San Gimignano and Siena

Our plan for today was to revisit two places we had been to and loved. San Gimignano was one of my favourite hill top towns from our first visit to Tuscany and Shannon was keen to see Siena again, especially because we didn't have enough time to see the cathedral in 2012.



We jumped in our trusty Pietro after breakfast and drove for about an hour and a half to San Gimignano. It is just such a beautiful spot. We wandered the narrow, hilly streets and lane ways, looking in some of the many shops and making a few small purchases.

Then we sat at a pretty cafe and enjoyed a coffee and crema croissant by the main square, watching the crowds go past.

The magic and beauty of this little town has been spoilt a little by the increase of tourists, jostling to take selfies in front of buildings, blocking paths and doorways.

However, we didn't let this ruin our time here. We found a delightful little restaurant off the main drag that had views over the valley...and the food was terrific!

(Sign not from restaurant where we had lunch)

 

After our lovely Tuscan lunch, we motored on to Siena. The sky was looking very black over the city as we arrived and we had a few drops of rain on the drive in, so were worried we might get rained on! But, it held out (the whole time we were in Siena the was thunder in the distance - Shannon). We found a reasonably close park to town and walked in to the historical centre. Most Italian hilltop tows are reserved for pedestrians only, so when visiting you really need to plan your parking.

While Siena isn't as "touristy" as other towns, it has beauty and charm all of its own. We headed straight for the cathedral because it was after 3 and it was closing at 5pm, so wanted to have enough time to admire it. And admire it we did. Words really can't describe the feeling you get when you walk inside a building so grand and so old it's quite overwhelming. I was most excited by the marble floor. 

They had revealed some sections that are hidden for 9 months of the year. They keep the art work protected from the tramping feet that pass over its floor and only have it on show, roped off of course, for 3 months of the year. We cooled off in the main square with a spritz for me and a beer for Shannon, did some more people watching and headed back to La Maesta. What a day!

Tomorrow - More Tuscan delights