Tuscany

My second day in the Tuscan countryside was definitely my favorite so far!!! In the morning, I took a funicular up to Certaldo Alto with two other women I had met at the hostel. Certaldo Alto is the medieval part of town and looks exactly how you would expect an old Tuscan city to look. It is beautiful! Therefor this post is mainly going to be nice pictures without much other content.

Funicular tracks

Ivy-covered houses and brick streets

Cacti on the walls

A small courtyard

Adorable mailbox

View of the city at the end of an alley

Pigeon in a nook

Old buildings

View of a tower and Certaldo

Laundry! And old stuff.

Door in a wall

Certaldo Alto

Residential buildings

Town hall with crests

Well/planter

I like doors

Green pathway back down

After leaving Certaldo Alto, I took a break for lunch and decided to bike to San Gimignano. Try saying that 5 times fast. In hindsight, it was a terrible idea, as the bike was way too small for me, and the route was about 75% uphill. My hips were not happy with me at all. I think the destination was worth it though.

That's barely halfway up

One of several breaks on the way up. Rethinking my life choices

One of many flights of stairs that I traversed

Old man walking along a flowering wall

Beware of ferocious cats!!!

Highest point of the journey

There is a world famous gelato store in the city, Dondoli. They won the gelato world championship twice, in 2006/7 and 2008/9. It was the best gelato I ate in Italy by far.

Coconut, ricotta-bilberry, blackberry-lavender gelato

Towers

Walkway

View from castle gardens

Shadowed corridor

I like doors

Bells

The way back down was a lot more fun

Nice bottle of Chianti from San Gimignano, drunk after getting back to the hostel
A perfect end to a perfect day