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| Outside the walls of the tiny medieval town of San Gimignano in Tuscany |
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| Wishing well in the main piazza |
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| On a quiet day walking through town, no tourists, just the occasional echo of the local banter from the sandstone walls |
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| The sun tries to appear yet is shaded by the medieval buildings |
Immaculate sparkling stone paths lead through town, hardly anyone in sight on this magical day, this was an extremely rare and peaceful day in the medieval hilltop town of San Gimignano high up in the Tuscan hills. The town is most famous for its long standing multiple towers and is also well known for the local Vernaccia white wine.
So many of the beautiful towns in Tuscany have appeared in all star cast movies and San Gimignano being one of the most photogenic and prettiest of towns has had its fair share of appearances. A portion of the movie Tea with Mussolini was filmed in San Gimignano increasing tourism at the time, its a story about English and American expatriate women living in Italy during World War II.
Another brilliant film with scenes shot in San Gimignano that originally brought large amounts of tourism to the small town is the 1979 film Il Prato or in English The Meadow, its an Italian drama staring one of my all time favourite actresses the ever so graceful Isabella Rossellini who made her debut in the film at a very young age.
San Gimignano is lined with boutique ceramic stores, the most amazing deli’s and bottle shops, the best antipasto selection and packets of home made pasta of all shapes and sizes, its a foodies delight.
The above photos are not a normal sight, it was quite a dark eerie day and I seem to have a knack for avoiding the mass crowds when I visit new places, so depending on when you visit San Gimignano you will either find it peaceful and still or swarming with hundreds of tourists, yet either way its a lovely little town to visit for a day when in Tuscany.
Also depending on the month that you visit between April to October there are a number of local festivals during the year where locals dress up in traditional costumes such as the Medieval Harvest Festival of the People of San Gimignano held in June and the Summer Music Festival which is held between July and August.
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