The town itself is in the middle of nowhere. However, this makes for an incredibly scenic drive in through rolling hills, past hordes of cyclists, and right through the heart of wine country. I noticed the altitude increasing as we pulled in to town by the way my ears were popping- and by the sudden temperature drop when I stepped out of the bus.
There are roughly six or seven roads that run throughout the city. Each passes giant medieval piazzas that feature roman cisterns- wells that have operated and brought fresh water to the city since the era of the Caesars. The obvious feature of the town is it's "sky scrapers." People come from around the world to take pictures with these enormous 12th century towers that seem to rise in to the air out of nowhere. We climbed the largest one, "Torre Grosse," located at the Palazzo Communale (or old city hall). Like most towers or high rises in Italy, the climb was narrow and constricting, and I got stuck several times (attempting to make a resolution to lay off the gelatto--- not gonna happen!). The view from the top was arguably the most striking in Tuscany. Since there is nothing around the town for miles, you can look out over rolling hills and lush fields and see the towns off in the distance. You can even make out the mountains that form Florence's valley.
Of the 72 towers that once stood in this town that spans approximately 2 miles, there are only about 14 that still remain. I read that it was once possible to cross the entire town by walking on top of the towers. The initial structures were built for defensive purposes- to protect the Guelph city from Ghibbeline invaders. The rest were built by patriarchs of the region's richest families- whose big egos led them to make even bigger towers.
After climbing to the tower, we had lunch in a cafe. With the sun pouring down on the medieval piazza, it could not have been a more perfect and relaxing atmosphere. The local wine is Verrancia San Gimignano, a variety of white that is in the exact center between bitter and sweet whites. Essentially, it would be impossible not to enjoy this wine. As I ordered the bottle for our table, I was the first to "taste" it. I wasn't aware of the wine etiquette in Italy. The waiter pours whoever ordered a taste; they taste the wine and if they like it, the waiter will serve everyone starting with the first woman to his left. I also learned that it is poor form to hold a glass of white by the glass, instead it must be done with the stem so that the wine won't overheat. SOPHISTICATION!
After lunch, we took a little hike to what we thought said medieval fountain. I think it must have been a medieval bath or possibly a well... This is what we found after following these signs in to the middle of nowhere:
We also found a beautiful hiking trail that surrounds the entire town. Though not marked by any signs or mentioned by any guidebooks, this trail was my favorite part of the town. The whole trail was a panoramic outlook, overlooking centuries old villas and vineyards. Here's a few pictures from the trail:
After walking back in to town to grab some gelatto and some souvenir bottles of wine, we boarded a bus that was overflowing with tourists, locals, and Italian middle schoolers. I literally had no room on the bus- my face was shoved in to some one's arm pit, and my arm pit was flush against someone's face. Beautiful. It was very funny to hear all the Italian kids ask the bus driver to stop (they yell PROSSIMA!!!!!!). Since they all were getting off at the same stop, they took turns yelling Prossima for several minutes. It was quite funny. Speaking of Italian middle schoolers, I got an internship teaching English at Sesto's Middle School- I start a week from Wednesday!
Should be a terrific week coming up- going to the pub tomorrow night to watch NFL games, opera tuesday night!
Bunoa Sera!
No comments:
Post a Comment