If we leave Pisa out,  I think that there was no place in Tuscany that we visited that I didn't fall in love with at first sight!

I am starting to prefer small towns that you can seemingly pass through in an hour or two, but for all its breathtaking details on every step, I have a feeling I would love to keep myself there for 6 hours to discover the whole place as it deserves to.

The first city you can see is Siena, a picturesque little place with rich cultural history.

I am loving so much the sandy colour of the houses and buildings in whole Tuscany that seems to be getting a warmer feeling in your hearty while walking around their streets.

The rain and dark afternoon shortened our walk through Siena, so we didn't get to see as much. We started our tour, of course, in "Enoteca italiana" and finished again in our dear Mazzola by Giuseppe in the Trattoria Albana, that I already wrote you about in my Volterra post. Maybe we rushed ourselves through the place as well, to get to Mazzola as soon as possible, as we fell in love with it too much, but we don't really mind.

Since we did our italian tour with a van, we parked our vehicle outside the walls of Siena so we could walk all around to get to one of the entrances to the old town. Honestly, we were kind a lost for a while trying to get to an entrance from the Enoteca, but maybe it was the wine...or maybe it was just clumsiness.

No worries, you will find the way. Just for the record, we left our van on a parking spot near the stadium and passed through the city by feet

Ps. The wine you need to taste in Siena is Rosso di Montalcino! ;)

You will find yourself walking a bit uphill and downhill, like in our Istra, but believe me...it is all worth it!

When I come to a new place I kind of get too excited, so I really don't mind doing anything! :D

One time, while my family and I were cruising the Adriatic sea, my dad asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up...I think the answer is pretty obvious-  well a TOURIST, a traveller always on the road!

Maybe I inherited it from my dad that traveled the whole world with his job and he always sort of teached us about it and we got used to it so much, he made this world so appealing to us with his stories...but also, maybe the fact that I am a real Sagittarius, anadventurer at heart. It doesn't even matter, what matters is I really love it!

Piazza del Campo.

If there was no rain and we had a clearer sky, we would probably be lying on this piazza and be enjoying the view, as we di when I was here with my school, probably over 10 years ago, when I first visited Siena.

Enough about Siena...it is time for new wonders in Lucca & San Gimignano!

Lucca, a town that lies on the river Serchio near the Ligurian sea, well-known for its preserved Renaissance walls, once built for army purposes and today seen as a wonderful promenade for all the visitors.

 

In the old town of Lucca you will find a small shop where you can check out all the amazing and particular smells of Acqua dell'Elba for men and women, starting with some scents, parfumes, different body creams and others. You can't buy these products everywhere, so this could be a nice souvenir and memory from this lovely place, an Acqua dell'Elba product.

I really like the bar italiani that are just like in the movies. A place to really experience the italian mood. Caffe, merenda or spremutina d'arancia, a warm surrounding where people meet shortly to chat and hang a bit and then they can go on, continue their days.

And last but not the least, San Gimignano, the town of towers!

San Gimignano, a charming medieval town on a small hill near the region of Siena, very well-known for its high towers seen from far places, which gave him the name today of  New York from the Middle Ages.

In the past, there were about 100 towers in this small town, while today there are only over 10 that are kept, preserved.

The richest family used to have the highest tower and it was a symbol of power obviously.

This picture caught my eye through our walk...but unfortuntely it remained in the gallery and it's not hanging on our wall home. :(

You can walk around San Gimignano relatively fast if you just want to drop by quickly, but it's a shame to do that. You need more time to explore the streets,  enjoy the views and maybe try their famous white wine Vernaccia di San Gimignano that is obtained from grapes that grow only in this particular area.

San Gimignano offers the nature, the old walls perfectly preserved, outstanding little streets where you can admire the window shops arranged with such love, or just sit in a cafe and breath in the air of Tuscany that remains sealed in your hearts.

Our tour de Toscana comes to an end with...a black cat! :D

A truly magical land where I'll always gladly return and to be honest would love to have my own house there, on a hill with a breathtaking view. Well, never say never, but to keep it real "Honestly Marija, you are dreaming!"

I hope I didn't go overboard with the photos and info in this post and that you enjoyed the walks of the region with us, as much as we did. 

See you in my next post from Milan.

Kisses