Description: From Siena we took a day trip to San Gimignano, one of Tuscany's most famous hill towns. San G. is surrounded by walls that originally had 14 towers. Today, only several of those towers still stand but the town is well worth a visit.
We took a SITA bus, which took a little over an hour, with one bus change at PoggiBonsi. The bus let us off at the front gate and directly to the right is a fantastic view down the hillside across the Tuscan countryside.
Once inside the walls the tiny cobblestone main street (no cars) traverses the town and is lined with shops and restaurants. In the center of the town is a large piazza with a wishing well. There is where the Duomo (everpresent in a Tuscan village) steps go up on the left.
San G. is a great place to load up on Italian pottery and interesting picnic and meal supplies; pastas, boar sausage, and local wines. And don't forget to stop and sample the gelato.
San G. can be seen in the 1999 movie, "Tea with Mussolini".
Close