Monday on the Map: San Gimignano, Italy.

Happy Monday! Posting late, again. It’s been a hectic weekend, followed by a busy work day.

After spending four months living in Italy, I fell in love. There are many towns in the rolling hills of Tuscany that will stun you with their beauty. Not only that, each is unique in their own way, with different tastes.

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Monday on the Map: San Gimignano, Italy

Just a train ride away on Italy’s convenient train system, San Gimignano is a medieval town, best known for its towers which can be seen from afar.

Where on the map? Just an hour and a half from Florence, it’s in the Tuscany region in the northern central part of Italy.

What’s going on there? Like most Italian towns, the food is exquisite. (More about that in a moment.) The town was a part of the renaissance, with its medieval architecture like the 14 towers all rising at different levels.

Without a car? Take a train from Santa Maria Novella in Firenze. Change in Siena to a city bus to take you the rest of the distance.

What to eat? Before the food, the town is famous for its Vernaccia, a white wine. The cinghiale or wild boar is popular in this town, try Osteria Del Catene for an appropriate taste of this taste in homemade pasta. Though a red wine is best with boar, the Vernaccia di San Gimignano is worth the taste at any trattoria in town.

What else? The best thing about cities in the rolling hills, is they are all walkable. You get to take in the breathtaking  views on the path around the city. You’ll pass gelato shops and trattorias to dine at, playgrounds for the bambino, and many locals. Remember the 14 towers? A highlight of your trip can be climbing to the top of the tallest one and looking down at the center of town on the piazza. A few other highlights include the San Gimignano 1300, the history museum of the town and the Torture Museum. And of course there is going to be a Duomo, the main church in the center of town.

What’s the worst that could happen? You plan for too much time on a cold day. Many towns in the Siena area don’t need more than a few hours of time. Explore a bit, but don’t plan to spend hours walking around in chilly weather. If it’s not olive picking season, don’t act like you’ll be rolling around in those hills.