Routes around Tuscan towns

Since many of you have been asking for articles on the towns in Tuscany we are going to start a section of the blog focusing on routes to various Tuscan towns that can be made in a single day.

Today we will talk about the following route:
Siena - San Gimignano - Monteriggioni

This route is undoubtedly one of the most appealing of those that can be made in one day.

Starting in Siena and parking in the "Stadio di Siena" or in "Piazza del Mercato" you will find yourselves practically in the centre of town and just a 10 minute walk from the beautiful Piazza del Campo, one of the most impressive historical monuments in the city.

Your visit ought to continue towards the Duomo. The Duomo, or Cathedral, is 10 minutes on foot from the Piazza and certainly a place which any visit to Siena should include. It is simply exquisite, and in my opinion, the most beautiful cathedral in Italy after San Pedro. Its beauty is not only saved for its exteriors but its interiors are even more magnificent. Siena was one of the wealthiest cities in the world during the Middle Ages and the people wanted the cathedral to be the most beautiful in the world. Inside the cathedral you will find stunning mosaics and works of art by the great artists from different eras.

Once you�ve finished in the cathedral I recommend a walk around the centre, strolling its especially narrow and charming streets, and also two very quick visits to the Accademia Chigiana (Siena�s Academy of Music) and to Palazzo Salimbeni (the historical headquarters of the oldest bank in the world, Banco Monte dei Paschi di Siena).

This visit to Siena should last around 3 hours, finishing around 12. 30 if you�ve started your day promptly! Now you can head to Monteriggioni. 

 Monteriggioni is an interesting medieval village situated about 15km from Siena and so can be reached very quickly on this route. I suggest you have lunch here as it has a couple of particularly nice restaurants: The first is Bar dell Orso where you can eat a simple but delicious meal of cold cuts, cheese and good wine on the splendid terrace, The other restaurant I recommend is called il Pozzo and is found in Monteriggioni itself in the central square. Il Pozzo is certainly more expensive but a more elegant dining experience where you can enjoy excellent homemade pasta dishes. This restaurant also has a lovely little terrace so you can eat al fresco but in the shade.  

Monteriggioni has a small church which I certainly consider to be worth a visit as its towers and medieval walls are still in perfect condition.

About 3 in the afternoon you should be thinking about leaving Monteriggioni to head to San Gimignano. This little town is well known for its medieval architecture, one of the gems of the region. It has conserved many of the towers which in the Middle Ages belonged to wealthy merchants and families that wanted to show off their power to the rest of the city.

San Gimignano has an interesting cathedral with marvellous frescoes by Ghirlandaio, but even a walk through the city is an experience. In the highest part of town there is a bar with panoramic views where you might want to relax with a glass of wine.

If you leave around 17.30 you will have plenty of time to go back to your accommodation to get ready for an excellent Tuscan dinner� 

I hope you�ve enjoyed this article and have taken away some useful information.

As always, comments are welcome and particularly appreciated if you have something interesting to add regarding the topic discussed.

How to plan an itinerary through Tuscany

Dear Friends,  

Today�s article will not be devoted to describing a new route, but rather will focus on giving some useful advice to consider when you decide to plan an itinerary through the region.

 

1- The first piece of advice that I want to give you is regarding the choice of accommodation along the way, or where to make your �base camp�. This decision is fundamental if you plan to really get to know Tuscany, for which it is ideal to position yourself near the A1 motorway or near a motorway such as the Florence-Siena or Siena-Betolle ones. It is important to choose accommodation near the routes of communication because this will allow you to get around quickly without wasting a lot of time on minor or national roads. 

2- On the same matter, I suggest that you stick to your chosen accommodation, since if you opt for a central place near the Florence-Siena-Bettolle motorway or A1 nowhere in Tuscany will be further than 2 hours away which will mean you can make daytrips to various places in the region.  

3- Furthermore, if you can make your accommodation near to a town reachable on foot this will be useful for the evening since restaurants and bars will just be a few minutes away and you won�t have to rely on the car or worry about being caught out for drinking on your return- checks in Italy are very frequent!

4- Another point to consider when planning your itinerary is not to include more than two or three towns. Seeing as Tuscany�s artistic heritage is vast and in each town, no matter how small, there is sure to be plenty to see.

5 � If you are planning a route by public transport, probably the most appropriate base would be Siena or Florence.  Although I don�t especially suggest this way of exploring Tuscany, buses leave daily from both of these cities to the majority of places of interest. As such you can visit a town a day. From Florence, as well as the buses there are many trains to the majority of cities in Tuscany. 

6- Meals. If on your itinerary you don�t want to spend a lot of money on restaurants I suggest that at mealtimes you enjoy a �Pizza al taglio� where you can buy large slices of pizza to go. In almost every town there are places like this and the pizza is usually very cheap. Another alternative that works well in Italy is to go to the first grocer�s shop you find and they will prepare you a good sandwich filled with local products.

7 � Airports. Making a good choice of airport is also important. I don�t advise you to fly to Florence with Meridian since they are never punctual and often cancel flights due to technical problems. Always look for flights to Pisa and Rome as an alternative. Considering that if you stay in the south of Tuscany Rome and Pisa are almost equidistant.

8 �Mobile Phones. If it is important for you to keep in mobile phone contact you should bear in mind that there are still areas in Tuscany with very little network coverage or even without any.  Take care to check when reserving your accommodation that there is network available in your chosen place.

9 � Speed checks and Fines. In the majority of towns as well as on the motorways there is a speed checking system, as well as restricted traffic zones, so be attentive to driving hours if you don�t want to be fined.

10 �Street safety. All cities in Tuscany are extremely peaceful. The only city where you should pay a bit more attention to your bag or wallet is Florence. In any case the greatest risk that you will find is pickpocketing.  

I would be delighted if you can add anything to this certainly not exhausted list by leaving your own advice in the comments section.

I hope this information will prove useful.

The Olive Oil �World� in Tuscany

Dear Friends,

Today I want to speak to you about a special event that a great friend of mine, Andrea, together with the property owner of a small rural hotel near Siena, Borgo San Fedele, are organizing at the end of October.

The event that will last a week will be devoted to various topics from tourism in the towns and cities of Tuscany, to music and gastronomy, wine tasting, and above all the culture and �world� that revolves around Tuscan olive oil, probably the most famous and esteemed at an international level. 

Throughout the week various demonstrations and talks will take place, allowing the lucky ones that can attend the event, to learn all about the process carried out in the making of this �liquid gold�- from the harvest to the crushing of the fruit, explaining the full details of the procedure.

Attendees can stay in a completely restructured Hamlet a few km from Siena and from here can participate in a different activity each day learning all the secrets of the olive oil world. There will of course also be plenty of gastronomic opportunities such as a meal at Dario Cecchini (one of my favourite restaurants), as well as evenings of live jazz music.

 

If you�re thinking of visiting Tuscany this Autumn and are particularly interested in the olive oil �world� you can send an email to Andrea (capanno2000@libero.it)who will send you the full program of events as well as the prices.

As always I hope that this article might not just be useful for my good friend Andrea but also for some of you that, after reading it, might consider the possibility of gifting or sharing this unique experience with someone special to you.