San Gimignano….The Town with Fine Towers
After leaving Volterra, we were off to San Gimignano. This place has a reputation for having visually striking skylines. It is also well preserved for such an old town.
There are so many beautiful affordable places to stay. But there was something about Maggie’s Million Dollar View Air BnB that drew me in. I knew from the moment we exchanged messages I would enjoy meeting Maggie in person. She had this raw, graceful and bewitching spirit about her.
I wish I could have filmed the drive from Volterra to San Gimignano. We passed landscapes so astounding it brought tears to my eyes. But it was necessary to use my phone for navigation during most of the trip.
Maggie’s rental was easy to find. As we pulled up into the private road, I remember thinking to myself, “I found my next writing retreat”. The land overflowing with flowers, plants, and several themed lounging areas made for relaxing.
I chose the Mandarino Rental with its Spanish themed decor because I knew Diana would love it.
Maggie was very thorough when it came to the property and rental introductions. She also had plenty of recommendations and suggestions on where to eat, nightlife and sightseeing adventures. Now that we were armed with information, we decided to take a rest before heading out.
In the first photo, it looks like San Gimignano is far away but it was only about a 10 minute walk once you reached the main pathway called Via Vecchia which crosses a shorter path that leads to Maggie’s backyard.
We were only halfway on Via Vecchia before darkness fell. I noticed a shadowy silohuete standing 10 feet ahead of us on the grass to the right. We couldn’t make out what it was which made us uneasy.
As we approached closer, the figure moved suddenly and scared the living daylights out of us. Turns out he was a local taking night photos of the Towers. We all laughed for a moment then said our goodbyes and continued down the path finally reaching Porta San Giovanni, the main entrance gate.
After entering the gates we saw that each side of the narrow road was lined with eateries, gelato parlors, boutiques, markets and specialty shops. Most of them were starting to close by the time we got there. So we window shopped until hunger struck.
We grabbed a slice of pizza at Locanda di Sant’ Agostino and sat on the Piazza della Cisterna, a water well that locals used a thousand years ago. It was unreal! Then it was time to head back to Maggies.
We carefully navigated the path back to Via Vecchia road. There were no street lights, it was pitch dark. Diana and I were still pretty confident we would see the entrance to Maggie’s property. We strolled along the path chatting about our previous adventures and suddenly realized that we’d walked 20 minutes or more past our destination.
In the dark, in a foreign place, in the woods. The only thing going through my mind was “stay on the road” from the movie American Werewolf in London! I remember walking up a few drive ways with uncertainty, “hang on a minute, this is not where we’re supposed to be”! We laughed at the first few we walked up, but as we continued on it was evident that we didn’t know where the hell we were!!
It was late and I didn’t want to bother Maggie. So we kept walking blindly until I was able to get a signal on my phone and used google directions. It took an hour or so, but finally, we had made it back!
This town was photogenic.
Although tomorrows forecast was rain, today was scattered clouds and pretty blue skies. We met Daniella, Maggie’s mom in the morning during breakfast. She was so sweet with a maternal instinct that just made us feel at home. Our food was preordered the previous evening, ( all the delicious ingredients they served was grown in their own garden ) 2 other couples joined us at the table. They were all really lovely.
I love sharing stories with other travelers. Why? Because everyone has a story. Maggie peeked in and I can’t remember how it came about but she started to talk about the real Italy. The things that don’t get reported. The things only natives would know about, the real goings on in their country. It was so interesting, her ice blue eyes and melodic voice commands attention.
We didn’t want a repeat of lasts night misadventure so Diana and I headed out to the town that morning.
The pictures below capture our journey through this magnificent medieval town. Every where you turned there was a picture worth a thousand words.
We toured places like the Podestà's Palace which was used as a prison till the end of the fourteenth century. We sat on the stairs of the Piazza del Duomo, opposite the church for awhile. It was such a great spot to take in the towns people. After a few hours, we needed a rest and grabbed a bite to eat at this cute little restaurant that had a fantastic tasting beer.
The rest of the afternoon we basked in our intoxicating surroundings. As you can see in the photos below, there were so many awe inspiring moments. Words cannot express how beautiful this town is. It was simply extraordinary.
We headed back to Maggie’s before sundown. I wanted to enjoy her peaceful outdoor lounging areas and get some writing in. When we got back, I grabbed my iPad and headed out to a canopied area where Marco, Maggie’s handsome brother was hanging laundry and pulling up tomatoes from the garden. He’s also a musician and olive producer.
Our evening was spent hanging and relaxing. Maggie and Marco had company at their villa, the cats were pouncing around the woodsy fairy like grounds and the outdoor lighting created an ambience of tranquility.
The next morning it started to rain. After checking out, we all hugged and said our goodbyes. We’d met quite a few individuals along our tour of Italy but this family definitely made a deep impression on me. I knew Maggie was someone I’d like to keep in touch with.
Our next destination……..Riomaggiore, Cinque Terra.