A beautiful, scenic and sometimes crowded province, there are many reasons to choose this area as your base. Its proximity to the city of Florence, remnants of the Medici legacy wherever you go and the many famous hill towns that are easy to explore are just a few of the reasons that keep people returning again and again. This province includes the northern area of the Mugello and Val di Sieve with interesting towns such as Borgo San Lorenzo, San Piero a Sieve, Scarperia - famous for their knife making since medieval times - and Vicchio, the birthplace of Giotto and Fra Angelico, the beautiful rolling hills between Florence and Siena know the world over as "Chianti" that not only have magnificent vistas, but also produce some of Italy's finest wines. With so many well known towns in this province, you must find time to visit the smaller ones. Tavarnelle Sant'Andrea in Percussina where Machiavelli lived when he was exiled and Morrocco where if you pass by at 5 pm you can hear the Carmelite nuns singing their vespers. Visit the little known town of Castelfiorentino to view the frescoes of Benozzo Gozzoli. For a breathtaking climb, take a drive to the town of Vinci and on to the hamlet of Anchiano, the birthplace of Leonardo where there is one of the largest olive groves in Italy. And of course this province's capital, the birthplace of the Renaissance and keeper of 30% of the world's greatest works of art.