The Tuscan countryside- the outskirts of San Gimignano

San Gimignano is one of those fairytale-like cities that gives one the taste and feel of Tuscany in Italy. Equally interesting is the countryside, which is just outside the medieval walls of the city. 

View of the old city of San Gimignano from our hotel

The hotel where me and my mom stayed (https://www.hoteldagraziano.it/) gave us amazing views of the city as well as the countryside, which was everything that we wanted at an affordable price. After starting to head in the direction opposite to that of the city, we could already see the rolling hills on the horizon covered with vineyards and cypress trees. 

A drone shot of the hills in the Tuscan countryside

We were very excited about visiting a winery and doing some wine tasting, as part of our itinerary. The wines tasted nice and the place was elegant (https://palagetto.it/en/), which motivated even my mom, who was not used to drinking wine, to try a few of the wines 😀 As I like red wine more, I drank a lot of Chianti, and also bought some!

View of a winery along the way

We walked aimlessly along the different roads in the countryside after our winery visit, just to feel the wind brushing past the cypress trees. It is no wonder why movies picture Tuscany as the best place to feel life, even a little slowly. 

We visited the small province of Santa Lucia, where we spent some time walking along the streets and doing some sightseeing. The next day was already planned to be a full day, so we thought of spending this day as leisurely as possible to recharge our batteries.

There was rain in the late afternoon, but that did not spoil our plan. The view outside still looked pretty, I would say even prettier, with the dramatic skies and the pleasant greens. 

The Tuscan sky after the rains

It is very important to taste the 'Tuscan Ragu' (which can be any meat) when in Tuscany. I chose the one with duck meat for that evening, a special cuisine as suggested by the hotel. It was a real treat when tasted along with some nice white wine. 

Spaghetti with Tuscan duck sauce