san gimignano bell tower

在沃尔泰拉（VOLTERRA）磨蹭到下午3点半，去了趟San Gimignano Bell Tower，我们继续前进，往我们今晚的住宿点进发——中世纪小城堡。 由于队友00在网上看到托斯卡纳地区内有不少18，19世纪初的小城堡可以供人住宿，因此就产生了我们当晚的城堡之夜了。我们住宿的城堡位于MONTBENCCHI，价格嘛，当然不菲了，两间双人间一晚426欧，送红酒，无WIFI，城堡内部不能吸烟。至于城堡的详细信息就等00提供吧，因为是她订的，嘻嘻。 历史就等于城堡本身 城堡的外观夕阳之下，我们今晚的家人均1200RMB的房间从房间看出去可以看到美美的绿野城堡的天台也是个发呆的好地方城堡内部部分地方是不能随意进入的，例如会客厅平时不能进入，但晚上主人有时会举办小型的品酒会招待住而另外的这个会客厅据说里面的一些油画和摆设还是17世纪的艺术品，因此也不能随意进入。城堡主人在平时也会组织住客参观平时禁止入内的书房和客厅，并向大家讲解历史故事。城堡的餐厅晚上的城堡，今晚我们就住这了温馨提示住城堡的话上下楼梯要注意，不然就有可能像超超童鞋般扭到脚了。

One of the major attractions in this picturestic town, is a must visit specially that once at the top you can take great pics

This was part of our Tuscany your conducted by Walkabout Florence. It was a beautiful day by the time we arrived here. Sunny yet there was a cool breeze. Bus will leave you at the parking bay and from there it's a 5-10 mins walk to the town entrance. Very quickly depending on your time here's few of the spots you can cover. Don't worry it's a small town. But note your time if you are in a tourist group and make sure you budgeted enough to buy your gelato. They say worlds best gelato is found here in this UNESCO national heritage site. Now for you site visits, check out few of these. Before you start check out the gate - Porta San Giovanni. Once you enter take Via San Giovanni which will lead you to Piazza Duomo & Piazza Della Cisterna. Here you can see the Palazzo Comunale next to the entrance of the Basilica Collegiata di Santa Maria Assunta. On your right is Palazzo Chigi-Useppi & the governor's palace, Palazzo Vecchio del Podestà, with its Torre Rognosa that was once used as a prison. From there if you take Via del Castello you will end up at Le Fonti Medivali. Round that area is good for photo ops. You can also check out Rocca of Montestaffoli which was a fortress once. On the way to this place you can also stop by the Piazza delle Erbe which is on the left side of the Duomo. This is a nice place to see.Ok I'm not sure if San Gimignano is known for it but we found some leather stores selling shoes, bags, etc. decently priced, trendy designs. I won't say we splurged but we bought few things. The store owners were polite unlike what we found in Florence. Look you need to budget your time here if you are doing a group tour. I walked quite fast & trust me it was tiring while my wife rest by the Duomo and lining up to buy the gelato. If you really wish to enjoy this place I suggest a day trip, stay over for a night. This place is like a picture postcard. Don't forget your scoop of gelato folks, it should not be missed at any cost ;) enjoy ...

My friend and I had never been to Italy and visited Tuscany and Rome last fall. We chose to center our stay in Tuscany in San Gimignano and found it to be a wonderful choice. Delightful town, less crowded than Florence or Sienna, but still had the wonderful restaurants and shops and history. Highly recommend.

Great photos,time to ponder and absorb the beauty of the Tuscan countryside! Hard to imagine such building( towers) still standing and being able to stand on a piece of medieval history. This town takes you back to the Middle Ages !

Anyone would enjoy taking a trip back in time and seeing the beautiful history of this town. Don't rush. Stop and savor. This is not to be regarded as something to check off your bucket list. Rather, live in the moment and just enjoy being there.

Went up first thing in the morning. You need to be reasonably mobile as there are a lot of steps to climb. Once at the top the tower offers great 360 degree panoramic views over both San G and the surrounding countryside. Well worth the effort!

A wonderful visit to the town center and the tower s. The whole center is very beautiful and suggested a visit .

It's 200+ steps to the top but worth it! The view from the windows on the way up and from the top of the tower itself are spectacular, amazing to see how people lived in these defensive towers for hundreds of years.

The climb is over 200 steps and is well worth the view. Not a climb for someone with sore joints. It is interesting to see how the families lived in these towers. The construction is impressive and dates back to medieval times.

It's a bit of a climb but well worth the amazing views from the top, a 360 degree panorama, just beautiful :)

when we arrived and lady told us it was 2 hundred and something steps. It was not bad...just like being on the stair climber for..5 minutes. many great views on the way up to see so you can stop for a rest if needed. Very worth while!

The little village is already on top of a hill that looks down over vines. The view from this tower is absolutely breath taking. I wish I had more time to spend up there, I would`ve seen the sun set.

This town used to have many more towers than it does today. Wealthy families always built them. We could see the countryside of Tuscany. Lovely view.

My wife and I went up the Bell Tower and no picture will do the view justice. The panoramic view of the topography and beautiful country side of Tuscan was such an amazing sight.