Vegan-friendly stays in Tuscany

Tuscan cooking is simple, and much of it is plant-based. The region's tradition of cucina povera turned beans, stale bread, greens, tomatoes and olive oil into dishes that still define local menus, and white cannellini beans appear in soups, side dishes and stews.

Florence, Siena, Lucca and Pisa combine art and architecture with markets and cafés, while the countryside, from the Chianti hills and the Val d'Orcia to the Maremma coast and the marble mountains near Carrara, suits slower stays. For the rest of the country, see vegan-friendly stays in Italy.

Hosting with Vegvisits in Tuscany means offering a vegan or vegetarian kitchen.

Tuscany has 8 stays available through Vegvisits.

Looking at type, the Tuscan listings are 6 entire places and 2 private rooms.

Tuscan listings can be found in Volterra, Montepulciano and San Gimignano.

Ribollita, a thick soup of cannellini beans, cavolo nero and stale bread, is closely associated with the region and is vegan as traditionally made. Pappa al pomodoro, a soup of tomatoes, bread, garlic, basil and olive oil, and panzanella, a summer salad of soaked bread, tomato, onion and basil, are other bread-based classics. Fagioli all'uccelletto, beans stewed with tomato and sage, and fettunta, toasted bread with new olive oil, complete a vegan meal.

Tuscan bread itself is traditionally made without any salt. Soups are sometimes made with meat stock and finished with cheese, so ask before ordering.

Agriturismi, farm stays that Italian law requires to be run by farm operators, are part of rural Tuscany, and the hospitality must stay linked to the farm's own agricultural work.

Regional trains link Florence with Pisa, Lucca, Arezzo and Siena, and buses connect many towns. The hill towns and farmhouses of Chianti, the Val d'Orcia and the Maremma are much easier to reach by car.

Spring and early autumn are mild and suit walking and cycling, while summer is hot. The grape harvest runs through early autumn and the olive harvest follows later in the autumn, when new oil is pressed. The Vegvisits search works by place, dates and guests.