San Gimignano: Tower of a City

This is a non-elimination race - Part 2 of 3.  To view clues, click here - Clue #2.

“Every dreamer knows that it is entirely possible to be homesick for a place you've never been to, perhaps more homesick than for familiar ground.”― Judith Thurman

I must admit shamefully that I had no knowledge of San Gimignano before this trip.  I guess that is why traveling is edification for the mind and enlightenment for the soul.  We would have missed visiting this Toscano village entirely if it were not for our friends, who came to San Gimignano years ago while on their honeymoon and fell in love with the town - and rightly so.

Perched on a hillside 334 meters (over 1,000 feet) above the valley, this spiky-looking town in Tuscany is a well preserved medieval paradise - one of a kind with its skyscraping towers enclosed securely by a circular city wall.  At one time, the town boasted 72 towers, but only 14 remained standing today according to the UNESCO World Heritage website.  However, San Gimignano's official website claims only 13 towers are still standing.  So, what is it folks - 13 or 14?  Regrettably I don't have the answer either.  With just one hour allotted for this visit, I never had the opportunity to tally the correct number for you.

This town - awash with varying subdued shades of beige and faded brick color - is a shopper's paradise.  Crossing the arched entry way into the "city" is like entering the souvenir shop at the end of a Disneyland ride.  Somehow, the governing body-to-be knows how to please the souvenir scavenger in me.   From the entrance to Piazza del Duomo and beyond, shops that were selling everything from beautiful Italian ceramics to specialty gourmet food from the region lined both sides of the main street.   We deviated from this path briefly to explore a side street but did not walk far for fear we might get lost and miss our bus.  Wouldn't that be a hoot?   With so much window shopping and tasty gelatos to savor, we never had an opportunity to climb "Torre Grossa" for a roof view of the town.

Mandatory lunch break at Trattoria "Borgo di Racciano" 

Salad, bruschetta, pasta, deserts, and local wine.  We were stuffed!

Entrance to the walled city

Piazza della Cisterna

Torre Grossa - The tallest tower at 54 meters
Houses were later built between the towers as represented here.  

Narrow side street
The arch is to prevent the buildings
from leaning into each other due to settling

Collegiata San Gimignano Basilica
in Piazza del Duomo

A reward for appeasing mom's penchant for souvenir shopiping

A satisfied walk back to the entrance via the main street

It would have been nice to have a few more hours to explore this village.  That is the downside to traveling with a tour group...time is always on our mind.  Here is a good website with more photos and information about San Gimignano - Click away

Next stop...lovely Siena

Trip Details:

Sightseeing tour:  We booked our "Tuscany in One Day" via Hotel Perseo in Florence.  The children's tickets are free with a purchase of an adult ticket.  We paid 80 euros for one adult (and two kids) tickets for a 12 hours sightseeing tour on a comfortable bus.