What can I say that hasn't already been said? It's a historical medieval village that once had 72…read moretowers (now there's 14). Building a taller tower than your neighbor was common in these times. It was a symbol of wealth, status, and power. In some ways, this idealogy is very much like it is today. There's even a pair of twin towers that looks like it may have been the architect's inspiration for the World Trade Center. No one knows for sure. You'll learn about the story of Santa Fina in the chapel at the cathedral. I took a virtual walk through a video guide even before boarding the plane to Italy. It was beautiful! In reality, it turned out to be more of a tourist attraction. Was it a trap? It depends on how much time you are given to explore it. I'll explain later. My impression wasn't as glamorous as my fellow Yelpers. It all started with the public restrooms. People will tell you that paying a euro to use the restroom is normal in Italy. Only people who are not well-travelled will say this. It's absolutely NOT the norm! The situation in San Gimignano is the worse case scenario. I don't mind paying a human attendant who is maintaining the restrooms. That's never an issue for me. These are machines built to accept money (or credit card if the scanner is working) to gain admission into the restroom using a turnstile. Can you imagine using one of these with a full bladder? The person or organization who decided that it was a good idea to use this demeaning restroom design should be asked one simple question. Would you force your grandmother to do this? I mean, really! It's shameful! I would have been better off squatting over a seatless public toilet. To make matters worse, you'll need to touch the rusted turnstile on your way out after washing your hands. It doesn't move easily. It's unsanitary. I just don't like to touch things like that after the pandemic. I was never infected with Covid, and I was not going to let this germy public bathroom defeat me. Just bring lots of hand sanitizer. There's a lot of tourist trappy things like the torture museums. Don't waste any time or money on that. They have them in all the little medieval villages in Tuscany. I just have some advice for anyone booking a guided tour group from Livorno that includes this village and a winery. Be aware that you may have less than an hour to explore it. I recommend having a private guide, your own transportation, or simply staying in a B&B near the village. I would have loved to have more time (at least 4 hours with lunch) in the village versus the winery. Not to take away anything from the winery estate (Tenuta Torciano) because it was awesome. You must try the region's Vernaccia & Chianti wine. It's incredible! Oh, and definitely visit Piazza della Cisterna. You don't want to miss Gelateria Dondoli, and its famous Crema di Sant Fina gelato.

There are lots of historical villages in the Chianti region, and San Gimignano is definitely not…read moreone to overlook. You could spend hours getting lost in the winding streets. There are a plethora of shops and restaurants, selling everything from gifts and clothing to meats and cheese to gelato and pizza. If you are looking for some climbing and adventure there is a large tower that you can climb. We held off because it was a super hot day, but apparently it's a great way to get the best views of the area. We also had some of the best gelato of our trip here. I'm forgetting the name of the shop, but it's right in the center square and you'll know it based off the line. The fig was unforgettable, and I didn't see fig gelato anywhere else during my trip to Italy so that felt unique. Be mindful of parking and walking -- we had to park pretty far away and it was a hefty walk into the center of town. Parking is very limited in the area, and the town is very hilly. Be sure to wear comfy shoes. The brick buildings are gorgeous and there are so many unexpected charming details like ivy covered buildings, brightly colored doors and narrow cobblestone alleyways. It's a great spot to snap a few highly grammable pics! For sure worth a visit.

Great large parking lot. Its next to train station. It's free and it's big enough to where you have…read moreoptions to park. We parked here and walked 2mins to our Airbnb. It was good spot felt car was safe.

Looking for a place to park so we can walk around the city center. We just happened to come across…read morethis place. We parked our rental car here. We had to leave keys with them. But we came back car was ok and the service was nice too. €3 hr or €5hr. It still wasn't bad. We were able to cross bridge and walk around easily.

Whenever we go out of for dinner (southern end of town) we choose this parking lot…read more Yes, there are some limited free spots around, but mostly they are taken. And the street parking lots are mostly a bit small, if you arrive with a bigger car. We had a longer station wagon, and parking sideways would have been a bit of an issue. So we always park our car here. It's right at the port and it's covered. Costs between 1.50 and 2 Euros and hour, which we found fair. It's a really safe and secure lot (well, the whole town is safe and peaceful). But there's even a security patrolling around, so, no worries about your vehicle. There are always some spots free, so if you're willing to pay a few bucks you will safe some time driving around looking for a spot. Just head here.

Volterra is a beautiful old town. Countless streets and lanes to get lost in. Lots of interesting…read moreshops and great restaurants. Of course it's a popular spot. And by the traffic - on weekends and holidays - you can tell. When the Parcheggio La Dogana is full or too small for your car (SUVs might have problems in this underground parking lot) then this parking lot here is the best choice. It's not far away from the Porta San Francesco, the western city gate. The prices at 2 Euros an hour are quite steep, but the location makes up for it. But it was still completely full when we showed up just around 11.30am. Your best bet is just to head into the lot and wait for some visitors to leave. Took less than 10mins. Be aware that - also due to some lack of parking talent of some drivers - the lots are a bit narrow. But an SUV still fits. Park - pay your ticket and display - and enjoy this pretty hilltop town. Be aware that the bigger lot named Parcheggio Vallebona is close-by, but - with few exceptions - only for residents.

Beautiful town with stunning views, a beautiful church--actually at least two…read morechurches--restaurants, and cute shops. We enjoyed a tour of the churches and enjoyed the beauty and history of this village.

Pienza is a beautiful hilltop town in the heart of the Val D'Orcia in Tuscany and is a UNESCO World…read moreHeritage Site. The town is best known for being rebuilt by Pope Pius II as an "ideal city of the renaissance." The town is small and you can easily walk from one end to another. The center of the town is where you'll find the duomo and the Palazzo Piccolomini. It's stunning and surrounded by beautiful flowers. And if you're a fellow foodie, this is the place to stock up on Pecorino cheese (sheep's milk). The town is packed with cheese shops, which are all pretty much identical, so there are plenty of opportunities to make a purchase. The views from Pienza are also stunning, but this is luckily the case with most of the hilltop towns in the Val d'Orcia.

Traveling through Italy by car was tough enough given the crowds and limited parking spots. This…read moreplace was an awesome find and we used it during our stay. Close to main areas. Professional, friendly staff. Pricing in range with others in similar location and I didn't feel ripped off (vs other experiences).

Visited the charming historic Center of underrated Grosseto here on a sunday. This lot here is a…read morefew steps away from the northern gate leading into the old town. Parking lots are plenty in numbers and quite well sized. Felt safe parking my car here. And best news: Parking is free on sundays! Be aware that many shops are closed then though (or only open until lunchtime). On any other day you just pay and get your ticket at the machine. Easy parking lot to find and convenient location.

This was a great shopping stop while on a tour. Beautiful leather goods and very helpful staff. The…read morehusband picked out a great laptop bag here, and it was a great experience. They did all of the paperwork so our vat taxes went back on our credit card automatically. No customs check needed. That was so nice. Prices were good.

Great hosts, great food and awesome regional menu selection! A definite must try if visiting this…read morearea. The food is fresh and they do run out of popular items so they always check if they have it before guests order. I loved the soup which is typical of that region and has lots of veggies. The cheese board and the focaccia were both excellent. I was very full not expecting the soup to be so filling.