San Gimignano

San Gimignano, which we had glimpsed in the distance as we had lunch, is one of Italy's best preserved medieval towns. It is nicknamed 'the Medieval Manhattan' because of its silhouette on the skyline. 

We had a bit of a walk from the car and bus park, up to the main gate - Porto Giovanni - which helped us walk off our 'light lunch'!

The street (Via San Giovanni) which leads up from this gate is lined with colourful shops selling Tuscan ceramics, leather, and typical food such as wild boar salami and Tuscan cheeses. The street is narrow and paved, and the stone walls of the building line it, soaring up over our heads. Many of these buildings had fancy wooden doors, with elaborate door handles and door knockers.

Via San Giovanni leads to the Piazza della Cisterna, San Gimignano's main square. Here we found the Gelato shop our tour guide had told us about, the award winning Gelateria Di Piazza. This shop won the title of World Champion for their artisan-made gelato. (There is another Gelateria nearby which sports a sign saying it is 'the best in the world' but we were told that they are just being cheeky.) Despite the fact that we'd not long eaten a huge lunch, Lindy and I had to try a gelato. I had a small cupola (cup) - not the smallest, but small - with a scoop each of blueberry and caramel. Lindy ordered a fancy cone, the top of which was covered with chocolate and nuts, also with 2 scoops.

After this second dessert, we continued climbing up a slight incline to the Piazza Duomo, where the town hall and the former Duomo, now known as the Collegiata, face each other. We elected not to go inside, although we read that its plain exterior belies the interior, which is filled with colourful frescoes. We also decided that we could not face a climb of 150 steps, up through the Torre Grossa, despite the promise of 360-degree views. I'd San Gimignano twice before, and the surrounding Elsa valley this time, so that was enough for me.

The climb to La Rocca may have been possible, but we were running out of time. There were a couple of shops we'd seen in Via San Giovanni that we wanted to stop at on our return to the bus, to buy a couple of souvenirs, so, reluctantly, we began our walk back to the car park.