Neighbours in San Gimignano include Mr Blair's predecessor Neil Kinnock who has a holiday home in the medieval town.

BBC: News | UK | Blair family's Tuscany break

San Gimignano is probably the most complete and unchanged medieval town in Italy.

BBC: The perfect trip: Tuscany

From there it was on to the Tuscany hills where the Blairs have hired the wing of the Villa Cusona, near San Gimignano.

BBC: News | UK | Blair family's Tuscany break

About halfway between San Gimignano and Siena is Monteriggioni, a small medieval village perfectly preserved within its walls, with towers at regular intervals.

BBC: The perfect trip: Tuscany

Monteriggioni, like San Gimignano, has a sense that the men in doublet and hose, ladies in wimples, peasants in jerkins and knights on horseback have just disappeared through the gates - and might return at any minute.

BBC: The perfect trip: Tuscany

Once known as San Gimignano delle Belle Torri, or San Gimignano of the Beautiful Towers, there were originally 72 towers, 50 to 60 metres tall, crammed within the walls of this small, medieval town that crowns a hill in classic Tuscan fashion.

BBC: The perfect trip: Tuscany