Having visitors is a great reason to head to some favourite places. We had excellent spring weather for our short visit to beautiful San Gimignano where we stayed for the night.
San Gimignano is rightly popular and can be crowded. It is a gorgeous Tuscan hill town surrounded by 13th century walls, and famous for its medieval architecture and its remaining 14 tower houses.
There are lots of interesting shops in San Gimignano selling Tuscan delights.
The Piazza della Cisterna is the centre of the town, named for the 1287 cistern. At the centre is a well which was the main source of water for the town. It was built in 1346, but has been renewed in the late 20th century.
Most visitors leave in the late afternoon, leaving the streets much more pleasant to wander in.
A lovely view in the morning on our way out of San Gimignano.
A short distance away is Siena where we stayed the next night. The town was a commercial and banking centre in the 13th and 14th centuries and is the home of the world’s first bank, Monte dei Paschi di Siena, which has been operating since 1472. We were at our local branch recently sorting a problem with digital banking.
We parked at the railway station for the bargain price of €2 per day and walked into the historical centre through an old portal.
We came upon a church in the porcupine Contrada. These are the districts which divide the town into 17 sections. Each one is represented in the Palio, the famous horse race.
We slowly walked towards the centre.
The Palazzo Salimbeni was the original headquarters and remains the possession of the bank Monte dei Paschi de Siena.
The magnificent Duomo is my favourite in Italy. It was begun in the 12th century, with the facade completed in 1380.
The pulpit is a 13th century masterpiece by Nicola Pisano, with lion pedestals and bas-relief panels.
The Piccolomini library is stunning. It was very crowded on this visit, we shuffled through.
The frescoes were painted by Pinturicchio, the little painter. He painted himself and his friend Raffaello into this one. (In the bottom left)
The Piazza del Campo is the shell shaped town square. Palazzo Pubblico with the Torre del Mangia sits grandly at the bottom of the sloping piazza.
The stunning Fonte Gaia, in the centre of the Campo, is popular with pigeons. It is built on the site of the original fountain from 1342. In 1419 the present decorative frame was constructed by Jacopo della Quercia. In 1858 the original marble panels were replaced by copies.
The pigeons have an audience.
We had dinner at this lovely restaurant. It was a bit cool so we reluctantly rejected the outside tables.
We drove through the gorgeous Tuscan hills to our next destination.
It was a public holiday the day we tried to visit Montalcino.There was not a single car parking space to be had so we drove to nearby San Quirico d’Orcia where we finally found one after circling for some time.
San Quirico d’Orcia is a small town with only 2,500 residents. We were there recently and were happy to return. For a tiny town is has a lot to see.
Collegiate church of San Quirico.
Church of Madonna di Vitaleta.
Church of Santa Maria Assunta.
The stunning garden, Horti Leonini.
When we were in San Quirico d’Orcia we were unable to go to this lovely cafe.
Luckily we found room at the central table this time.
The food was delicious, a perfect Tuscan lunch. It is a delightful family run business, we will return.
See more on San Gimignano…
Siena…
San Quirico d’Orcia