San Gimignano, Italy
San Gimignano is absolutely gorgeous. It’s a small medieval walled city in Tuscany, famous for the tall towers and rolling hills of vineyards. It is very small, and can be effectively visited on a day trip from nearby cities such as Sienna or Florence. However, the atmosphere at night is completely different. It’s quiet and romantic. The cobble-stoned streets are dimly lit by softly glowed lights. When we were there, it was uncharacteristically cool for June, which added to the romantic ambience. Dense fogs came in the evening, completely covered the valleys, making San Gimignano towers look like they were floating on clouds. We stayed in a vineyard with an unobstructed view of the whole town, and were mesmerized by the scenery.
You can get here from other cities by car or public transportation. Car is recommended if you want to explore the region. And you should, because it’s beautiful. But you won’t be able to drive your car inside the town walls. There is plenty of paid parking right outside the walls. If I recall correctly, it’s $2 euros/hr. Free parking is available, but further.
San Gimignano is a wine country, wines are cheap and delicious. They have dessert wines (both red and white) which are the specialty of this region. Chiati is also very good. We were treated to many different wines when we were here, all of them ranging from 3-8 euros each, and they were all fantastic. Thuan found grappa and Cuban cigars on this trip, and he is hooked.
If you’re interested in finding good food in San Gimignano, please read my following post: http://iventurous.com/rottieto2001/?p=25
If it wasn’t for our friends’ wedding, we may have not known about this beautiful town. Their wedding was what a wedding should be, intimate, fun and full of personal touches. The backdrop was gorgeous. It is the best wedding that we’ve been to, hands down. Thanks to K & R for sharing your special day with us!
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