Drive Yourself in Tuscany


Tuscany is one of the most touristic and amazing regions in Italy. Obviously the most famous destinations are Florence, Pisa and Siena but you should know that there is more to Tuscany than these cities. In the Lonely Planet travel book I bought for Fabio, we realized that we had a couple of destinations in Italy that we didn't explore yet and one of them is San Gimignano. Honestly, I haven't heard much about it before but we decided to take a car from Pisa on a weekend and have a little Tuscan weekend trip and in this post, I wanted to mention these highlights and our itinerary. 

San Gimignano


San Gimignano is a small town between Siena and Pisa. This medieval town is surrounded by its ancient walls with the old Tuscan architecture present a fantastic view from outside.






In the medieval times, the patrician families of San Gimignano used to build tower houses to represent their wealth and power. Today, you can still see some of them changing the silhouette of the town even though most them got destroyed in the meanwhile.




Today, only the Torre Grossa is open to public. You can climb up the tower with 5€ entrance fee to appreciate the town under your feet and get the panoramic Tuscan view. Alternatively, you can visit Parco di Montestaffoli for free to get a similar view and also capture the towers with the mountain view in the background. Or you can do both, why not!


Since 1990, San Gimignano is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and offers many attractions and sights for its visitors. The city has an amazing architecture with brick buildings, narrow streets and the cutest shops. 

 

Do not forget to visit the panoramic view point to get the best view over grape lands, mountains and the Tuscan landscape. There are some cafes and bars that you can join some lunch (make sure you taste Cinghiale (wild boar) in the shape of salami, pasta sauce, stew, or sausages)  and taste a glass of Vernaccia (white) or Chianti (red) wine. 

 


Piazza della Cisterna is the biggest square in town. You can get something to eat, have a drink, enjoy a gelato or simply walk around just appreciating the buildings and how people look happy visiting a city like this. 



Take a breath under the shadow sitting on the stairs of the church even if you are not up for a fancy restaurant in Piazza delle Erbe. Compared to a regular Italian city, the prices for a coffee is extremely high (2.5€ the cheapest!) so at some point, it makes more sense just to buy a bottle of wine and enjoy your time Italian style. 



Honestly, even if there are small churches and art galleries that you might catch (i'm not gonna mention them here since they keep changing over time) Sam Gimignano is an amazing town just to walk around and capture the beauty of nature and Italian lifestyle.


SPA


Our trip was in the end of September and still, we felt almost like August and the Tuscan sun was more torture than amazing to be under. A week before our trip, we arranged a Groupon deal to stay in Aquaviva Hotel & Spa in the region. So our afternoon and the next morning was well spent in the Spa treatment and the outdoor pool


Colle di Val d'Elsa

After spending the morning relaxing, we decided to visit La Sosta di Pio VII, as Tripadvisor suggested us that this is the only place with the decent recipe of Pappardelle al cinghiale. 



In La Sosta di Pio VII, not only the menu but also the decoration is completely adorable! It's all made in Tuscan style, next to amazing grape fields and with a lot of wine! The place is literally out of nowhere and cannot be found unless you have the directions going there. Honestly, I believe that I was the only non-Italian person when we were there. So, if you have a car for transportation, come here instead of giving all your money on touristic places in popular towns. 



After the lunch, we decided to take a walk in yet another cute town in the neighborhood called Colle di Val d'Elsa. The town has two parts: the recent part below the hill and the historical part on top of the hill. On Sunday morning we saw a cute street market in the main square of the newer part, but we couldn't find the park for our car, so we decided to go directly to the historical part.



Colle di Val d'Elsa is also easy to reach without a car if you are already in Siena. This is a typical Tuscan town, very similar to our other destinations in this little road trip but much less crowded. We could enjoy more the empty and narrow streets with no one else around.



Volterra


Our last destination is Volterra. Volterra has a good thousand years on the other Medieval towns in the area and it is so much fun to walk around the old center. But, what makes Volterra so great is the magnificent panaromic view of town with the amazing Tuscan background from the city walls. 





I have read many blogs searching for this trip and they all recommended Volterra as an alternative for San Gimignano to escape the overwhelming  crowds in the streets and still get the best vibe of medieval towns. Yet, I have to tell you that maybe this information expanded so much, it is not really the case anymore. Furthermore, keep in mind that visiting Volterra with public transportation from Pisa or Florence is easier, so if you want to skip the car rental process, Volterra can be your destination. If you want to skip the crowd and visit a more moderate town, search some more. 


Like most Tuscan cities, there is not much to reach the main square and to get lost following the cute small streets from it. The church in the main square has such a unique architecture that is worth to have a look. 




Besides the medieval architecture and the cool vibes of this little town, don't forget to check out the Roman amphitheater from the first century. The theatre site has been turned into a museum and the entrance is only possible with a travel pass that also involves the roman baths and other attractions. It could be fun to visit those places if you have the time for it, but also keep in mind that this travel pass costs about 14€. Alternatively, you can simply visit the panaromic view spot to look at the theatre from above. 


Legend has it that during a particularly savage barbarian raid, the brothers persuaded the Volterrans to throw bread over the walls to their enemies, fooling them into believing they had enough food to last for months. The disheartened barbarians retreated and the town was spared.

Volterra is a pretty amazing place to finalize your day with a plate of appetizers and a glass of Spritz while enjoying the lively streets. 


Enjoy! 



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