SIENA AND SAN GIMIGNANO

From Livorno or Florence  4 -  8 - 12   hours tour - Wine Tour

 Founded as the Roman colony "Siena Julia" by Augustus Caesar, Siena has always been less flamboyant than Florence, but has maintained its jewel-like medieval atmosphere and architecture through the centuries.

In the Campo, Siena’s central plaza, the Palio (a horse race which is an integral part of traditional Sienese culture) is held twice each year. Traffic is prohibited in this famous town square which is only 4 streets away from olive groves and orchards. Siena’s Duomo (Cathedral) is a spectacular example of Gothic Italian architecture, and the accompanying museum houses magnificent works by Italian masters such as Duccio and Giotto.

Its soaring skyline is its pride, dominated by the blazing black and white banner of the Duomo and the taut needle of the Torre del Mangia (Tower of Mangia). By visiting Siena, you will have have the luxury of living in a city of the Middle Ages.

San Gimignano "delle belle Torri" is situated in Tuscany, 56 km south of Florence. It served as an important relay point for pilgrims on the Via Francigena to and from Rome. The patrician families, who controlled the city, built some 72 tower-houses (up to 50m high) as symbols of their wealth and power. Only 14 have survived but San Gimignano has retained its feudal atmosphere and appearance. The city also contains masterpieces of 14th and 15th-century Italian art.