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Florence Limousine | Home 
Services Day Tours Siena San Gimignano | Siena and San Gimignano day tour |
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Siena is the most important destination for a day trip while staying in Florence or Tuscany. Siena is the famous city of the Palio, the site of the “Enoteca Italiana” -the only national wine association- the site of “Monte dei Paschi” -the oldest bank in the world- while San Gimignano is the only Italian towered hilltown that maintained intact it mediaeval appearance. Monteriggioni, is an impressive XIII century fortress, immortalized by Dante in the Divine Comedy. Beautifully laid out on three hills, Siena owes its popularity as one of the main attractions in Tuscany to its perfectly preserved gothic city center, with the "Piazza del Campo" one of the most beautiful squares in the world, where the famous Palio horse race takes place twice a year and the cathedral, considered one of the most impressive churches of Italy especially thanks to its impressively richly decorated interiors. But it’s not just the magnificent monuments of Siena which make of it a must-see attraction, it is the overall atmosphere and architecture that still expresses the grandeur of its heyday that make of the visit of Siena an unforgettable experience. Walking through the town that is so well preserved you will feel as if you have returned to the end of the XIII century, when Siena represented one of the greatest example of civic, social and political organization in the whole of Europe. In visiting this city one should realize that he’s not just dealing with a "secondary hill-town in Tuscany" since Siena indeed was one of the most prestigious capitals of Europe in the middle ages. The tour will continue with San Gimignano, famed for its medieval skyscrapers, high walls and narrow streets that perfectly match what most peoples imagine of a Tuscan hill-town to be like. Learn about the Guelph-Ghibelline conflict and commercial interests that forced the local rich families to build their towers, as well as what brought fortune and bankruptcy to this town that despite the small size is one of the most visited and unique sights of Italy. During the day you will also stop in Monteriggioni, a small jewel of our region. This is a walled medieval fortress that sits on top of a hill surrounded by the picturesque Tuscan countryside. Its medieval walls and fourteen towers are still intact. Tour Photos:
Tour Map: 2010 Rates
Routes and LogisticsDriving from Florence center to Siena center takes about 1 hr, we leave Florence coming out of Porta Romana and drive through Galluzzo, an exclusive residential suburb, to reach the Superstrada Firenze/Siena which is 60kms long.The highway is scenic since it cuts through the outskirts of the Chianti area, in fact if passengers decide to reduce their time in Siena or San Gimignano, the day could also be varied including a detour on country roads which are parallel to the highway which are slower but surely more scenic. Normally we recommend staying on the highway for this tour, and time permitting add another full day trip just to visit the Chianti Area. If the client absolutely wants to add Chianti to this day, we then advice making of it a 10 hrs day adding the needed extra hrs. If the client wants to only add a wine tasting, it is adviceable to add 1 extra hr, there are various wineries which are within reach from the highway Florence to Siena where we can go, from the famous Antinori Estate to Smaller quaint family owned vineyards. Monteriggioni is 5 minutes out of the highway, we can stop there on the way down to Siena or on the way up towards San Gimignano. The order of the visits is not strict, we tend to normally go to Siena first since it’s the main attraction, there is more to do and see and it should be done when the clients are fresh. Siena deserves at least a 3 hrs visit, and the city offers many good restaurants of different categories and prices, many more than in San Gimignano as well good shopping opportunities. Our chauffeur driven vehicles can access the centre of the city, therefore according to clients walking preference the driver or DG can park the car at the entrance of the city centre or cover most sights of the city by car, limiting the walking to the minimum or even to zero. This is something that our personnel know how to handle. Drivers will stay with the car, while Driver Guides will normally escort clients walking through the town with them assisting them during the visit, orienting them and giving them the relevant information about what’s being visited, without giving in depth explanations such as what a specialized guide would give. The visit of San Gimignano takes normally 1 hour, likewise in Siena drivers can drive up to the heart of the city if necessary even though we prefer parking next to the main city-gate Porta San Giovanni and let client walk form there by themselves or with the Driver Guide. Web Resources
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