We were all up at a reasonable time today as we had arranged to meet Niccolò at 9:30am to settle the rent for the villa and then he would take us on one of the two tours we had pre-arranged with him. Today we would be doing a tour of some castle towns in the region so we piled into Niccolò's van and started the trip. The van was able to fit all seven of us very comfortably with possible exception of the back, which was a bit tight but still not bad. Throughout the day we rotated around and we were never driving for more than 20 minutes or so, so it was all good.
Our first stop was San Gimignano, which was situated southwest of Florence in the province of Siena
. This town once had 72 towers but now there are only 14 still standing. Each major family in the town would erect a tower as part of their building, the height of which was a statement of their wealth as the more money they had they more higher they could afford to build. It was a game of oneupmanship until finally the town erected a tower 200 meters high and passed a law that no family could build a tower higher than the town tower. Niccolò told us of one family that had bent the rules by building two towers attached to their one building, which combined were taller than all the rest. Over centuries the decline of the towns stature throughout the years of the Plague and feuds with surrounding towns, which aligned with either the Emperor or the Bishop that ruled the area, led to decay and many of the town’s towers and buildings had fallen. Still, the town’s main walls and 14 towers are still standing and the town is now a mecca of shops to feed the tourists stomachs and shopping bags, which is now the primary generation of wealth
.
Niccolò dropped us off at one side of the town and we spent a couple of hours walking the streets of San Gimignano, at times getting separated wandering in and among the little shops. The town was situated on a hill, as most of these castle towns are, and the streets were quite hilly and steep, but they afforded a fantastic panoramic view of the surrounding Tuscan countryside. We gathered to meet up with Niccolò who was patiently waiting on the steps at the foot of the church in the center of town and then he went off to get the van to meet us at the other side of town so we could walk all the way across it. We were passed on the street by a man and woman leading a donkey with all their baggage. Niccolò informed us that they were likely walking the Via Francigena an ancient road and pilgrimage route running from Canterbury to Rome, passing through England, France, Switzerland and Italy. Again we lost Connie and the girls who had ducked into yet another shop. Finally we all regrouped and climbed into the van for a short ride to the next town.
The next town we visited was Siena, which was actually a small city in size. As with most of the ancient towns in Tuscany it was situated on a hill and there was much walking up and down steep streets leading to the town center, which also served as a horse racing circuit. Twice a year the Palio di Siena is held on the road circling the Piazzo del Campo and inside this the center area is shaped like a shell so that people can stand in the center and watch the races
. We wandered around the Piazza for a short while and then sat down for a lunch. Bubba, Niccolò and I had the wild boar stew, which was fantastic. Steve, Bubba and I shared a large bottle of Moretti, which tasted oddly like a second bottle. After a very tasty feed we continued our stroll around the town and made our way to the Duomo, which is a fantastic display of white and green marble as well as intricate sculptures. While we didn’t go inside due to time constraints, we did see some pictures and the interior is even more intricate and awe inspiring than the outside. We took a circling route back to the Piazzo and from there made our way back to the van.
Heading back in the direction of Firenze, our next and final stop was at Monteriggioni, yet another hill top town, although this time the town was flat. Good thing as we were starting to feel like mountain goats and both Steve and Connie were close to collapse. This was a very small medieval walled town built by the Sienese in 1214–19 as a front line in their wars against Florence with all the walls and towers still intact
. Inside the walls were just a few buildings, a church (of course), and a large open central area. You could cross from one side of town to the other in just a few minutes. There was no wandering around this time as most of us just grabbed a seat at one of the two patios in the piazzo and enjoyed a drink while taking in the surroundings, mostly to give our weary legs a rest. No matter though as from this vantage one could see everything the town had to offer. For a fee we could do walk along the top of the wall a portion of the way around, but none of us had the energy to do it nor the time as it was now getting towards the end of the day. Once we were done our beverages, we went back through the front entrance and met up with Niccolò to take our return trip to the villa. We made a short stop at the top of the hill just past the villa as the sun was just starting to set and the photo op was amazing.
Once back at the villa, Bubba, Tracy and I jumped into the Alfa and drove to Pontassieve to get some groceries for dinner. After a dinner of some leftovers from the night before as well as some additions from the grocery store, some of us had a nice relaxing evening out on the patio while others relaxed in the living room watching TV. We pretty much all turned in by 11:30pm, wiped out from the day of touring and walking around.
The Castle Tour
Monday, September 21, 2015
Siena, Tuscany, Italy
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Comments

2025-02-15
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John
2015-09-23
Herb, this blog reads better than Game of Thrones. Always waiting for the next episode! Sounds like you are all having a good time. Enjoy and give Connie, Laurie and ok, Steve too, big hugs and kisses for Colleen and I. J.
Wanda McClure
2015-09-25
Love all of the pictures! especially the old buildings and the Duomo at Siena