| San Gimignano |
San Gimiano is a small medieval town filled with
many towers and surrounded by a giant wall. The
town sits firmly perched atop a large hill that is
surrounded by the Tuscan countryside and is very
much like something you would see out of a history
book or a Conde Nest magazine. The towers were
built by rival families within the city limits as
protection and as a way of seeing approaching
enemies from outside the city. It would not take
much to believe you were back in the 14th century
just walking around on the narrow streets.
We mostly stayed to the main street which was lined
completely with little shops. Purses, trinkets, wine,
food, you name it, it was there. On the way back
from lunch I stopped in a few stores and purchased
some wine. The wines were all in Euros and far
cheaper than they would have been back in the
states, so I loaded up! Leslie purchased some
purses. As you can see from a few of the pictures, I
was quite enamored with the process of paying for
the purse. (Okay, I admit, it was the girl behind the
counter!) Her father, who was sitting next to the
counter, did not speak English and would ask her to
translate for him. He was quite a character! He
wanted to know what part of the States we were
from and when we said Texas, his eyes got wide and
he yelled “Longhorn!” as he made imaginary horns
out of the side of his head. We had to crack up, it
was hilarious! At least he didn’t ask who shot JR!
Lunch was quite a treat in of itself. The restaurant
was located in the plaza at the top of the hill and
from the outside it looked like nothing special.
However, once you entered, you immediately went
up these stairs to a higher level where the seating
area was in the back surrounded on three sides with
an elevated view of San Gimiano and the Tuscan
Countryside. Absolutely spectacular views and I
spent half my lunch hanging out the windows taking
photographs. It was here that we discovered a little
known white wine that was local to San Gimiano
known as Vernaccia di San Gimiano. It is a light
refreshing little white wine and it was delicious. I
didn’t buy any to take back to the states, but
perhaps I should have. I have been successful
finding it in a couple of stores here in Dallas like
Pogo’s and Sigel’s, but most people don’t carry it.
It is perfect for hot summer days! The lunch I guess
was pretty good, but since I can’t remember what we
ate, it must not have been spectacular.
After lunch and a little shopping in town, we headed
back to the buses and off to our final adventure for
the day. Little did we know that it would be one of
the most memorable events of the trip and perhaps
our lifetime!
many towers and surrounded by a giant wall. The
town sits firmly perched atop a large hill that is
surrounded by the Tuscan countryside and is very
much like something you would see out of a history
book or a Conde Nest magazine. The towers were
built by rival families within the city limits as
protection and as a way of seeing approaching
enemies from outside the city. It would not take
much to believe you were back in the 14th century
just walking around on the narrow streets.
We mostly stayed to the main street which was lined
completely with little shops. Purses, trinkets, wine,
food, you name it, it was there. On the way back
from lunch I stopped in a few stores and purchased
some wine. The wines were all in Euros and far
cheaper than they would have been back in the
states, so I loaded up! Leslie purchased some
purses. As you can see from a few of the pictures, I
was quite enamored with the process of paying for
the purse. (Okay, I admit, it was the girl behind the
counter!) Her father, who was sitting next to the
counter, did not speak English and would ask her to
translate for him. He was quite a character! He
wanted to know what part of the States we were
from and when we said Texas, his eyes got wide and
he yelled “Longhorn!” as he made imaginary horns
out of the side of his head. We had to crack up, it
was hilarious! At least he didn’t ask who shot JR!
Lunch was quite a treat in of itself. The restaurant
was located in the plaza at the top of the hill and
from the outside it looked like nothing special.
However, once you entered, you immediately went
up these stairs to a higher level where the seating
area was in the back surrounded on three sides with
an elevated view of San Gimiano and the Tuscan
Countryside. Absolutely spectacular views and I
spent half my lunch hanging out the windows taking
photographs. It was here that we discovered a little
known white wine that was local to San Gimiano
known as Vernaccia di San Gimiano. It is a light
refreshing little white wine and it was delicious. I
didn’t buy any to take back to the states, but
perhaps I should have. I have been successful
finding it in a couple of stores here in Dallas like
Pogo’s and Sigel’s, but most people don’t carry it.
It is perfect for hot summer days! The lunch I guess
was pretty good, but since I can’t remember what we
ate, it must not have been spectacular.
After lunch and a little shopping in town, we headed
back to the buses and off to our final adventure for
the day. Little did we know that it would be one of
the most memorable events of the trip and perhaps
our lifetime!
