San Gimignano and Siena

On Tuesday, we traveled to San Gimignano and Siena. San Gimignano was the first destination on our journey. It is the perfect medieval city with tall thin towers and walls on all sides. This tiny town was once a thriving city, well, for its time. After lunch, we drove to Siena. Siena was once the richest city in Europe: like Florence it gained its wealth from banking. Until 40 years ago, it was on the main road to Rome. The cathedral from Siena is a must see. Its stripped marble is very interesting and the floor mosaics are amazing. The Palazzo Pubblico is also a very cool building. Around the square in front of the Palazzo is where the famous Palio di Siena occurs. I hope to go to it, seeing that it takes place twice a year on July 2(my birthday) and August 14. We leave for southern Italy on Monday night, so until I return expect a lull in the post.