The days in San Gimignano blur together a little bit. Our goal was to really take time to relax, and with the heat that meant naps and hanging out at the pool.
We did take some time to explore San Gimignano more. One of the best places we got gelato was at Gelateria Dondoli, which had multiple awards for their gelato.
We also took a break from the heat by touring the church in the center of the city, Church of Santa Maria Assunta, which was consecrated 1148. It was beautifully decorated with numerous frescos, some of them quite eye catching, such as a depiction of hell with representations of the seven deadly sins. We looked for a long time, wondering at the appropriateness of what the green demons were doing to the naked people in the fresco, despite the theme. Unfortunately the lighting didn’t allow for a sharper picture:
Despite the color and ornate decorations on the inside, the church was unassuming from the outside.
One of the most common pastas we found in San Gimignano was tagliatelle, a wide noodle which I don’t think we see much in the United States. Some of the most common ways we saw pasta, included serving with porcini mushrooms, or a wild boar ragu.
While exploring the town, we discovered a shop for Borgo Tollena, which sold cheeses, meats, and pasta, but found out that they had wine tastings at the farm, north of town. We learned that the farm conducted their wine tastings by serving a meal too, and had to reserve in advance. We arranged for lunch the next day, but in order to get to the farm, we definitely would need a form of transportation.
The next day, using a handy local Vespa rental, we got our Vespa and headed out to Borga Tollena, where they served us a wonderful porcini mushroom risotto, and the best creme caramel we’ve ever had, along with trying five different types of their wines:
The sunsets still struck me with awe, as well as how magical the city looked at night:
