HOME   My Pictures                 TUSCANY 2012

Taken with my Canon Powershot SX40 IS]. 12th - 20th May. Liz, Hugh and I flew to Pisa and drove in a small to an AgriTurismo farmhouse called Poggiacolle near San Gimignano. Liz and I went there previously. Click hereFor pictures of previous trips: visit in 2002; visit in 2009.        
Poggiacolle is a farm run by Stefano Bartholi and family. Beside San Gimignano itself we visited nearby Colle di Val d'Elsa, Volterra and San Galgano, Southwest of Siena                 
   

  Poggiacolle    San Gimignano    Montauto    Colle val d'Elsa   Volterra    San Galgano and Montesiepi    Birds and flowers
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Poggiacolle
 
  View of us at Poggiacolle [2012] with San Gimigano in background
 
  To Poggiacolle
 
  Our host, Stefano
 
  Poggiacolle from San Gimignano
 
  Poggiacolle from near Montauto
 
  Poggiacolle. Our rooms were above door on the right. In the evenings we made the tower our home
 
  Our shared kitchen; our rooms were throught the door on the left
 
  Lunchtime; the spiral [helical!] staircase leads to the tower, our evening room
 
  Looking down our stairs
 
  Scrabble in the tower
 
  More Scrabble
 
  View from tower
 
  San gimignano from tower
 
  S.Gimignano from Poggiacolle farm
 
  Hugh inspecting the vines
 
 

Farm cats
 
  The farm
 
  Pogggiacolle
 
  Our poppies
 
  At swim, one bird
 
  Marcello in our breakfast kitchen
 
  The road into San Gimignano
TOP Montauto


TOP San Gimignano
 
  San Gimignano from Poggiacolle, showing off my 35X zoom
 
  Before entry into main square
 
  In the setting sun
 
 

Exit from square, pedestrians only
 
  Hugh lecturing on Italian history and Liz paying attention
 
  The cisterna in the square after dinner
 
  The upper part of S. Gimignano with a Gormley man on tower in distance
 
  Don't jump
 
  Is this the promised Ferrari?
 
  Small cathedral square
 
  Boy on cisterna
 
  Gormley is not shy
 
  Market day
 
  This little piggy went to market
 
  So did this one
 
  The square, site of action in Tea with Mussolini
 
  Details
 
  Madonna and child
 
  Madonna
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TOP The nearby village of Montauto
 
  Montauto from the olive grove at Poggiacolle
 
  Montauto at sunset
 
  Montauto from across the valley
 
  Monastery tower at Montauto
 
  Memorial to antifascits
 
  Close up
 
TOP View from Montauto
   
   
TOP Nearby town of Volterra
 
  View from road on outer wall
 
  Roman remains seen from wall
 
  Town hall from steps of cathedral
 
  Tourists
 
  Close up of townhall
 
  Inside cathedral
 
  Please buy me; OK OK
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TOP Colle val d'Elsa; nearby town on way to Siena
 
  Entrance gate to Colle val d'Elsa
 
  From the walls
 
 
  The main street in old city
 
TOP Inside the church
   
TOP The abbey of Saint Galgano with the Montesiepi hermitage, between the medieval villages of Chiusdino and Monticiano For mor information
 
  The Abbey
 

 

 inside abbey ruins
 
  The abbey still provides shelter for those in need
 
  The rotunda at Montesiepi near San Galgano abbey
 
  Inside the rotunda
 
 

Roof of the rotunda
 
  Ceiling of the chapel
 
  Wall of the Chapel
 
  Arm of San Galgano [?]
 
  San Galgano plunging his sword into a rock to turn it into a cross
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TOP Birds and flowers
 
  Turtle dove
 
  Collared dove
 
  Bee-eater
 
  Blackbird
 
  Jay
 
TOP Hoopoe
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
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