After spending four days in some of the most famous Tuscon cities like Florence, Siena, San Gimignano and Cortona, my travel companions and I headed eastward on a swift moving super highway. Off in the distance I spotted a hilltop village that rivaled the look of those other more famous villages that we had just come from. A sign on the highway proclaimed the name of the village as Sinalunga and my friends and I made a quick decision to take a detour to check out this picturesque city at the top of a hill.
As we reached the top of the hill, we found a place to park the car near where the looming facade of Collegiate di San Marino anchored an open public square. The church was appealing with it's yellow front and brick bell tower.
The narrow streets reminded me of Siena but, they were a lot less busy. In fact, on our entire walk through the village we only passed one other person.
We found the city full of narrow passages and little open gaps with views out over the Tuscan countryside between the buildings.
Like Siena, Sinalunga is an Etruscan settlement but unlike the more famous town, little is known about it's past.
I loved all the arched doorways and the way the bricks peeked out from the crumbling stucco in the most charming way.
It was late in the afternoon and the lowering sun cast a golden-hour glow over some of the westward facing buildings. It lit up this balcony with its summer-like warmth.
Visiting the popular villages in Tuscany has its rewards but, finding the equally beautiful places off the beaten path gives the "explorer" in me a much relished sense of accomplishment.
8 comments:
Such a wonderful place and, the best way to visit is of course to stop whenever one feels like it. You had such a good feeling that day. The colors are unique.
My goodness, this is a beautiful little town and I'm glad you stopped to check it out. I can't imagine living in such a place but it certain is enticing. And those narrow streets, the vistas between the buildings and that church...it is all very picturesque!
Reminded me of Montefioralle, perched just above Greve in Chianti...the same kind of hilltop area and narrow streets. Montefioralle does have one claim to fame, though: the birthplace of Amerigo Vespucci. We stayed there for a week a few years ago, being lucky to know the nephew of a resident, etc....there are no tourist facilities except down the hill in Greve.
Looks beautiful Sharon.. at first I thought how odd that there were so few people but then I thought perhaps it was siesta time oui?
What a beautiful city Sharon! I'm so glad you stopped. Your photos are wonderful and the light was perfect!
What a marvelous place to explore!
I just love this architecture. So many arches and those beautiful windy streets. :D
That first sentence is written like a true Arizonan: "...famous Tucson cities..."! :)
It is amazing what one can find when one strays from the beaten path (or "the road less traveled").
Post a Comment