San Gimignano

Today was one of those days we have been waiting to do for years...to go to San Gimignano a small walled medieval hill town in Tuscany. San Gimignano, is known as the "City Of Beautiful Towers". In its heyday it had 72 towers. Now only 14 remain, and, rising above Tuscany's Elsa Valley, they still look spectacular.

We decided to catch a bus from the the SITA Firenze Autobus Stazione near the train station in Florence. So we got on the 9:40am bus heading towards the Tuscan town of Poggibonsi. The journey there was not as attractive as we had hoped for as we were mainly on motorways. Anyway we arrived at the Poggabonsi train station and had a half hour wait for the next bus that would take us to San Gimignano.

The trip from Poggibonsi took just 20 minutes, but once clear of the outskirts of Poggibonsi we started to get glimpses of the Tuscan countryside we had seen in brochures and the movies, it was getting very exciting.

The bus pulled up right at the southern gate of San Gimignano, as we approached the bus stop you could see some of the towers, to the left were a number of cafes and beautiful Tuscan views...we had arrived.

At last, San Gimignano

The Southern Gate

The bus stop outside the walls

As soon as we got off the bus we headed over to the cafes and the views, yep, these were the view we had dreamt about. Although it was hot there was a lovely breeze blowing up through the valley that made it very pleasant just standing there soaking in the atmosphere.

Oh, those Tuscan views

When we first walked into San Gimignano the view was unforgettable...shoulder to shoulder tourists...oh no. However, once we had gone into a shop or two the masses seemed to have spread put throughout the town, now it did not seem as bad, so now we could just enjoy it.

Walking through San Gimignano

Beautiful Towers

I was quite surprised how many restaurants and tourists shops (regular souvenirs even ones for Florence and surrounding towns!) that there were throughout the town. You got the feeling that this whole town was setup for tourism and nothing for the locals, however, there were some very interesting exceptions. There were a couple of stores that had some great local food produce and a number with the local pottery, well worth visiting.

Very distinct local Pottery

Not too hard to spot the shops selling local wild boar products

The smell was fantastic

We walked over San Gimignano, both inside and outside of the walls and it was great just soaking in the feel of the place, the piazzas, the views, the cobbled streets, and of course, the towers.

Starting to master the art of self portraits

The Tuscan views were beautiful

San Gimignano streets and towers

The whole town is made from beautiful local stone, and on a sunny day (like today) it looks like a dreamscape.

Quaint Houses Everywhere

Which Way Next?

Beautiful arch

Narrow Shadowed Streets Suddenly Opened Into Sunlit Piazza'sOpened

By early afternoon we were both feeling quite hungry, so made our way back to the South gate and the cafes we had spotted on our arrival. We decided to eat at Caffe Giardino with its nice looking menu and incredible views. The couple that ran this place were extremely friendly and made us feel very welcome.

Got to start taking photos before I start eating the food, delicious.

Views and a lovely breeze.

We sat in the back of the caffe near an open window that was letting the best cooling breeze through, and had views you could just stare at for ever.

Waiting for the bus

More Tuscan countryside

After lunch we took in some more of the great views around San Gimignano, and then waited for the bus for are trip back to Florence....I keep saying it,.....another lovely day in Italy.

 

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