A Second Day in Tuscany

This morning we rose to travel North West of Siena. There are several small cities that are out of the way – off the beaten path of the tour buses – and that have a particular charm that must not be missed. We spent the day in San Gimignano and Volterra.

The first problem was getting to San Gimignano. We had to navigate traffic along the roads in and out Siena – and then along SR 2 through Poggibonsi to San Gimignano. The Italian road system is at best a little confusing. If Patton had followed the road signs as he moved through Italy, he would still be circling the round-abouts in Rome.

But, once we made it to San Gimignano, it was a great experience. We parked at a city parking area and took the city bus to the top of the Fortress. It saved us a lot of energy, walking the steep streets. And, we spent that saved energy shopping for things that we really wanted – at the best prices we’ve seen. The town is greatly preserved from the 13th century and the naturally fortified fortress is amazing. Most of the major buildings in the city centre date from the 1200s and the 1300s and the little buildings are amazingly well preserved examples of medieval architecture. There are 14 medieval towers in the town, all still standing and in pretty good condition. And the town is known for having probably the best saffron in Italy – and the best Tuscan white wines come from the vineyards around the fortress.

Then we headed west for one of the most rewarding experiences we’ve had on the entire trip. The drive from San Gimignano to the medieval city of Volterra. The drive was more than 40 kilometers along one of the most scenic road we’ve been on. The city is located on one of the highest points in all of Tuscany and, on a clear day you can see the Mediterranean. It was a wonderful drive and we looked down on miles and miles of Tuscan countryside. Volterra used to be one of the most important Etruscan cities in Italy and the Etruscan Museum in town is one of the best in the world, behind the Vatican Museum. We had lunch of the city square and looked on the City Hall which claims to be the oldest of any Tuscan village and was designed after the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence.

On the way home we drove through Siena, following roads that went up, down, sideways and then up sideways and down sideways. By the time we got to the centre, we were too exhausted to fight the swarms of tourists that were starting to trek through the tourist sections. It seemed that we’d already seen the best of the best, so we decided to drive back to the hotel and have a good bottle of San Felice wine and relax.

After all, we had to pack and get ready for the trip back to Florence to catch the train, tomorrow, for Rome…… AH Roma…