Tuscany from above, beyond Florence: towers, walls, fortresses and the sea

Siena planned a cathedral so large that the present one would have been its transept; the plague stopped the works and left a single huge wall, the Facciatone. You reach its top through the Museo dell'Opera, and from the narrow walkway you see the Campo, the Torre del Mangia and the hills. The ticket is part of the cathedral complex.

The tower of the Palazzo Pubblico, on Piazza del Campo. The climb is on foot, by a narrow staircase, and numbers are limited. From the top the square shows its shell shape and the city its three ridges, with the countryside starting right at the walls. Tickets at the Palazzo Pubblico; check the hours, which change with the season.

The brick tower of the Guinigi family is the one you recognise from anywhere in Lucca: holm oaks grow on its top. The climb is by stairs, and the small roof garden looks over the red roofs, the ring of the walls and the hills. The oldest rooftop garden you are likely to stand in.

Pisa has opened the walkway on top of its medieval walls: eleven metres above the ground, by the site's own description, for looking at the city "from an unusual perspective". One of the access towers is at Piazza dei Miracoli, so the Leaning Tower and the cathedral appear from above and from the side, without the crowd.

On the main street of Montepulciano, a café on two floors with three rooms, two balconies and a large panoramic terrace. The café itself says where to look: the Valdichiana and its lakes. Coffee in the morning, Tuscan cooking at the table, a glass of Vino Nobile at the end of the day.

The tallest of the town's towers belongs to the Palazzo Comunale and is part of the civic museums, with the picture gallery. From the top the other towers stand around you at eye level and the Val d'Elsa rolls away on every side. A single ticket covers the museum circuit.

The fortress of Montalcino stands at the top of the town, and its enoteca pours the wines of the hill inside the courtyard: tastings, a shop, a sommelier to guide you. It is the most direct way to drink Brunello where it is made, with stone walls around and the Val d'Orcia outside the gate.

A hotel on the rocks of the Argentario, outside Porto Ercole, known for decades as a quiet refuge of the Italian summer. Terraces step down the cliff to the water. It is far from everything and that is the idea: you come for lunch or a drink only by booking, and you stay longer than planned.

The Hotel Principe is a contemporary five-star hotel at Forte dei Marmi; the 67 Sky Lounge, named after the street number, is its rooftop restaurant, listed by the hotel with the Sky Kong cocktail bar. Versilia is flat, so a roof here is rare: you see the pine woods, the sea and the marble mountains at once.

The grand hotel on the seafront promenade of Viareggio. On the roof, La Terrazza is described by the hotel as a panoramic bar with a lounge atmosphere, where the sea breeze reaches your cocktail. Downstairs, Il Piccolo Principe is the hotel's fine-dining restaurant. The Versilia of the Belle Époque, still in service.