Siena and San Gimignano

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  Le torri
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  Drogheria toscana

Our driver will take you first to Siena. To visit this city you must walk in the small streets between the ancientand beautiful old buildings inside the fortified walls of the medieval city. To visit Siena recommend turning for four hours. SIENA Art and Culture in Siena To get the hang of Siena it helps if you appreciate that the city is still divided into Terzi, or Thirds, known as the Thirds of the City, of San Martino and of Camollia. By devoting a simple itinerary to each of these Thirds, we can help you understand the city's history and discover its foremost works of art. The Terzo di Città, or Third of the City, was the original residential nucleus of Siena that relied on the Castelvecchio for its defense. Terzo di Camollia “Cor Magis Tibi Sena Pandit”” (Siena opens its heart to you more than its gates). This sentence, written on the arch of the walls, marks the start of our itinerary of the Terzo di Camollia. The facts in this brochure do not substitute a guide but are enough to captivate those who love discovering cities in unusual ways, off the beaten tourist track. Terzo di San Martino and Piazza del Campo The Terzo di San Martino was formed along the Via Francigena, the road which pilgrims took to reach Rome. The name of the district, therefore, is not accidental: San Martino (St. Martin) was in fact the patron saint of pilgrims and travellers. Siena: the cradle of fine food and wine, of ancient arts and crafts. Let us lead you on a journey of discovery that will delight the mind and entice the senses.

Our good driver is waiting in the parking lot to continue the hike in this beautiful part of Tuscany and the visit ofSiena travel with him for thirty minutes in the beautiful scenic Tuscan countryside in the summer and is full ofbeautiful flowers, sunflowers or red poppies and arrive in San Gimignano, the medieval city of towers. To visit themedieval village have to walk for two hours but if this time is just for you, our driver will meet you again.  Rises on a hill (334m high) dominating the Elsa Valley with its towers. Once the seat of a small Etruscan village of the Hellenistic period (200-300 BC) it began its life as a town in the 10th century taking its name from the Holy Bishop of Modena, St. Gimignano, who is said to have saved the village from the barbarian hordes. The town increased in wealth and developed greatly during the Middle Ages thanks to the "Via Francigena" the trading and pilgrim's route that crossed it. Such prosperity lead to the flourishing of works of art to adorn the churches and monasteries. In 1199 it became a free municipality and fought against the Bishops of Volterra and the surrounding municipalities. Due to internal power struggles it eventually divided into two factions one headed by the Ardinghelli family (Guelphs) and the other by the Salvucci family (Ghibellines). On the 8th May 1300 Dante Alighieri came to San Gimignano as the Ambassador of the Guelph League in Tuscany. In 1348 San Gimignano's population was drastically reduced by the Black Death Plague throwing the city into a serious crisis which eventually led to its submission to Florence in 1353. In the following centuries San Gimignano overcame its decline and isolation when its beauty and cultural importance together with its agricultural heritage were rediscovered. The construction of the towers dates back to the 11th and 13th centuries. The architecture of the city was influenced by Pisa, Siena and Florence. There are 14th century paintings of the Sienese School to be seen and 15th century paintings the Florentine School.

This private tour is very nice and interesting and we will recommend it to relax because the good things that are many and you will see lots of pictures but there are also natural balconies where the views are beautiful and ouradvice to you and stay for some hours still to breathe the air of these places and the scents of the Tuscan countryside. You can ask our driver a tip for a stop at a nice restaurant or wine shop or visit a winery. In the countryside of San Gimignano, there are two typical products of great importance: the first is the cold white winecalled Vernaccia and an old and special spice called: saffron. If you want a good meal on a farm in this area, you can book a room in a farm that produces saffron which you can taste the pasta and the Vernaccia wine.