We spent three nights in Florence during our trip to Italy in September of 2011. Of those three days we chose to spend two in the city and opted to use the other for
The Best of Tuscany Tour through a company called Walkabout Florence.
I am not normally a fan of guided bus tours, however, this tour was highly rated on Trip Advisor and would enable us to see many places over the course of 12 hours that we wouldn't have been able to see using public transportation. Additionally, the cost was 80 Euro per person which included transportation, a guided tour in Siena, entrance to Siena's Cathedral, and a multi-course lunch with wine at a winery/farm which I found to be a good value.
The meeting point for the tour was directly in front of the Santa Maria Novella train station in Florence which was an easy walk from our bed and breakfast. Our first stop of the day was in Siena, followed by lunch and a tour at a local winery, then a visit to San Gimignano, and our final stop was in Pisa. It was a very long day but one of our favorite experiences of the trip. It was great to sit back on the bus and relax and not have to worry about where we were going or how we would get there. In addition to the the stress-free environment our tour guide provided commentary nearly the entire drive on each of the places we were visiting which was extremely informative and helpful.
I would highly recommend this tour to anyone without a rental car who wants to see Siena, Pisa, and San Gimignano over the course of one day.
Below I have described each of the places we visited during our tour.
Siena:
The entire historic center of this beautiful city is a UNESCO World Heritage sight. During medieval times, Siena was Florence's arch rival. The city was also a major banking and trade center of Europe until the Black Death arrived in 1348, killing a large percentage of its population. Siena's power began declining after this point and in the 1550's Florence conquered the city enabling Florence to become the most powerful city in the area. The rivalry between the two cities continues to this day with most people strongly favoring one city over the other.
The Best of Tuscany Tour included a guided walking tour of Siena with an official tourist guide from the city. She provided us with detailed information on the history of the city and the traditional events that take place in Siena every year, including the 600 year-old Palio horse race. One of the main benefits to guided tours is that they tend to show you things or places you might not have seen or noticed on your own and give explanations on the different historical sights and buildings.
In the very short two hours we had to explore the city, we managed to see the gorgeous Piazza del Campo and the town's famous Duomo as well as strolling through many of the backstreets.
Piazza del Campo:
Siena's vast main square is located in the heart of the city. Many have said that this piazza is the loveliest square in all of Italy, which I wholeheartedly agree with. Piazza del Campo holds the palio festival twice a year, which is a bareback horse race. Ten of Siena's 17 neighborhoods compete in the race, with days of heavy betting and competitive celebration preceding the race. Dirt is brought into the piazza to create the surface of the track with mattresses lining the buildings of the square. Whichever neighborhood ends up winning the race is given the much sought-after palio (silk banner) as its prize.
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| Piazza del Campo |
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| Piazza del Campo |
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| The tower of City Hall in Piazza del Campo. |
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| City Hall in Piazza del Campo. |
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| Piazza del Campo |
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| Piazza del Campo |
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| Detail from City Hall in Siena. |
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| The clock on City Tower in Siena. |
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| Buildings lining Piazza del Campo. |
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| Piazza del Campo |
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| City Hall and City Tower in Siena. |
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| Piazza del Campo |
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| Piazza del Campo |
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| Piazza del Campo |
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| Piazza del Campo |
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| Piazza del Campo |
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| City Hall and City Tower in Siena. |
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| Entrance to City Hall in Siena. |
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| Piazza del Campo |
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| Beautiful building in Piazza del Campo. |
Cathedral of Siena (Duomo di Siena):
Siena's main cathedral is a sight to behold, both on its exterior and on its interior. When I visited Siena five years earlier with my sister, the exterior of the cathedral was covered in scaffolding so I was so happy to see that the renovations and cleaning were complete!
The building of the cathedral occurred in 1215 with most of the ornate decoration being completed between 1250 to 1350.
We were lucky enough to be visiting in September when all of the cathedral's famous inlaid marble mosaic floors are exposed. For most of the year the majority of the floors are covered to protect them from wear and tear. The floors are decorated with 56 panels depicting biblical and historical subjects. The black and white marble designs date from the mid-14th century while the colorful ones were completed in the 16th century.
Aside from the beautiful mosaic floors, the cathedral is also well know for the colorful Piccolomini Library, which was built to store the books of Pope Pius II. The amazing frescoes on the ceiling have been untouched since they were painted back in the early 1500's.
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| Cathedral of Siena |
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| Cathedral of Siena |
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| Cathedral of Siena |
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| Cathedral of Siena |
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| Cathedral of Siena |
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| Exterior detail on the Cathedral of Siena. |
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| Statue in front of the Cathedral of Siena. |
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| Cathedral of Siena |
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| Cathedral of Siena |
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| Another shot of a statue in front of the Cathedral of Siena. |
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| Details of statues atop the Cathedral of Siena. |
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| Cathedral of Siena |
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| Interior of Siena's Cathedral. |
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| Interior of Siena's Cathedral. |
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| The mosaic floors of Siena's Cathedral. |
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| The mosaic floors of Siena's Cathedral. |
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| Interior of Siena's Cathedral. |
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| Interior of Siena's Cathedral. |
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| Interior of Siena's Cathedral. |
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| The ceiling of the Piccolomini Library, located inside Siena's Cathedral. |
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| The Piccolomini Library, located inside Siena's Cathedral. |
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| The ceiling of the Piccolomini Library, located inside Siena's Cathedral. |
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| The Piccolomini Library, located inside Siena's Cathedral. |
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| The mosaic floors of Siena's Cathedral. |
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| Interior of Siena's Cathedral. |
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| Interior of Siena's Cathedral. |
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| Interior of Siena's Cathedral. |
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| The mosaic floors of Siena's Cathedral. |
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| Interior of Siena's Cathedral. |
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| Interior of Siena's Cathedral. |
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| Interior of Siena's Cathedral. |
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| Interior of Siena's Cathedral. |
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| Interior of Siena's Cathedral. |
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| Interior of Siena's Cathedral. |
Street scenes from around Siena:
Siena is a very beautiful, photogenic, and pleasant city to wander through. Although we only spent a few short hours there, in the future, I would like to base ourselves from Siena while exploring the small towns and villages of Tuscany.
As you walk through the 17 neighborhoods (contrades) of Siena, be on the lookout for the small contrada signs showing which neighborhood you are in. Each contrade is represented by a symbol, such as an eagle, dragon, or snail.
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| View from Piazza San Francesco in Siena. |
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| Siena |
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| Two of the contrade symbols in Siena; Bruco (Caterpillar) and Giraffa (Giraffe) |
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| Siena |
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| Siena |
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| Siena |
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| Palazzo Santucci, located in Piazza Salimbeni. |
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| Statue in Piazza Salimbeni. |
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| Piazza Salimbeni, with Palazzo Salimbeni on the left and Palazzo Spannocchi on the right. |
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| Detail from Palazzo Spannocchi in Piazza Salimbeni. |
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| Chess game in Piazza Salimbeni. |
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| Palazzo Tolomei |
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| A building in Piazza Tolomei. |
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| Detail from a window on the exterior of Palazzo Tolomei. |
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| Siena |
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| Siena |
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| Siena |
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| Church of San Domenico |
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| Beautiful view of the Church of San Domenico. |
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| Siena |
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| Looking up at a building in Siena. |
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| Siena |
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| Siena |
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| Siena |
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| Siena |
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| Siena |
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| Siena |
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| Chiesa di San Cristoforo (St. Christopher's Church) in Piazza Tolomei. |
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| Basilica of San Francesco in Piazza San Francesco. |
Tour and lunch at Fattoria Poggio Alloro:
After visiting Siena, our tour guide took us to
Fattoria Poggio Alloro for lunch, which is a family-run winery and farm located very close to San Gimignano. Prior to lunch we were given a tour of the farm, vineyards, and winery which was fun and very interesting.
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| View of San Gimignano in the distance from Fattoria Poggio Alloro. |
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| View from Fattoria Poggio Alloro. |
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| Vineyards at Fattoria Poggio Alloro. |
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| Vineyards at Fattoria Poggio Alloro. |
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| Vineyards at Fattoria Poggio Alloro. |
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| Farm at Fattoria Poggio Alloro. |
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| Cow barn at Fattoria Poggio Alloro. |
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| Baby cow that had just been born at Fattoria Poggio Alloro. |
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| Cow barn at Fattoria Poggio Alloro. |
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| Cow barn at Fattoria Poggio Alloro. |
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| Olive trees at Fattoria Poggio Alloro. |
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| Olive trees at Fattoria Poggio Alloro. |
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| Fattoria Poggio Alloro |
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| View from Fattoria Poggio Alloro. |
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| Fattoria Poggio Alloro |
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| Wine barrels at Fattoria Poggio Alloro. |
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| Fattoria Poggio Alloro |
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| Fattoria Poggio Alloro |
In addition to being a farm and winery, Fattoria Poggio Alloro also has rental accommodations for guests to stay on the property. As a result, they have a restaurant on-site to accomodate their guests. During the day they use this restaurant to serve meals to tour groups.
By the time we arrived, we were both starving and couldn't wait to begin eating. We were provided with a multi-course meal that included:
- Several local white and red wines
- Garlic bruschetta
- Handmade pasta with Chianina beef ragu
- Garden salad
- Homemade Tuscan ham, salami, and local artisan sheep milk cheeses
- Cantuccini (almond biscuits) with vin santo (dessert wine)
We were both pleasantly surprised with the amount and quality of food we received. The property also has a store on site where they sell some of their products, including wine, olive oil, and pasta.
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| Restaurant at Fattoria Poggio Alloro. |
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| Garlic bruschetta at Fattoria Poggio Alloro. |
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| One of the wines we tried at Fattoria Poggio Alloro. |
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| Fattoria Poggio Alloro's olive oil. |
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| Beef ragu at Fattoria Poggio Alloro. |
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| Salad, meats, and cheeses at Fattoria Poggio Alloro. |
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| Cantuccini with vin santo at Fattoria Poggio Alloro. |
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| Dipping my cantuccini into the dessert wine at Fattoria Poggio Alloro. |
After lunch we walked out onto the terrace where we were rewarded with beautiful views of the vineyards and of San Gimignano in the distance. We also went and explored the vineyards a bit more before we left to San Gimignano.
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| View of Fattoria Poggio Alloro from the deck. |
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| View from Fattoria Poggio Alloro. |
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| Vineyards at Fattoria Poggio Alloro. |
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| Shyawn and the beautiful grapes at Fattoria Poggio Alloro. |
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| Fattoria Poggio Alloro |
San Gimignano:
This walled medieval hill town is located within Tuscany and is one of the region's most commonly visited hill towns. San Gimignano is well known for its 14 towers, which is quite a rarity in the region as most of the towers in hill towns were destroyed during wars. There are no "must see" or major sights in the town, instead, it's a great place to just simply wander and explore. Like Siena, the entire historic core of San Gimignano is also listed on UNESCO's World Heritage list.
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| View of Tuscany from San Gimignano. |
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| View of San Gimignano. |
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| View of Tuscany from San Gimignano. |
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| Porta San Giovanni |
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| Porta San Giovanni |
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| Porta San Giovanni |
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| Walking up Via San Giovanni. |
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| Walking up Via San Giovanni. |
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| Pottery for sale in San Gimignano. |
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| Pottery for sale in San Gimignano. |
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| Walking up Via San Giovanni. |
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| Walking up Via San Giovanni. |
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| Side street in San Gimignano. |
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| San Gimignano |
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| San Gimignano |
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| San Gimignano |
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| San Gimignano |
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| Piazza della Cisterna in San Gimignano. |
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| Piazza della Cisterna in San Gimignano. |
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| Golden Retrievers in Piazza della Cisterna. |
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| Golden retrievers in Piazza della Cisterna. |
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| Piazza della Cisterna in San Gimignano. |
These Italy posts are very helpful! About how many people were on this tour with you?
ReplyDeleteThanks Danielle! I believe there were about 30 people on the tour bus with us. The nice thing though was that I never really felt like I was part of a cattle herd as most of the stops we were able to just wander off by ourselves. At times during our guided tour of Siena it did get a bit tricky with all of those people in the narrow streets however we had an audio guide so even if we were a few hundred feet away we could still hear the guide speaking.
DeleteRegarding the part below, does the tour take your through the area below by bus or by train?
ReplyDelete]
"After spending time at the Field of Miracles, our tour took us through the historical area of Pisa, where numerous buildings and piazzas were pointed out to us."