Sighnaghi has a touch of Tuscany. I had no clue how pretty the town, it was on my agenda because it is part of Georgia’s historic wine region, where grapes have been cultivated for some 8,000 years. Add a super interesting museum, thick city walls, wineries, churches, lots of restaurants and you unterstand why lots of tourist come here. Yes, you could call the place touristy.
We arrived from Telavi which is 60km away, the capital of Georgia’s most famous wine region, Kakheti. It took a bit more than an hour, especially since the last bit is a windy drive up to the mountain top.
Sighnaghi has a touch of Tuscany.
The Great Wall of Sighnagni
One of the loveliest streets in Sighnaghi leads down to the town’s fortress gate that was part of the original fortifications. The Alazani Valley below has served as the “Gateway to Georgia”. So the town has an long history of seeing invaders after invaders, from Parthians to Arabs, Mongolians to Persians. The current wall system though isn’t that old, as King Erekle II had much of the fort system redesigned, repaired, and rebuilt in the 1700s.
Elisabeth and Claudia climbing around the city walls.
On top of St. George’s church near the city wall
What is certainly different from Tuscany’s medial towns are the colourful wooden verandas and line the cobble stone streets.
Sighnagni wooden verandas
Sighnagni wooden verandas
Sighnagni wooden verandas
Sighnagni wooden verandas
Touristy versa authentic
As I mentioned before, Sighnagi is a bit touristy for Georgian standards, a lot of them are local tourists and won’t stop raving about the beauty of this little town. But the town has its share of international tourists, who stay in the many accommodation. We chose a family place, the TMT Guest House, in a quiet a residential street, off the center with a grand view. We had a kitchen and our host kept bringing us tea, fruits and tweets. €35 per room.
Souvenir stall in the center of Sighnagni
View from our home in Signagni
sweets offered by our host
The neighborhood was so authentic that there was plenty of typical Improvisation that you would see in many former Soviet-ruled countries, like a rock holding up a gas pipe. I love this with all my heart, the skills to improvise and make do with little.
Masterclass in Improvising
seemed like meters checking how much gas each house uses
As authentic as it can get
And it was in Sighnagni were we finally lifte these weird looking machines that we saw everywhere in Georgia. We first thought those were ATMs, but never saw people walk away with money. Well, this is where do pay our bills, charge your phone credit, or use other public services.
Machines to pay your bills, charge your phone credit, or use other public services
Machines to pay your bills, charge your phone credit, or use other public services
Sighnaghi National Museum
It is in the center of town and shouldn’t be missed. On the first floor is a large display of artifacts with a lot historical background of Sighnaghi and Kakheti. The upstairs features an exhibition by a Georgian artist and also a permanent installation of the famous Pirsomani, who was from a small town nearby
Golden Lion, from 2000BC
Painting in State Museum of signangni a gigantic
Near the State Museum women are selling hand-knitted toys, the perfect Xmas presesent for my nephews
Travelling back to Tbilisi
A marshrutky took us back to Tbilisi, which is about 106km away. These mini-buses leave from the parking lot behind the supermarkt, the ride takes about 2 hours.
Marshrutki from Signagni- Tbilisi
Marshrutki from Signagni- Tbilisi
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