The Journey from Lucca to San Gimignano

Sunday, September 20, 2009 - We were really enjoying the day in Lucca but as day was turning into evening we realized we should start the trip to San Gimignano so that we could arrive before dark. As in Venice, we missed the first turn that would have kept us on the main roads. But the map showed a number of different routes so we decided to take an alternate route. After all, we were in Italy not only for the sights, the sounds, the tastes and the smells but also for the experiences. We wanted to experience it all - and for the next seven hours we got more than we bargained for.


We were too far from San Gimignano for there to be any road signs naming that town, so we had to look on the map for the name of the next small town along the way to use as a target and then search for road signs directing us to the target town. Consistently, we would come across an intersection showing us the way to the target town and we would cheer, only to come to the next roundabout with three or more possible turns and signs pointing us in the direction of numerous towns - not including our target. We had to guess, and we often guessed wrong.


It was Sunday, so many businesses, including gas stations, were closed. We stopped at a restaurant where we were given directions to the next large town but the waiter explained, in very broken English, that we'd have to ask someone in that town for more directions because the route from that point is too complicated, even for the locals. At one point we stopped for directions at a local hardware store (an Italian Menards). No one in the store spoke English but we were able to put our Rosetta Stone training to use and, using short phrases and hand gestures, the store clerk understood enough to print a Google map showing the route to San Gimignano.


The most exciting part of the journey was when we took a wrong turn just before reaching the town of Legoli, about two-thirds of the way to San Gimignano. We were at the edge of a very small town and seemed to be heading nowhere when we saw a man getting out of his car and we decided to stop to ask him for directions. As we approached him, we saw that he was wearing camouflaged hunting gear and was carrying a shotgun. Hunting for wild boar is very popular in this part of Italy. He spoke no English but we were able to let him know that we were looking for Legoli - which took longer than it should have because we were brutalizing the pronunciation of the name of the town. He had to go to his car for his cheater glasses to see the name of the town on the map. Once he realized where we wanted to go, he began to give animated directions. He clearly believed that if someone doesn't understand his language, he just needs to say it louder and they'll understand. A short sample of his directions is on the fourth video clip in this posting.


We reached San Gimignano at around midnight, relieved and exhausted, but realizing that if it wasn't for our good fortune in getting the wrong car in Venice without GPS, we would have missed this unique and thrilling experience.