Some examples of well preserved mediaeval property in Italy can be found in Tuscany, according to a tourism spokeswoman for the country.

Italian State Tourist Board spokeswoman Stefania Gatta says: "Apart from Florence, you have art cities like Siena, Pisa, Lucca and Arezzo – very beautiful mediaeval cities and very well preserved."

However, there are also more modern reasons to visit property in Italy, including the development of the golf market in Maremma.

This is a region the British public are currently discovering for the first time in significant numbers, according to Ms Gatta.

Its geography is that of "beautiful beaches" backing on to forests of pine, interspersed with "some very nice cities".

Thanks to its verdant and hilly terrain, the region is well suited to the creation of golf courses that make the best use of its rolling countryside.

At present, Ms Gatta says, it is this that Maremma's tourism representatives are trying to promote the region for.

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