Our next stop on the Via Francigena trail was the town of Gambassi Terme. This is an ancient town. Even the Etruscans knew about it because there are thermal spring waters rising from underground at 38 degrees. Very beneficial waters. It is no surprise that the Romans built baths in this place. This town became one of the resting hubs for people in the Middle Ages. Imagine you have walked hundreds of kilometres and you want to rest. Pilgrims could stay here for weeks until their wounds healed. This water is mineralized and healing.
The wealth of the town has not increased much since the Middle Ages. I could only find a simple thermal facility consisting of a small pool and a sauna. Therefore we decided not to waste time. We set off rested at 11:00 am after staying here for one night. Because our destination was close. The neighboring town of San Gimignano was only fourteen km away. After the thirty km we walked on the first day, fourteen km felt like a three to three point five hour walk to us. People did not have watches in the past, they would find their way just by looking at the sun. Since they did not have money to buy candles either, they would set off at dawn and rest in a shelter at sunset.
Festivals are still organized in this town where local people wear medieval clothes and race barrels on the main street. The most interesting thing is that there are no shops. Everything looks like it is in the Middle Ages. Therefore, there is a feeling that this is a real city where local people live and people rarely drop by.
The road that day was not difficult, it was only 14 km. We stopped by a small facility to take a look. There were only apartments, a pool and a winery. Tremendous beauty. They are harvesting olives there. Our breath was taken away by the beauty. The name of this place is Agriturismo Santo Pietro. They were making wedding preparations. Holding a wedding in such a landscape adds a magical atmosphere.
The cypress lined roads that are the symbol of Tuscany. Via Francigena passes right through this road. Just like a postcard.
There was the Santuario della Madonna della Divina Provvidenza on our way. Acording to the legend, the Virgin Mary appeared to a shepherd here in the fifteenth century. The shepherd's daughter was deaf. The Virgin Mary told her that a chapel should be built here. At first no one believed it, but the girl healed in front of everyone's eyes. Then other miraculous healings took place and the church was built. Miraculous frescoes from the fifteenth century are still standing. People from all over the world come here to pray.
During seconda World War, this church was completely destroyed and rebuilt, but the fresco was preserved. Inside, there is a very beautiful nativity scene.
Another impressive experience was my visit to this monastery. This is a real monastery, monks live here and silence is required. If you need help, you ring the bell.
While I was in front of the icon of Jesus, a local monk came and talked to me and told me the history of this place. They grow fruits and vegetables and live only on what they produce. He said that 4 people live here.
They also have a shop where they sell jam and honey. The monk said there used to be a leprosarium there at the time. At that moment, I realized that my fear of missing out, my desire to live life to the fullest, actually stemmed from the fear of death. I am afraid of my time being limited. And right in this monastery, I see this sentence on the wall, May the Lord protect your coming into this world and your leaving. I had started the day thinking I was afraid of nothing and at the end of the road, I realized that I was actually afraid of everything.
And we arrived in San Gimignano, alias the Medieval Manhattan. There used to be more than 70 towers, 14 are left, but even this is enough to take your breath away. Those gates people entered and those stones they walked on for a thousand years. Nothing has changed. Rather than sacred relics, San Gimignano was a wealthy city because it was located at the intersection of the Florence and Pisa roads. Whoever controls the roads controls the trade and whoever controls the trade controls the wealth. In the past, these towers were a symbol of wealth. The higher your tower, the wealthier your family was. Until the municipality forbade building towers higher than the city tower.
We went to the main square or Piazza della Cisterna. Actually this is not a well, but a water reservoir underneath us. Rainwater was collected in the city. Tourists throw coins into it. You must have heard of San Gimignano because wonderful Vernaccia white wine is produced here. There was a huge queue at the city's most famous ice cream shop.
Then we walked through the side streets to see the sunset. The sky was unbelievably beautiful.
After eating our dinner, we did not neglect to stop by the most famous ice cream shop as well. Gelato Dondoli. This place is not just an ice cream shop, it is a legend. We bought Crema di Santa Fina, ice cream with saffron and hazelnut. The owner has turned ice cream making into an art. Since saffron is produced here, every flavor is a part of the city's history.
We visited the small Church of San Lorenzo. There are frescoes here that give a person chills. The message is clear, Hell is real, if you stray from the right path, this is what awaits you. All the devils are painted blue because in that period, the color blue was considered barbaric and unpleasant. Red was very expensive, worn by nobles. The most valuable work is the fresco belonging to the youth period of the famous artist Simone Martini.
Although the main cathedral looks uninteresting from the outside, its interior is full of 14th century frescoes. It is like a Bible for those who cannot read and write. The Old Testament is on the left and the New Testament is on the right.
15 year-old Saint Fina, the patron saint of the city, rests here. This girl, who suffered from paralysis, lay on a wooden bench for years and renounced everything.. When she died, all the bells of the city started ringing on their own and violets grew on the wooden bench where she sat.
What interested me the most were the hell frescoes. The demons work like executioners. Every sinner suffers punishment according to the sin committed. The gluttonous person feeds on filth, melted gold is poured down the throat of the stingy and the face of the proud is dipped in mud. What you loved while alive kills you in hell. Medieval people would look at this and think, I must reach Rome and repent. The fear of hell was stronger than the fear of death.
We saw the Palazzo Comunale, namely the town hall. This place is a complete medieval city. In the frescoes, things that should not be done in marriage and the necessity of not coming under the domination of women are explained in a humorous language. On the other side, there are things that should be done in marriage. The couple enters the house, takes a bath and has sex. This is proof that people bathed in Italy in the year 1306.
While we were walking around, tourist groups came to the city by buses and it became crowded. While escaping from the crowds, we found a fresco belonging to Benozzo Gozzoli in a small monastery. No sign, no brochure, it just stands there. The flow of Christ's blood and the pelican feeding its young with its own blood are depicted. We went down to the cellar. It was an area where olive oil and wine were stored in the past.
Our day on the Via Francigena trail ended here. Then we stopped by Monteriggioni. I will talk about that visit in my next post. See your soon.
