San Gimignano, Siena & Monteriggioni Castle

San Gimignano, Siena & Monteriggioni Castle: a day of Medieval wonder in the heart of Tuscany.

 

A NOTE ABOUT DRIVING TIMES
While Siena is amazing it is quite far from Livorno (2 hrs). This excursion involves about 4.5 hours on the road. To drive less and spend less we suggest San Gimignano & Volterra. Volterra is also wonderfully Medieval and surrounded by picturesque Tuscan countryside.

SUMMARY

The tour agenda typically goes as follows:

• 08.00 pick up at the ship
• 08.00-09.30 drive to Monteriggioni Castle
• 09.30-10.00 quick look around Monteriggioni
• 10.00-10.30 drive to Siena
• 10.30-13.30 visit Siena
• 13.30-14.30 drive to San Gimignano
• 14.30-15.30 visit San Gimignano
• 15.30-17.00 drive back to port

 
DETAILS: SAN GIMIGNANO, SIENA & MONTERIGGIONI CASTLE from Livorno

Monteriggioni Castle
During the Middle Ages Monteriggioni Castle was a defensive outpost of Siena in the war against Florence, occupying a strategic position on the Via Cassia. The word “castle” here translates more as “fortress”. Built in the early 13th Century, the tiny hamlet sits on top of a knoll, surrounded by a fortified wall that encircles it like a crown. Viewed from a distance, and especially when the gently sloping fields around it are green and lush, Monteriggioni is an inspiring sight. You might even feel as if you’ve time traveled!

Siena
Some people say Siena is the most beautiful city in Tuscany. The centre is dominated by Piazza del Campo, vast and shaped like a fan, which is the core of Siena’s civic life. Here you will want to tarry a while, and if it rains, consider yourself lucky! You will get to see magic patterns of rainwater descending the cleverly laid paving stones.

Architecture buffs will appreciate Siena’s great cathedral, begun in the 12th century in the Romanesque style but transformed in the 13th century into one of the finest examples of Italian Gothic. Equally as impressive is basilica San Domenico, austere and comparatively unadorned, but offering visitors the opportunity to view remains of Santa Caterina that are enshrined within.

Language aficionados will know that Tuscany is the birthplace of the modern Italian language — and in Siena you will find the purest spoken Italian (no regional accent).

Siena also serves as a market for the surrounding agricultural area which produces cattle, cereal grains, olives, and, above all, its Chianti wines.

SAN GIMIGNANO, SIENA & MONTERIGGIONI CASTLE from Livorno
DURATION: 9 hrs

OTHER COSTS & NOTES