Don't waste your day with an overcrowded cruise ship-sponsored excursion. Enjoy a more personal, small-group excursion to two of Tuscany's best hill towns with your private driver and private transportation!
This excursion is for up to 8 participants. For larger groups, please see our
Livorno Private San Gimignano and Volterra with Guide Excursion.
After meeting your English-speaking driver, you will set out in your air-conditioned transport for the approximately 90-minute drive to the unique San Gimignano. The driver will give commentary only while you are inside the vehicle. During the 7th century, the hilltop was a walled city. In the 1200s, due to conflict between families, tower houses began to spring up. In an attempt to have the showiest, the families continued to build and add on until there were more than 70 tower homes looming over the town, the tallest being 230 feet tall. Today, there are 14 towers remaining, which gives the town its nickname, the Italian Manhattan. In 1990 UNESCO added the entire Historic Center to its World Heritage List.
You will have free time to explore the Piazza della Cisterna, the main square of the town. The Piazza Duomo is home to the Collegiate Church, whose frescos were saved from the Nazis in the 1999 film "Tea with Mussolini." You can also see the Palazzo Communale and the mayor's Palazzo Podesta.
Your next stop is the Etruscan town of Volterra, approximately 40 minutes to the west. This hilltop has been inhabited since the 8th century BC. Much of what you see today dates from 1200 AD to the present. The town is famous as a setting for the Twilight series of books and films although no actual filming was done here.
Stroll the Piazza dei Priori, one of Italy's most impressive squares, which dates from the 1200s. View Roman ruins, and explore the Etruscan Museum with its bronzes, urns, and terra cotta sculptures. The Church of San Francisco has impressive frescoes, sculptures, and paintings. Your guide can also suggest where you might dine on some traditional Tuscan cuisine and wine.
All too soon, it is time to rejoin your driver and transportation for the 1 hour 20-minute drive back to your Livorno cruise pier.
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