in the Middle Ages was at the centre of the struggle between Pisa and Florence.

What are the main sights in the Val di Cecina and on the Colline Pisane? The Museo Etrusco in Volterra and the Castello dei Vicari, Montescudaio and Villa Baciocchi in Capannoli...

And do not forget that the hills around Pisa are synonym with relaxation and nature!