Ah, San Jiminyano, a favorite little town in Tuscany, beloved by travellers far and wide,

thanks to its beautifully preserved streets and soaring towers.

Most visitors duck in for an hour or two, but if you stay in the area, you'll appreciate your time there so much more.

Find out why on episode 263 of the Untold Italy podcast.

Ciao at all and benvenuti to Untold Italy, the travel podcast where you go to the towns and villages, mountains and lakes, hills and coastlines of Bella Italia.

Each week your host, Katie Clark, takes you on a journey in search of magical landscapes,

history, culture, wine, gelato, and of course, a whole lot of pasta.

If you're dreaming of Italy and planning future adventures there, you've come to the right place.

Ciao, and bernutti and benvenuti. Are you relaxed and ready to hear about one of

of Tuscany's favorite towns? I hope so, because this one is a beauty.

Today we're taking a virtual trip to San Gimagnano in the heart of the Tuscan countryside.

Perched on a hill and surrounded by vineyards, it would be a hardened heart who didn't find

this picture-perfect town charming, even if they only stopped for an hour or two.

Prepare to be truly smitten, especially if you enjoy a stunning sunset overlooking the valley

and onto sleepy towns in the distance. Like most places in Italy, San Gimagnano is best

enjoyed slowly and its stories and traditions revealed over time. Our friend and local guide, Anarita Ferranti, is here to share her insights into this magical

town with you.

But before we get started, I wanted to make an announcement about a not-so-little project

that the Untold Italy team and I have been working on for around six months now.

As many of you know, we have hundreds of expert-driven podcast episodes and curated articles about travelling in Italy.

From practical insights to peaks into Italian life, it is actually a huge body of work that I'm

extremely proud of. Now, I reckon there are at least three books worth of

...