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Tuscany, Italy - Day 2 San Gimignano As I woke up next morning, I got the great view of the medieval skyscrapers of San Gimignano from my balcony! And I also got surprised to realize that I'd walked all the way from that point last evening. Yes - it was the right choice. The medieval towers of San Gimignano can be best appreciated from a distance! Had I stayed at a hotel within the city wall, I would not have been able to enjoy this fantastic view. It was worth the pain and the suffering last evening. After the breakfast, the hotel called me a taxi to take me to the hilltop of San Gimignano. The weather was very nice and olive trees and vineyards were glistening in the morning sun. |
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Soon arrived at the walled medieval city of towers. On walking through the ancient gate, I felt as if the time had stopped hundreds years ago. The main street leads to the triangular piazza, Piazza della Cisterna where is surrounded by several towers. It is said that the height of the towers represented their owners' wealth and power, and there were once 72 towers back in 13th century! I hear there are only 14 now, but as I counted the number of towers from my hotel room, only 11 were visible. Perhaps, the three unconfirmed towers might have been hidden by taller towers. |
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I climbed to the top of Torre Grossa or Big Tower at the Palazzo del Popolo. This tower is the tallest of all the towers in the town. It was a long climb; it may be tough and scary on its way to the top for those who are acrophobic. You can see all the way down through the stairs! But it really was worth the climb though! Views from the top were spectacular overlooking the rolling hills of Val d'Elsa and amber-colored roofs of medieval houses as well as the surrounding towers. And I was able to find the hotel I was staying all the way in the distance. |
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I got back to the hotel in the late afternoon to get ready to go to Pienza on the next day. From my balcony, I enjoyed gazing over the Tuscan Manhattan. I wonder what the view would be like in autumn or winter. To be continued for Day 3 |
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