San Gimignano, a visit to a Tuscany Hill Town

Recently a few friends from California were in the North of Italy and asked to meet us at the halfway point between us, which happily for us was Tuscany. We love an excuse to journey north and play tourists for the day. Our friends chose the lovely hill town of San Gimignano as a meeting place. The last time we were in Tuscany was about a month ago and the seasonal changes are beautiful to observe when driving through Tuscany.

The landscape was lush green with the abundant rain we have had this year, wild flowers have bust loose in a fury of color. We have the red poppies that have graced us with their presence for about a month now, they are always a welcome sight as they dust the Tuscan countryside with a splash of red.

We have a blue flower growing amongst them and a yellow flowering bush with a heavy sweet fragrance.

The hills of Tuscany are a rolling beauty dotted with stately cypress outlining the homestead of a winery or farm. Patchwork patterns are formed by rows of vineyards freshly green with new growth unfurling and the old, mature silvery green foliage of the olive groves with their gnarled trunks twisted through the ages.

We gasp with delight as every corner we turn reveals a new vista with a castle perched on top a hill with a ancient town crowded around it. The four hour journey flys by and soon we have arrived to the ancient city gates of San Gimignano.

Jeff parks the car in a parking lot outside the city because unauthorized traffic is not allowed. As he parks the car I wheel our “carry on” luggage through the city gate and onto the cobbled streets of San Gimignano. This city had its start with the Etruscans in the third century BC but started to take its shape in the 1200’s when two rival families began building towers to show their wealth. In the next two centuries 72 house towers would be built with towers soaring some 230 feet tall! Today, only 14 of the towers remain which give San Gimignano a unique skyline that is unforgettable perched on its hilltop in the Tuscan hillside.

In 1348 the Black Death blanketed San Gimignano and about half of the townspeople died. They surrendered to Florence and remained in a deep economic depression until the 19 century. This is why it was pickled in a medieval perfection, undisturbed by the building styles of later civilizations. The rest of the towers toppled or were cut off when they surrendered to Florence. You can climb to the top of Torre Grossa (€9) or take a tour of Casa Campatelli complete with its tower (€6). It’s interesting that the towers were actually inhabited houses. In fact the kitchen would be on the highest inhabited floor because they were fearful of a fire and being trapped from the exit.

Today it is a favorite spot for tourist who flock to San Gimignano to catch a glimpse at a picture perfect medieval hill town. There are beautiful restaurants with outstanding views and food. We chose Bel Soggiorno for its views over the Tuscan Countryside. We were not disappointed. I ordered Parpadella with wild boar and Jeff ordered the stewed wild boar with polenta, it paired nicely with a local red wine.

After lunch we spent the afternoon wandering the streets shopping and jostling with other tourists on this sunny June day. I picked up a nice lemon motif table cloth and some hand painted ceramic salad tongs. I can just imagine how they will brighten my summer table at our next dinner or lunch served outside.

Our hotel was situated in the Piazza Della Cisterna, the main plaza of San Gimignano. In the center on the Piazza is a Cistern, or a well that provided water from the residence in 1346, although most of it has been restored.

After our friends returned to Florence by train we took a brief rest and started to tour the town again renewed and refreshed. In the evening all of the “day trippers” have gone leaving the cobbled streets and restaurants to those who have decided to stay the night with the locals of this Medieval town. We make our way through the narrow streets and venture to the top of the hill where the Rocca di Montestaffoli (Castle Fortress) has stood watch since 998 C.E. overlooking the valley below and protecting its citizens. Today you can capture great views of the sunrise and sunset from here.

It’s time for our dinner reservations and we make our way to the outer ancient wall. Our Italian friend recommended that we eat at Le Vecchie Mara (the old wall). We are excited to eat out on the garden veranda overlooking the beautiful Tuscan Valley at Sunset. But the weather was not permitting. Even though the day had been sunny and warm there was predicted thunderstorms from 8 pm onward. So we took ther recommendations and ate inside the cozy restaurant with curved cathedral ceilings and old stone walls.

I ordered the Pici (homemade fat spaghetti noodles) pasta with porchini mushrooms since they are in season and Jeff ordered the stewed beef in wine sauce. We enjoyed our dinner while the rain poured and thunder boomed outside, happy for the wise suggestions of the wait staff! We strolled home under a velvet blue sky, free of rain. We stopped the evening off with gelato, even though it was my second gelato of the day! I enjoyed the same Sicilian flavor of almonds and orange peel, so delicious!

The next morning I woke up with the first sign of light. I had read in reviews that the views from San Gimignano over the Tuscan Valley were breathtaking. So I pulled on my clothes and armed with my cell phone I headed out the door. Much to my chagrin the front doors of my hotel were locked! Isn’t this in violation of fire code?!? But there wasn’t anyone to complain to. Not to be hindered I climbed the stairs up to the second floor were there were beautiful views from the dining room. I decided this would be an ok place to view the sunrise but decided that I should have my iPad in case I wanted to do some writing, so I climbed back down the stairs and retrieved my iPad. Much to my delight someone had left the back door open so I bolted out like an unruly dog ready to be let loose! I walked along the outer walls snapping pictures and smiling at the solitude of the morning, not a soul was around accept for a few locals leaving to go to work.

I had every piazza and walkway to myself. I climbed back up the steps to the Rocca (Fortress) and watch the sunrise over the valley from my prime location perched high above a medieval castle. I understood from this vantage point why Tuscan wines are so good. They live here, in this fertile valley protected by hills that trap the mist like soft blankets nurturing the grapes. I see beautiful stone homes surrounded by cypress trees and vineyards, olive groves and wild flowers. Oh Tuscany, how can you be so beautiful?

At each restaurant that we dined in, I noticed the waiters bringing out beautiful plates of fresh cantaloupe topped with Prosciutto. The recipients were thrilled to receive their culinary “works of art”, that were this months “height of the season”. I thought “when I get home, I am making that!!”. So that is what I did. The moment after we dragged our suitcase up our marble steps, I was walking to my local supermarket. I picked up a ripe cantaloupe and had my butcher carve me some fresh Prosciutto. I carried my packages home and started slicing up my cantaloupe and topped it with the freshly cut Prosciutto. I poured a glass of the famous Vernaccia white wine made in San Gimignano and sat down at our outside table with my newly acquired lemon motif tablecloth and enjoyed the fruit of the season al fresco.

For Other Great Travel Stories from Italy in our Archives:A Morning Run in Nettuno (Published September 10, 2017)