I am starting to think about our trip next spring to Italy (late April) even though we haven’t taken our September trip yet—-but that one is all planned, so I have some free time.
We have mostly spent time in northern Italy, with one short foray into Tuscany for Florence, Lucca, This time I am thinking of a week or so in Tuscany and Umbria, plus some time on the coast in Molise. Our major goal, wherever we go, is to spend time walking in cities, and hiking in the countryside and mountains.
Using a new guidebook I just purchased (“Walking in Italy: Exploring Italy’s Great Cities and Finest landscapes on Foot”, by Gillian and John Souter), I have found 3-4 nice hikes right from the towns of San Gimignano and Assisi. I have already thought of Assisi as a possible base for visiting Perugia, so that one is easy.
All I have read about San Gimignano is that it is jammed with day-trippers, which doesn’t sound pleasant. But our experience with Venice and Manarola suggest that even if a place is packed with other tourists during the day, it can be lovely in the early morning and evening. Since our plan would be to leave town and go hiking during the day, might we have the same experience in San Gimignano?
Thanks for your help, as always.