San Gimignano
by micas_pt
San Gimignano is a lovely village to visit, set on top of a hill on the plains of Tuscany. It is often called the Manhattan of Tuscany due to its medieval high towers.
We found San Gimignano too touristy and loaded with buses full of visitors; still, we don’t regret having visited as we found it really beautiful and ideal for a daytrip. The worst it may happen is that you have to wait longer to visit some monument.
Major highlights of the medieval village are the towers, walls, churches and narrow cobbled streets.
The streets of San Gimignano
by croisbeauty
San Gimignano has typical medieval structure with short and narrow streets and the houses thickly congested to each other. Besides, most of the streets are curved while some of them arched or corridor-looked. I like that kind of structure which offers you to see the people faces when passing by.
Try the Gelato!!!
by ct-bound
When I read about the great Tuscan Gelato ('possibly Italy's best contribution to the world'), I was skeptical. I mean, I've had some pretty damn good ice cream! Haagen-Dasz, Ben&Jerry's??
Well, in San Gimignano, I tried the gelato (pistachio, vanilla, and caramel, I think). And I couldn't believe it. I really couldn't believe it was possible for anything to taste THAT good! The only problem was, after that, I couldn't stop and had to have gelato at least a couple times a day, every day we were in Italy!
But, it was never quite as good as the gelato in San Gimignano!
Piazza della Cisterna
by micas_pt
Piazza della Cisterna (Square of the Well) is a pleasant square, with a well (cistern) and some very nice buildings around. This square was once the place for open-air markets and feasts. Nowadays it houses some restaurants and cafes with tables on the open air.
The cistern that names the square was built in 1237 and later enlarged in 1346. Apart from the well, this square is also noticeable for the mansions and towers that surround it – the Tower and Mansion of Pellari, the twin Towers of Ardinghelli, the Lupi Tower and also the Cetti and Tortoli Mansions.
Narrow streets
by micas_pt
Wondering around San Gimignano and trying to escape from crowds we went into the less visited streets, where we came across the “true” San Gimignano inhabitants. Houses are not as well kept as the ones you see on the main streets, but when looking at them you get a sense of real life there, unlike the others (some of them are “too perfect”). Clothes hanging to dry on the windows, cats lazying on the shadow, ladies at the windows or backyards on their daily life. Very interesting to discover and enjoy, this was our favourite part of San Gimignano.
Lovely town
Arco della Cancelleria
il Palazzo Comunale e la Torre Grossa
San G., me with pink umbrella on central square
