San Gimignano in Tuscany. Often called the Medieval Manhattan San Gimignano is known for its numerous stone towers. Built from the 13th century for defensive purposes, fourteen of an original seventy towers remain standing. Historic Centre of San Gimignano. UNESCO World Heritage site. DSC_0322p1
In the late afternoon was a special excursion to San Gimignano. We really regretted not taking a cab from Piazza della Repubblica to our hotel. We only had about 40 minutes to freshen up after an active day in the historic district and a long walk back.
In the event, shortly we were off on the motorcoach to San Gimignano. The Tuscan town is sometimes called the Medieval Manhattan due to its numerous tall towers. So we could gain an idea of its skyline, the coach stopped at a point where we were able to view the entire town and its skyline.
Arriving at San Gimignano itself, we entered the town through the Porta San Giovanni. As we made our way along Via San Giovanni It was quite overcast with rain threatening. The street was lined with souvenir shops as one would expect, but also with jewelry stores. At ground level, if was difficult to see the towers. Only the tops of Torre Grossa, Torre dei Cugnanesi and Torre dei Becci could readily be observed. Along Via San Giovanni were a series of wooden nude sculptures. They were part of the installation of Another Time, a sculptural group
San Gimignano. Porta San Giovanni southern gate. It was the entrance for from Siena along the the Via Francigena. Note the guardhouse at the top. Historic Centre of San Gimignano. UNESCO World Heritage. Inscribed 1990. DSC_0342
By the time Susan and I arrived at Piazza della Cisterna, the center of the historic district, it was dark and rain was falling. We stopped for dinner at Caffeteria dellOlmo and sat under an umbrella on the piazza. It ma have been dark but it was so enjoyable to dine with a view of the medieval Palazzo del Cortesi and Torre del Diavolo. I had a Pizza Bresaola al Rucola and Susan a Pizza Margherita. We followed this with refreshing gelato at the Gelateria dellOlmo. After dinner it was time to retrace our steps to the coach parking area and return to Florence.
