San Gimignano

(The view from the parking lot we slept in)

(Trattoria Chiribiri)

PS - Unfortunately, we couldn't get a good picture of this walled city. But, we did pick up some great postcards. We just can't post them online. It's definitely worth seeing though!

9 April 2008: We left Pisa towards Siena and were hoping to be there for the famous-colored sunset. I enjoyed seeing the beautiful purple hue when we were in St. Tropez, looking towards Provence. I swear it’s because of all the grapes and lavender in the area! But, we also wanted to take a few moments to stop at the medieval hilltop village, San Gimignano, known for its fourteen towers. I guess we really like seeing these “castle” towns. After parking and letting Kailani finish her nap, we wondered around, enjoying the cobblestone streets, local Chianti and olive oil tasting/purchasing and window shopping. There were a TON of tourists there being bussed in from surrounding areas on day trips! Luckily, later in the afternoon, the crowds thinned.

It was late afternoon, we were getting hungry and I noticed a sign for a restaurant that was open non-stop. Most close between lunch and dinner, and somehow we’re always hungry at that time. As we peeked in, this restaurant called Chiribiri, had a10 foot by 10 foot kitchen, a 10 foot by 15 foot dining room with 6 tables and 22 seats, and two gals, one in the kitchen and one serving. Very tiny! It smelled great and the menu looked good. We had to wait a few minutes for a table to clear, but it was VERY worth it. We chatted with a Canadian couple from Quebec at the next table over, who the husband ended up formerly playing for the NHL. Bob Mongrey (and lovely wife was Louise) played for the Buffalo Sabers and the LA Kings, pre-Gretzky. We hadn’t heard much of anything about how the Sharks were doing since leaving America, so that was my first question. We were happy to hear they made it to the playoffs, but checked a few days later to find they haven’t done so well from that point. Oh well! Back to food, we had an antipasto plate with a couple different brushettas and hams. Sean had the wild boar stew and I had the minestrone. Yes, I’ve been craving soup a lot! Dinner, with a carafe of vino rosso della casa (house red wine) AND dessert/cafe (coffee) set us back a lot less than an average lunch. Overall, this place was awesome!

We were so fat-dumb-and-happy that we changed our minds and slept in the parking lot for an early night rather than driving into Siena late. The parking lot was overlooking a beautiful valley full of vineyards and there was a bottom “platform” where there was nobody parked. Although unlike France, there were no signs prohibiting campers. Actually I think the sign actually allowed campers, but not sure if they meant “overnight” campers. So, we tucked ourselves away in the corner, hoping that someone wouldn’t knock in the middle of the night telling us that we couldn’t be there. We got lucky and woke early for a drive to Siena.