Saturday, September 11, 2010

The walled city - San Gimignano

A trip to the finest example of a walled city is a both a trip back in time and a visit to a theme park. San Gimignono was, like all of Tuscany, devastated by the "black plague" and as populations were severely reduced the infrastructure was abandoned in places. This left many towns and villages suspended in time. This place was one of them. The City walls remained in place and the whole place has been restored as an example of a medieval city. Consequently the place is overrun by tourists. And there is a lot to see.
A Town square complete   with the Town well, Town walls with the required number of gates and alleyways and a lot of hills to climb. Bit it is a magnificent place to see. 
Mr Frommer, who has been our guide for the week didn't steer us wrong this time. "Go to 'Chiribiri' and have a meal you will eat from a Tuscan menu in a traditional setting!" Not wrong we had the best meal of the trip and at good prices too. A true epicurean experience. Rabbit for me, lasagne for Doreen and dolces (desserts) to die for. The Disneyworld factor comes from the museums in the place - The Museum of Torture, The Museum of Capital Punishment and the Medieval Museum. One could get grossed out quite easily but what else are the kids in your party going to do in Tuscany - panoramic views don't quite cut it  for them.

3 comments:

Ben Burd said...

this is a test

Deb O said...

Hey, now we're cooking.

Really enjoying your posts, especially the historical references. You should have your own travel show, you're right up there with Michael Palin and Billy Connolly. They've never toured Disneyland either!

Scotland, now there's a country to visit (if you like rain).

Deb O said...

You must be due to move on to Rome soon. Looking forward to that experience if only vicariously. Please take some pix of those beautiful ruins where the Three Tenors performed several years ago. Can't remember the name of the place but it's famous as hell.