15 out of 72…or is it 14 out of 60? Various sources differ in their numbers, but what is true is that a fraction of San Gimignano’s towers remain from what was. Still, the Medieval skyline is impressive despite the flourishing capitalism at street level.
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Eating lunch at Trattoria Chiribiri in San Gimignano, just inside the Porta San Giovanni. The homemade pasta was divine and so was the wine, Vernaccia, local and famous.
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Built in the early 1300’s, this campanile thrusts approximately 300′ into the Sienese sky, making it one of Italy’s tallest secular towers. One of my guidebooks (Drive Around Tuscany) describes the tower as looking like a cross between a spear, a lily and a hypodermic needle. A skinny spiral of 500 stone steps (with dips worn down by centuries of feet) wind round and round up to the bell at the top, offering spectacular views of the town and surrounding countryside. I’ve scaled this tower twice. Back at ground level, the climb will make you want to mangia.
Dog-friendly Italy offers a classy hitching post in Piazza Matteotti, Greve in Chianti.
In addition to its Medieval wonders, San Gimignano is a shoppers paradise. It’s easy to work up an appetite for gelato.
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In the heart of San Gimignano is the shell of a 14th century fortress, now a small hilltop park within an olive-tree spreckled courtyard. Within the courtyard is a little tower that, in a few steps’ climb, offers this stunning panorama of the valley below. When we were there, a woman in the courtyard below played a guitar and softly sang as we gazed out at the view, creating an ethereal atmosphere that transported us back in time.
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A San Gimignano shop devoted solely to wrought iron.
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We went whole hog at the sprawling outdoor market in Foiano, a few miles from Cortona. Roasted to perfection and sprinkled with herbs and salt, these succulent pork panini found in outdoor markets throughout Tuscany make me swoon. I put off becoming a vegetarian for just awhile longer.
An early morning drive through the Chianti hills on the S222 from Siena to Greve rewarded us with a look at this little structure at the edge of a vineyard. An offering to Bacchus?
Views along the S222, the main road through the Chianti area of Tuscany.
Melinda takes you to Sicily and climbs a volcano. Wander through narrow, cobbled streets, seaside towns and ancient ruins on the Italian island of Sicily and the Greek Peloponnesian Peninsula at Melinda Trips 2007: Sicily and Peloponnese.
