Travels in Tuscany--San Gimignano (Part 3 of 3)

Our tour of San Gimignano also included a visit to the civic museum in the medieval town hall, which houses a collection of wonderful medieval art. 

The medieval town hall in San Gimignano

A photo of the courtyard leading to the civic museum.  The museum is located in the town hall, San Gimignano's seat of government for more than 700 years.  The courtyard is covered with ancient frescoes.

A fresco from the Middles Ages in the courtyard leading to the civic museum.

Detail from the painting above.  This cannot be good.

St. Bartholomew was one tough saint.

St.. Bart being faithful until the very end.

In the town hall is a meeting room once visited by Dante.  Dante came to San Gimignano from Florence in 1300 as an ambassador to ask the leaders of San Gimigano to ally with Florence and the Guelph League.  The meeting room where Dante spoke has since been known as the Sala di Dante.  Dante failed to persuade his audience and San Gimignano remained a free state for another 50 years until eventually falling under Florence's control.

The Sala di Dante

Thanks for visiting San Gimignano with us.

P.S.  Below is a photo of some random dude.  Apparently, he was so happy visiting San Gimignano that "jaz hands" made an appearance.  Good times. 

Travels in Tuscany--San Gimignano (Part 2 of 3)

Following lunch, we arrived in San Gimignano. 

Here is some interesting information from the town's website:

• According to legend, in 63 B.C. two young brothers, Muzio and Silvio, escaping from Rome after their implication in "a conspiracy to overthrow the government," came to this hilltop.
• The name San Gimignano probably comes from the bishop of Modena. According to legend, during the barbaric invasions the saint appeared miraculously on the city walls, and saved the town.
• San Gimignano had its first inhabitants in prehistory, but the first relevant settlements date back to the archaic Etruscan period.
• San Gimignano mainly developed in the middle ages, thanks to its favorable geographical position.  During that period, the Via Francigena became the route of pilgrims who travelled to Rome, mainly from France.
• The plague of 1348 decimated two thirds of the population of 13,000 and, since then, San Gimignano has experienced a long period of decline in the shadow of the dominant Florence.
• San Gimignano's historical center is a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site.

The day we visited the town, it was rainy and there were few other visitors.  So, we were able to leisurely roam the street, enjoy window-shopping and visit the town's museum, including one of the tallest towers still standing in the town.

The most striking feature of the town is its medieval character.  San Gimignano reached its pinnacle in the middle ages and quickly declined following the Black Plague in 1348. The town seems locked in time in the early 1300's with very few changes over the past seven centuries.  The town's ancient walls are still standing,as are many of the ancient towers.  So, San Gimignano is a wonderful example of a medieval town unchanged by the Renaissance and later periods. 

Family friend Susan enjoys a stroll in medieval San Gimignano.

The ancient well in one of San Gimignano's squares, the Piazza della Cisterna..

The Romanesque cathedral of San Gimignano, consecrated by the Pope in 1148.  A church has existed on the site since the 900's.

The visit included a walk to the top of the Torre Grossa, the town's tallest tower.  The tower, pictured below, provides great views of the town and the surrounding countryside. 

The Torre Grossa in San Gimignano

A view from inside the Torre Grossa

The bell in the Torre Grossa

A view from the top of the Torre Grossa

A view from the top of the Torre Grossa

Next Up:  The town's museum.

Travels in Tuscany--San Gimignano (Part 1 of 3)

A recent day trip found us in San Gimignano, a small, ancient town in Tuscany known for its many towers, as pictured below.   .

Before arriving in San Gimignano, we had lunch at a farmhouse nearby.  The food and wine were produced by the farm and were delicious. 

Entrance to Fattoria Poggio Alloro ("fattoria" means farm)

Enjoying lunch with our visiting friend Susan 

Vernaccia di San Gimignano is a typical white wine from the area and the pictured wine was made from grapes grown on the farm.

A view of a neighboring farm

A view of San Gimignano in the distance.   

After a hearty and tasty lunch, we continued on to San Gimignano.

Next Up:  Touring the town.

The 10 Year Plan Continues: Halfway Mark of Year 2

April 10 is the midpoint of Year 2 here in Florence, Italy. 

View of Florence, Italy

We arrived in Florence on October 10 last year and have greatly enjoyed the last 6 months exploring Florence and other towns in Tuscany and beyond--Siena, San Gimignano, Pisa, Montecatini, San Miniato, Turin and Milan.  Plus, we have enjoyed hosting visitors and making new friends.

We hope the next 6 months is like the first 6.  We plan on exploring more of Florence and also visiting Naples, Rome, Sicily, Venice and northern Italy.  Plus, we are looking forward to welcoming more visitors over the next few months. 

Thanks for following our blog. We hope you find some of it interesting or amusing.  We enjoy living the experience and then blogging about it.

P.S.  Year 3 will begin later in 2017 in Washington, D.C.  For anyone who has lived in D.C., like we have, you know that you can enjoy all that the city has to offer without getting wrapped up in national politics.

Travels in Tuscany--Siena (Part 2 of 2)

Our visit to Siena continues.

Siena has wonderful architecture.  In the photo below is an example of a medieval Gothic palazzo, the Palazzo Salimbeni, from the 1300's.  The palazzo is home to the oldest surviving bank in the world, the Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena, founded in 1472.  If you read current Italian financial news, then you know that Monte de Paschi has suffered due to the global financial crisis.  Apparently, the bank is too big to fail.  The Italian government and taxpayers are bailing out the bank. 

In front of the Monte de Paschii's Gothic palazzo is a statue of Sallustio Bandini, an expert in banking.

A Renaissance palazzo flanks the Gothic palazzo, on the right

Near the roof of the Renaissance palazzo are heads of famous Renaissance figures including Galileo and Dante. 

A neo-classical palazzo flanks the Gothic palazzo, on the left

A prevalent symbol found all over Siena--the twins Romulus and Remus with the she-wolf.  The legend is that Siena was founded by Senius and Aschius, sons of Remus and nephews of Romulus.  Supposedly, after Romulus murdered his brother Remus, sons Senius and Aschius left Rome and established Siena, taking with them the statue of the she-wolf suckling the infants.

The Basilica di San Domenico

Siena has 17 neighborhoods called contrade.  Each contrada has a local government and church, plus a separate identify signified by a special symbol.  We visited several contrade, including the Selva (Forest) one the west side of Siena.  "Selva's symbol is a rhinoceros at the base of an oak tree hung with hunting tools."

Each Summer, Siena hosts two horse races known as Il Palio. Ten of the contrade participate in each race.  The event is a steamy, drunken, lawless affair that we hope to see. Below is a photo of Selva's horse stall for its entrant in Il Palio.

We visited the main square of Siena, the Piazza del Campo. The Palio horse race is run in the square.  Below are a few photos.

Siena's main square of Siena, the Piazza del Campo. The very tall tower, Torre Mangia, was built to be taller than Florence's tower.  Siena and Florence have been longtime rivals.

The Cappella di Piazza in the Piazza del Campo.  The chapel was built as a divine offering following the devastating Black Death in 1348. 

The 1419 Fonte Gaia ("Fountain of the World") in the Piazza del Campo

A bas-relief of the Madonna in the Fonte Gaia

Thanks for visiting Siena with us.

P.S.  While touring Siena, we spotted some street art, including the painting below which is similar to the many we have seen in Florence.

Travels in Tuscany--Siena (Part 1 of 2)

Siena is a large town in Tuscany, not far from Florence.  Siena has a rich history of culture, religion, art, music and architecture.  A lot of Siena's history is evident during a tour of the town.  We recently visited Siena and were amazed by what we saw, especially the beautiful cathedral of Siena. 

Below are some photos from our visit.

The cathedral of Siena, Santa Maria Assunta

The Piccilomini Altar by Andrea Bregno (1481-1485)

St. Paul by Michelangelo (1501-1504) (possibly a self-portrait)

Next Up:  More of Siena.