Historica Overview
Tuscany is situated within the heart of Italy. The region borders in the North with Liguria and the Emilia Romagna in the East with Umbria and the Marches and in the South with the Latium. The name of the region has its origins in the Etruscan times. The Etruscans called this region Etruria, meaning in Roman Tuscia. The Romans finally renamed the area with Tuscania of which in the end came up the name Toscana Even today, the origins of the Etruscans is still a mystery, but the most probable hypothese is that they came in the 11th century B.C. from Asia Minor.

These people constructed connecting roads to the most important towns such as Tarquinia, Chiusi, Vulci, Vetulonia and Volterra, places where one still today can admire exceptional excavations. 
During the 6th century B.C., the Etruscans reached the peak of their power, extending from the Po Valley to Campania. Already at the end of the 5th century B.C., the Etruscans lost their supremacy in the Mediterranean region to the Greeks. They sustained the final defeat with the growing of the Roman people and their power.

This was the beginning of the economical, cultural and social decline of the Etruscan empire in the whole Tuscan region.
After the decline of the Roman empire Tuscany was dominated by Goths, Byzantines, Lombards and the Franks. The so called Via Francigena was used by the pilgrims that came to the first millennium from France over the Alps to Rome. It wasn't a real street, but ways which were gone by walking or riding. The pilgrims tried to find the shortest way to reach Rome. That's how the connecting road between North Italy and Rome was developped. 

Territory:
The region stretches over the slopes of the Apennines, in front of the Tyrrhenian Sea. The Tuscan landscape is mainly mountainous and hilly, with a flat area beside the sea (the Maremma). The coastline presents different aspects, offering both long sandy expanses and headlands. In front of the coast there are the small enchanting islands of the Tuscan archipelago

Cities:
Florence is the capital of Tuscany. Other important cities are Siena, Pisa, Arezzo, Pistoia, Lucca, Livorno, Grosseto, Massa Carrara.
Art: Tuscany is unrivaled as a cradle of all-time art. One can find examples of every age and style: from the Etruscan civilization (Fiesole, Chiusi, Volterra, Populonia) to Roman monuments and ruins; from the Romanesque architecture to the impressive Gothic cathedrals, to the exceptional artistic explosion of the Renaissance.

To be visited:
In addition to art, Tuscany offers outstanding nature sceneries, such as the National Park of the Argentario and the Isola of Elba. In Siena there is the beautiful Piazza del Campo. In Florence there are the fifteenth-century shops on the Ponte Vecchio. Pisa has the Campo dei Miracoli, with the famous Leaning Tower.

http://www.toskana.net/english/tuscany.htm
http://www.turitalia.com/eng/regions_italy/toscana_italia.html