San Gimignano, a town with around 7,000 inhabitants that rises on a hill 334m above sea level, is certainly one of the most charming and interesting towns of Tuscany.

The town dominating the Elsa Valley with its towers, it’s also called "City of Beautiful Towers", and is one of the best preserved medieval towns in Tuscany. A town of Etruscan origins, developed between the 9th and the 12th century, thanks to the "Via Francigena" the trading and pilgrim's route that connected Rome to the most important towns of Europe. This gave rise to its great prosperity at that time, soon became home of a flourishing market and was embellished by beautiful palaces and by the famous towers.

In 1199 it became a free municipality and fought against the Bishops of Volterra and the surrounding municipalities. Later on the town was divided into two factions one headed by the Ardinghelli family - Guelphs and the other by the Salvucci family - Ghibellines. After the fights between Ghibellines and Guelphs, in 1348 the plague caused the economic decline of the town and 1353, San Gimignano was completely under Florence rule. A gradual recovery was only possible under Medici lead. The construction of the towers dates back to the 13th century. The beautiful towered palaces were the result of the wealth of the local merchants who competed with one another in construction of their homes symbolizing their achievements. Fourteen of the original 76 towers have survived.

Since the middle Ages, San Gimignano has been famous for growing saffron, which also contributed to its prosperity and is now being produced again; other sources of richness were pottery and wool, and assuredly Vernaccia wine and olive oil. The surrounding area is well known for the cultivation of vines producing "Vernaccia", the first Italian wine to be awarded a DOC (Denomination of Controlled Origin). For a small town San Gimignano is rich in works of art and its artistic heritage. Within the city wall surrounding the inhabited city is the charming town centre, with squares and palaces with a beauty which go beyond time. Walking through the narrow streets of the town is like taking a stroll into the past; wherever you look there is something of rare and unaltered beauty.

Places to visit

Piazza Della Cisterna

Piazza Della Cisterna takes its name from the central well and is surrounded by splendid medieval towered palaces.

Piazza Del Duomo

Dominated by the Palazzo Vecchio del Podesta, whose tower is probably the towns oldest.

Romanic church

Romanic church with its Chapel, 11th century church, extended in the 1460 on a project by Giuliano da Maiano, which still retains frescos by Taddeo di Bartolo, 1393 and Benozzo Gozzoli, 1465 and wooden statues by Jacopo della Quercia, painted by Martino di Bartolomeo, and the frescos cycle of the New Testament by Lippo and Federico Memmi, from the 14th century, followed by the contemporaneous Old Testament, by Bartolo di Fredi.

Palazzo del Popolo

The impressive town hall, built in 1288 and extended in 1323, now the Civic Museum, displaying frescos by Sodoma, a fresco by Lippo Memmi, and other works of the Tuscany school: Pinturicchio, Coppo di Marcovaldo and Flippino Lippi.

Rocca

Rocca fortress, built in 1353, now has only one standing tower, dismantling by Medici troops in 1555, it has a charming view of the medieval village and the surrounding countryside.

Sant Augustino Church

Church built in Romanic-Gothic style during the years going from 1280 to 1298, which contains the masterpiece by Piero del Pollaiolo and the grandiose series of frescos on the life of S. Augustine by Benozzo Gozzoli.

Collegiata

Romanesque church, it is one of the most frescoed churches in Italy.

Via San Mateo

Mainly for local residents, selling typical Tuscan products.

For more information visit

• San Gimignano