Today we did our first guided tour. We got to the bus at 8:45 for a 9:00am start and headed to the medieval town of San Giminiano.
The Tuscan countryside was absolutely beautiful, and this town was like taking a walk through history. San Giminignano is a walled, medieval town with unique towers that were built as symbols of wealth. Many of the towers still exist today.
After exploring for a while, we sat in the piazza and had a gelato. The gelato in San Gimignano is said to be the best in the world, and it certainly did not disappoint.
We then headed to Albergo Casafrassi, a Chianti winery where we had a taste of two of their wines including their Chianti classico, before having a “typical” Tuscan lunch – pasta.
After lunch we stopped of at Monterigioni, an old medieval fortress built by Siena. The fortress walls are still intact, and it is like walking through medieval history.
Our final stop for the day was the highlight, Siena. Wow. I had heard that Siena was beautiful, but this was entirely unexpected.
The Duomo is even more stunning than the one in Florence. So much detail in Gothic style rather than the Renaissance of Florence.
And then, of course, there is Piazza del Campo. It is absolutely breathtaking.
We were there one week after the running of the Palio. It was also a Sunday, so the winning team had a parade through the streets of Siena, finishing up in a full parade and party in the Piazza del Campo. It was an amazing spectacle.
We got back to Florence after 8pm and decided to head to the Duomo for our last dinner in Florence.
It was a long and tiring day, but so worth it. Siena is an absolute must see city.