in central tuscany

We are skipping Freitag Favorites this week for more highlights from Tuscany.

After Lucca, our next stops were two medieval hill towns, and we had one whole Sunday to walk their cobbled streets and drive the windy, scenic roads between them.

Our first destination was Volterra, about 2 hours southeast. Volterra was once a major center of Etruscan life and is known not only for its ruins and for the alabaster flooding the tourist shops, but as the pilgrimage site for all Twi-hards dying to see the city that Stephanie Meyer chose as the home of the world’s oldest and most powerful vampires. Luckily for us, we didn’t see anything Twilight-themed and spent our time enjoying the architecture, quiet streets, and the specialty shops with local olive oil and balsamic selections.

In the afternoon we moved on to San Gimignano. Known for its medieval skyline, only 14 (or so) of the once 72 towers still stand over the city. The sight is still impressive. As the rain clouds began to build, we ate a quiet lunch and explored the town just in time to make it back to the car before the rain began to fall.

VOLTERRA / SAN GIMIGNANO

Have a wonderful weekend all! We are off to Germany for the weekend and will see you back here next week for the final Tuscan highlights.