Today, we did a tour of the Tuscan Tour started in San Gimigiano, in the countryside. Then to the Chianti area, which is famous for wine, to visit a winery. Lastly, we visited Siena, a medieval city in the heart of Tuscany. Tour ended around 7:30pm, returning us to the Santa Maria Novella station.
The bus ride to San Gimigiano was about an hour and while we were riding, the tour guide gave a little information on the history of Florence.
We were given about an hour and a half to walk around San Gimigiano. There were a lot of trinket stores, but eventually we were able to get some nice views of the countryside.
Then we went to a small art gallery, with some indoor and outdoor displays. On our way we saw a Gelateria with a sign claiming the best Gelato in Tuscany. Gelateria Dondoli lived up to the hype! The Gelato was creamy and they had about 40 flavors and the ones we had were really good
The Chianti region is famous for wine, especially the Chianti classic red wine. This kind of wine is made with a majority of Sangiovese grapes (usually 75% or more) with the remainder of the mix being a Cab or Merlot. Sangiovese grapes are a Tuscan grapes, which creates a full-bodied wine. The Tuscans take their wine very seriously: Several government rules monitor the production of wine. We stopped at the Casafrassi winery, where we tried three different wines and then had a pasta lunch
After lunch, we took the bus to Siena. We walked 10 minutes to meet our tour guide Claudia at Piazza Salmbeni. The Salimbeni house is now the Monte del Paschi, which is the oldest bank in Europe. Then this beautiful building, which is the city's oldest
Siena is still surrounded by medieval walls, with 17 neighborhoods. The 17 neighborhoods compete in a horse race, which takes place in July and August in the city's main square. The main square was almost in racing form.
The brick square is surrounded by sand, which makes up the race track. The race is bareback, no saddle. Sometimes the jockey falls off and the horse wins alone. The beautiful medieval tower, which once was the capital of the republic, now the city's government.
The Cathedral of Siena is dedicated to the Assumption of Mary. This is the main church of Siena. The people of Siena even wanted to build a bigger church, but the Black Death happened and there were no workers or money to finish the job. The facade of the church is is unbelievably elaborate (below). Facade was started in 1284 and it evens has 3D statues.
The inside of the cathedral is very nice, too, and just as detailed.
The inside of the cathedral is very nice, too, and just as detailed.
Our last stop was to Castle Monteriggioni, an old Castle. There was a little farmers market that we walked around. We ended up trying a few wines and then buying three bottles to take home.
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