San Gimignano

Two separate fellow travellers we met on our way recommended this small medieval hill town in the centre of Tuscany, so we made sure we added it to our itinery - and what a treat it was!



















Alex thinks I am mad, but I just love the washing hanging out of the windows!







San Gimignano, 'San Gimigargo', as we called it, with it's surrounding walls dating from the thirteenth century, is famous for it's towers, two of which were built by opposing families, trying to outdo each other. As you can see, we climbed one of them. We just love climbing towers, I think we must be professional tower climbers by now, 'no tower too high, no staircase too narrow, no tread too trodden, we do the lot!'

We visited an excellent contemporary art gallery, which was a bit of a surprise, and the archeology museum and original town hall. We used the local bus (where we were the only non Italian speakers and the only people under 70 years old), we ate pizza (again!) and we shopped!

And boy, did we shop - local San Gimignano wine, cheese, pasta, salami, ceramics and artwork. It was such a lovely day and such a gorgeous little place, and it was wonderful to see it without tourists (well, maybe just the four of us..), you could almost imagine that this could be your normal life.

Ok, so I know I wouldn't last long with no pubs, no movies, no clothes shops, maybe no Jaffa cakes...(?), but I can dream, can't I? Maybe Alex and I can retire there, when I am not so worried about all of those things - and when we have learned to speak Italian of course!

Beautiful. Loved it, loved it, loved it!

Love
Est xxx