Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
bathrooms. Parking and kitchen use are available for a small fee. Book in advance at
www.monasterystays.com
,
as it's usually full.
If you don't have a reservation, arrive between 9am and 12.30pm or between 3.30pm
and 5.45pm and ring the monastery bell (not the Foresteria one, which is never answered).
Hotel L'Antico Pozzo
BOUTIQUE HOTEL
€€
( 0577 94 20 14;
www.anticopozzo.com
;
Via San Matteo 87; s €80-95, d €90-135, superior d €169-180;
closed 1st 2 wks Nov & Jan; )
Named after the old, softly illuminated
pozzo
(well)
just off its lobby, this hotel occupies a 15th-century
palazzo
on busy Via San Matteo. Most
rooms feature high ceilings, simple but elegant decor and good-sized if dated bathrooms;
we suggest avoiding the cheaper top-floor rooms. There's a handsome breakfast room and
a pretty rear courtyard.
Eating & Drinking
San Gimignano is known for its
zafferano
(saffron). You can purchase meat, vegetables,
delle Erbe)
in and around Piazzas Cisterna, Duomo and Erbe.
Dal Bertelli
SANDWICHES
€
(Via Capassi 30; panini €3-5, glasses of wine €1.50; 1-7pm Mar-early Jan)
The Bertelli family has
lived in San Gimignano since 1779, and its current patriarch is fiercely proud of both his
heritage and his sandwiches. Sig Brunello Bertelli sources his salami, cheese, bread and
wine from local artisan producers and sells his generously sized offerings from an atmo-
spheric space as far away as possible from what he calls the town's 'tourist grand bazaar'.
Fabulous.
Gelateria Dondoli
GELATO
€
(
www.gelateriadipiazza.com
;
Piazza della Cisterna 4; gelati €2-3; 8.30am-11pm Mar-mid-Nov)
Master gelato-maker Sergio Dondoli uses only the choicest ingredients to create his
creamy and icy delights. Get into the local swing of things with a
crema di santa fina
(saf-
fron cream) gelato or a Vernaccia sorbet.