Thursday, June 8, 2023
Since we were up so early yesterday, we relaxed at our villa where breakfast was included in our stay and it was quite a spread each morning.
Chris and Dave were busy planning out our adventures. Chris did a lot of research on the medieval towns around the area.
Late morning we left for San Gimignano which was the town we could see from our villa. The city was named after the bishop of Modena, San Gimignano who they believed saved the city from Attila the Hun.
There are 14 remaining of the 72 towers that originally existed. These were tower houses that symbolized wealth and power of the owners.
It originally was an Etruscan village and it’s location along the Via Francigena pilgrimage route allowed it to grow. The Via Francigena was an ancient road/route from Canterbury in England, through France, Switzerland, and through Italy to Rome and on to Apulia which had ports for embarkation to the Holy Land.
San Gimignano’s historic center is a UNESCO world heritage site.
We visited the Collegiata, a Roman Cathedral.
The frescoes in the cathedral date from the 14th century.
After our visit of the church, six of us climbed the Torre Grossa’s 214 steps, the tallest tower in San Gimignano. It was 177 feet tall. Its walls are a little over 6 feet thick. It was worth the climb to experience the panoramic views of the city.
San Bartolo church was anciently dedicated to St. Matthew. This church went under complete reconstruction in 1173. It was devoted to St. Bartolo who was a local saint who died in 1299.
It was always worth stopping in to wine shops to have a wine tasting or just to enjoy a glass!
San Gimignano was known for its Vernaccia di San Gimignano wine which was made from white wine grapes. In fact, I read that is was so famous that it was even mentioned in Dante’s Inferno.
Below were some pictures from our exploration of the town.
After a fun time spent in San Gimignano, we had purchased some wine, cheese, and salami to enjoy at the villa in the evening because we had a late lunch in the town.
It was another great day!
