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Trip to Italy | Part III: San Gimignano, Greve + Lucca
San Gimignano, Greve & Lucca
After traveling through Orvieto and Siena we continued to head north along the West Coast of Italy. Our next stops were: San Gimignano, the town of towers, Greve, for wine tasting and Lucca, for an amazing dinner! Every one of these cities had its own charm and incredible history. We witnessed some of the most breathtaking views during this part of our trip and I am so excited to share more from our trip to Italy!
San Gimignano, Italy
San Gimignano, also known as the "city of beautiful towers." At one point in time the town had 72 towers but now only 14 remain. The towers rise above Tuscany's Elsa Valley and make the town look like a medieval dreamscape.
The views from the edges of this town were amazing! Thanks again for these portraits, Alexa Sedge! Andrew climbed up the 177-foot Torre Grossa and captured these amazing views! He actually captured me in the photo below---I'm the white spec with the hat in the bottom right corner! ;) Then it was time for some amazing gelato! Coconut + dark chocolate. Colors of Tuscany--breathtaking.This walkway along the edge of the town gave an incredible panoramic view! We often forgot to grab food during our free time in every city... So as we would be running to get back to our meet up point in time, we would grab a quick slice of pizza! Cheese + Prosciutto. Delicious.
Greve, Italy
After visiting San Gimignano and its magnificent towers we made our way to Greve in Chianti for a tour of the Castello Vicchiomaggio winery! We learned how they craft and store their famous wine---The Chianti Classico. Afterward, we had a delicious wine tasting while overlooking a breathtaking panoramic view of Tuscany.
I really wanted to stop for a photo in that field of yellow flowers! This is where their wine is kept.Sneaking off for a second to get this shot was totally worth it! Then it was time for some VINO! Amazing wine! While everyone stayed inside sipping their wine, I immediately took mine outside for this view!! Then I dragged Andrew out for some portraits of course! Thank you for these shots, Ange Sedgwick!
Montecatini, Italy
We stayed in a lively town called Montecatini Terme for two nights while we explored the surrounding cities of Tuscany. Montecatini Terme is a more modern town established in the early 1900's. It is known for its Thermal Waters which have been known to help relieve arthritis, rheumatism, digestive problems, and a few other ailments.
We stayed at the Hotel Settentrionale Esplanade! It was a gorgeous hotel! Tuscany was filled with these extremely fragrant purple flowers! I want these here in Florida! And look at that rosemary!! If only my rosemary plant would grow like that! All ready for a yummy dinner!
Lucca, Italy
After a fun-filled day in San Gimignano, Greve and Montecatini, we headed to Lucca for a farm-to-table dinner at Fattoria il Poggio! We learned that, Lucca is actually the town that the movie Pinocchio was based on. It's a quaint little town filled with some gorgeous scenes!
Fattoria il Poggio is a Farmhouse in Montecarlo in the province of Lucca. The grounds are gorgeous! First, we had an informative tour of their vineyard. It was almost golden hour and the field seemed to glow! Needless to say, all I wanted to do is get some photos taken! Alexa Sedge offered to take some photos of us again! We were and still are so thankful for her willingness to document so many sweet moments in Italy! Then they showed us where they made their cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil! Their olive oil was so good that I brought some home! Then it was time for dinner! Four courses of deliciousness. I was so busy enjoying the food that I forgot to capture the other two! Tiramisu, my favorite!! We finished the night walking around Montecatini Terme! It is a very lively and beautiful town at night!
More from our trip to Italy will be posted soon!
See more from our trip to Italy by clicking the names of the cities below!
Trip to Italy | Part II: Orvieto + Siena, Italy | Tuscany
Italy: Tuscany | Part II: Orvieto & Siena, Italy
After a few days in Rome (Click here if you missed Part I: Rome), we began to travel North along the West coast of Italy. The next four days that we spent traveling through Tuscany were my favorite parts of the whole trip! I felt so at home in Tuscany. I really loved everything about Italy but Tuscany, in particular, was a dream. The way the birds chirped in the morning dawn, the smells of the fresh air, the scenic views that seemed straight out of a movie and the delightful food!! It was all heavenly.
Orvieto and Siena were the first towns we visited while traveling through Tuscany. Both of these places were magical. Orvieto was first and it set the bar high! I fell in love with this place. It felt straight out of a fairytale and was so peaceful. After lunch in Orvieto, we headed to Siena! Siena was a much larger city with lots of shops and amazing architecture.
Orvieto, Italy
Our first stop was in this little town built on a steep bluff of volcanic rock called Orvieto. From the moment I stepped foot in this charming little town that felt straight out of a fairytale, I was in LOVE. Visiting Orvieto was my favorite part of the entire trip. I have a goal to retire there one day.
Orvieto was annexed by Rome in the third century BC. Because of its high site on a steep bluff of volcanic rock, the city was virtually impregnable. It was the last conquered by Julius Caesar.
I bought an awesome olive wood cutting board here! Then we had a quick and amazing lunch at L'Oste del Re! We had a wild boar pasta dish and it was the best dish we had in all of Italy! Highly recommend this place!
Orvieto Cathedral
Siena, Italy
After spending the morning in Orvieto, we traveled to Siena where we spent the rest of the day. Siena was another breathtaking town, it was a lot bigger than Orvieto but still so charming! We had our first group dinner in Siena and it was INCREDIBLE!! We stayed in Siena for the night in a gorgeous hotel that was surrounded by Olive trees. Their soap was even made with olive oil and was amazing. This whole second day of the tour was my favorite! From beginning to end it was perfection.
Siena Cathedral
Siena Cathedral is a medieval church and if you noticed looks very similar to the cathedral in Orvieto!
Some of my favorite portraits from the entire trip! Thank you so much, Alexa Sedge for these amazing photos!
The Torre del Mangia
Built from 1338-1348, it is located in the Piazza del Campo, Siena's main square, near the Palazzo Pubblico. When it was built it was one of the tallest towers in medieval Italy.
Molly (red scarf) was notorious for losing track of time... and her whereabouts! She was almost always the last one to our meeting points. This time Molly was only a few minutes late, so we applauded as she joined us again! Miss you Molly! Then we had a delicious 4-course dinner at Gallo Nero! This restaurant was amazing! The dining area was surrounded by brick and dimly lit. The food was incredible too! Thanks for this photo too Alexa! Vino! Salut!Look at that pasta! Then it was time to rest after a long day. We checked into the Degli Ulivi Hotel in Siena, Italy. This was our favorite hotel and we wish we were able to stay there longer than one night. It was a beautiful hotel, surrounded by olive trees!
