Thanks to the recommendation of our friend Pablo, we purchased a day trip to Siena and San Gimignano We are happy that we followed advise and even happier that we have friends with good taste like us:-).
Siena is a small and aristocratic town roughly about an hour away from Florence. It is where the Il Paliotakes place every year (a horse race around the small town. Our tour guide also said it was a stop during medieval times for people traveling. We loved Siena because it has no street vendors, no beggars and it is immaculate clean. There are beautiful cathedrals (as there are in most of Europe) with rich history. The road we traveled from Florence to Siena and Siena to San Gimignano reminded us of the roads in Northern CA in Napa. Hilly, green with many vineyards. I would imagine that if Italians travel to Northern Ca they would be reminded of Tuscany.
Our second stop was San Gimignano a town that adopted it's name around 450 A.C. It is known for its towers of which only 14 remain; however in 1300 there were at least 72. They (the towers) are the result of competition, among the most influential families in the city, the higher the tower the wealthier. Even though centuries have past the old world charm remains and the prestige can be observed in the beauty that has been preserved.
We have learned much about Tuscan history today and have gotten in over 9,000 steps according to Alec's Nike fuel band. It is definitely time to get some rest.
Ciao, Ciao
Buona Notte
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