day five in tuscany brought us a nice day again. we decided in the morning to head to an outlet mall to have a look around. it was a pretty surreal experience, right next to a small italian town theres a huge complex of outdoor malls, filled to the brim with what looked like asian tourists. not only that, each store had someone working there who spoke mandarin. here i took my first photo of the day, i liked the reflection in the water.
[flickr id=”8971502226″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]
then i found some flowers and a field to photograph
[flickr id=”8971504510″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]
[flickr id=”8970315539″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]
and i dont know who let this baby drive
[flickr id=”8970316995″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]
from there, noa, yael and orit headed on towards San Gimignano. its between siena and florence, so it was about another hour drive to get there. San Gimignano is also built atop a hill, and as usual, the parking lot was outside the city, and then you walk around inside. for once, cars were not allowed inside, unlike many others that we went too, we would have to step aside for cars to pass. the first thing i saw after parking was this Morgan. if you dont know anything about them, they are pretty cool cars. the interior was had made on each one, and often real wood panelling was used inside. the other reason i know about them is it was the car my dad had when my parents first started dating. apparently the windshield wipers were broken, and would only return, so my dad had a string which my mom would have to pull to pull them one way, and they would go back the other way by themselves. so seeing this car i thought of my dad, so i made sure i got a picture of it.
[flickr id=”8970318711″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]
san gimignano entrance tower. looks like it would be tough to scale
[flickr id=”8970320345″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]
overgrown wall. maintenance isn’t what it used to be in the middle ages.
[flickr id=”8971514056″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]
lazy cat sleeping against the wall.
[flickr id=”8971515634″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]
We got inside and started walking the streets
[flickr id=”8970325289″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]
and as we are civilized, it was time to stop for a break and have some tea. this place worked out well.
[flickr id=”8971518712″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]
[flickr id=”8971520180″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]
[flickr id=”8970330507″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]
some more walking around the streets
[flickr id=”8971525644″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]
[flickr id=”8970335375″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]
and five minutes later we happened upon some ice cream, that had a line outside. so we had to try it. not let me tell you, this was the best invention ever. they included a mini cone on top, that you could use to help scoop and eat ice cream. i loved it.
[flickr id=”8970337149″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]
a church. carrying a tripod everywhere in italy paid off here.
[flickr id=”8971530880″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]
i loved the narrow streets
[flickr id=”8971532764″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]
old millstones from who knows when.
[flickr id=”8970344031″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]
found a viewpoint so we took family photos
[flickr id=”8970347367″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]
[flickr id=”8970349971″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]
[flickr id=”8971547022″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]
[flickr id=”8970356459″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]
and got some epic views and pictures.
[flickr id=”8971538176″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]
[flickr id=”8970359383″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]
[flickr id=”8970360913″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]
shadow fun
[flickr id=”8970357899″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]
all that was pretty tiring. (not really) but we were kinda peckish, and wanted to eat before the long car ride home. soooooo…
[flickr id=”8970362315″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]
cacio e pepe (amazing invention, especially when done well)
[flickr id=”8971555880″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]
hmm pizza
[flickr id=”8971557232″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]
so that was it, as we were heading out i got a few more pictures.
[flickr id=”8970369523″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]
the Morgan had been moved. i just saw now that someone drove it here from the netherlands! wow, nice.
[flickr id=”8970373757″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]
[flickr id=”8971563654″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]
overall, i think San Gimignano rated right up there with siena, if not higher. it was really not very touristy, and exploring the little streets was really nice. i quite enjoyed the dinner we had there, and the views were fantastic. I’m very glad we did not miss going there.