TOUR SIENA AND SAN GIMIGNANO

Private sightseeing tour Siena and San Gimignano with minivan Mercedes Benz and english speaking driver.
Pick up from your hotel in Rome or Florence. 10 hour tour total.

Siena is a good place to base yourself for a Tuscan experience. The Chianti area, between Florence and Siena, is one of the most beautiful countrysides in Italy and a famous wine production area. Surrounded by olive groves and the vineyards of Chianti landscape, Siena is one of the most beautiful cities of Tuscany. Set on three hills, the city is drawn together by winding alleyways and steep steps, while the Piazza del Campo stands at its heart, and the Duomo and St Maria della Scala serve as additional cultural landmarks. Famed for the ‘Palio’, the annual historic horse-races that take place on 2 July and 16 August, Siena offers many cultural events, concerts, cinema, theatre and a wide range of sporting activities.
North to Siena, here also are beautiful towns like San Gimignano and Monteriggioni with old walls, winding streets and incredible views. South of Siena, the Arbia valley leads to the hill-top town of Montalcino, home to the famous Brunello wine. And the area La Crete stretches out, amazing visitors with its harsh rock formations and unique landscape. Westwards we head towards the coast, to captivitating coastline towns like Castiglione della Pescaia, and nature reserves like the area called Maremma.
San Gimignano was founded as a small village in the 3rd century BC by the Etruscans. Historical records begin in the 10th century, when it adopted the name of the bishop Saint Geminianus, who had defended it from Attila’s Huns.
Saint Fina, known also as Seraphina and Serafina, was a thirteenth century Italian saint born in San Gimignano during 1238. Since Saint Fina died on March 12, 1253 her feast day became March 12. Her major shrine is in San Gimignano and the house said to be her home still stands in the town.
On May 8, 1300, San Gimignano hosted Dante Alighieri in his role of ambassador of the Guelph League in Tuscany.
The city flourished until 1348, when the plague that affected all of Europe, compelled it to submit to Florence. San Gimignano became a secondary centre until the nineteenth century, when its status as a touristic and artistic resort began to be recognized.
In this tour We will visit the Duomo, consacrated in 1148 and adorned with frescoes : "The Old and the New Testament" and "The Last Judgement" We will also get to see the great Walls the surround the town, the 14 towers still remaining, the main square “Piazza della Cisterna” -famous for the Well- Apart from its famous Vernaccia wine, San Gimignano's many shops offer the products of typical Tuscan artisans, from boar sausages to cheeses, from terracotta to leather goods.

Finish the tour return to the hotel.