La Dolce Vita

Tuesday, May 31
Today we get to go to San Gimignano, the hill town with the towers, a town in Tuscany that I have wanted to visit.  We are going to meet Nicoletta for lunch in San Gimignano's piazza at noon.  Since the drive is supposed to be little more than an hour, we leave at 10:00 a.m.  And arrive as 12:15.  Are you noticing a pattern here?  We are amazingly talented at  getting lost!

San Gimignano--the town of towers

a shop featuring local delicacies...

nothing says San Gimignano more than a boar's head!

We have been sent on a small road, rather than a highway, with a warning to not get off this road because the "other road" is very windy.  Well, I'm not sure which road we were on...but it sure was full of twists and turns.  The roadway itself is beautiful.  The area is lush and the overgrown greenery is lovely.  Passing by hilltop villas and castles adds a real Italian taste to the journey.  But the problem is...if you feel lost there are no signs to tell you where you are so that you can get re-oriented.  We have a GPS system on the phone, but our American phone is not particularly fond of these Italian roads...and it refuses to help us much of the time. I don't know if it is because we have entered into GPS black holes or if our American tour guide (GPS) just doesn't know these roads.  (And when it is working, its Italian accent is hysterical!)
I'm noticing that these winding roads are doing a number on my tummy.  I'm feeling a bit like I did last night and we still have to face the drive home.  Uh oh!

so glad to have Nicoletta joining us again!

We have a lovely lunch with Nicoletta.  And while we're sitting there for our three hour lunch (typical) I've got my phone out under the table.  I'm searching for a hotel nearby where we could sleep and make the journey back tomorrow.  My tummy thinks this would be a good idea, but would it be rude of me to even suggest such a thing?  I find a small hotel in the town that has two rooms available.  I wonder....
And then I look up and the hotel that I've been reading about is right next door to the restaurant where we're eating.  I wonder...
Well...after thinking about it for a bit I dare to make the proposal.  We have no clothes, or meds, or anything, but everyone is agreeable.  I love our travel buddies!
I go into the hotel and register for rooms...we settle upon an adorable apartment with two bedrooms.  The hotel clerk asks about our luggage.  "It's in Greve!" I explain to her.  "We don't even have toothbrushes!" I tell her.  She says she'll be glad to give us toothbrushes.
Then we enjoy a stroll around the town.  We get gelato from the self proclaimed "best gelatoria in the world". Nicoletta explains that there are actually two gelatorias in this small piazza that have been rated in the top ten in the world list.  Yummy!

just loving life in San Gimignano

the man who's always behind the camera

And so...we stay in adorable San Gimignano.  And I am in love with this quaint town!! We get to watch the bus loads of tourists leave, the sun set, the lights come on, and the locals come out.  Molto benne!

We eat a four hour dinner at the same restaurant where we had a three hour lunch.  We lounge at this restaurant like the locals...and no one seems to mind.  The weather is wonderful (for a change) and the ambience is amazing.
A musician serenades us from the piazza. Young lovers sit on the steps of the well in the center of the piazza eating bread and enjoying their wine. Young children dance to the music without a care. Elderly citizens pop their heads out of upstairs windows. The guys enjoy cognac and cigars in the piazza. Jacque and I share a dessert and enjoy the slow pulse of this charming village. Ahhhhh...la dolce vita!