During November in the hill town of San Gimignano, which is more famous for Chianti wine and its mysterious towers than saffron, begins the harvest of the purple Crocus sativus flowers whose stems contain the precious red powder that turns a brilliant yellow when cooked.
The history of the cultivation of saffron takes us back hundreds of years; many documents have been found that testify that to its intensive cultivation at San Gimignano during the middle Ages. As a product worth a great deal of money it was very important to the merchants of those times and to the city's economy. In 1228 the Town Council of San Gimignano paid its debts, incurred during the siege of the "Castello della Nera", partly in money and partly in saffron. In 1276 the Council introduced taxation on imports and exports. The export duty produced such revenue that in 1295 the Council decided that it was worth assigning two officials adept in the weighing of saffron to be permanently present at the gates of the City where the export duty was levied.
The saffron of San Gimignano is extremely pure. It is produced naturally and no chemical products are used in any phase of its cultivation, drying and conservation. The saffron stamens are packaged whole in order to guarantee their pure quality as well as to protect their strong pungent and slightly bitterish aroma.
Today, this city near Siena has become the Tuscan leader in saffron production.