Tuscany: San Gimignano

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You certainly know you’re coming to San Gimignano from the road…..the 13 towers of San Gimignano reign over the city from afar. At one time there were 72 towers over the town as this was a city of great power and wealth (textile industry) and the towers seemed to prove that wealth…..The town is referred to as San Gimignano delle Belle Torri (of the fine towers). I’ve based out of here on numerous occasions as I find it a town easy to navigate (to and from) — and it has a fabulously gorgeous medieval town. The center of town is the Piazza della Cisterna (a well). The piazza is triangular in shape and has towers, old buildings and the 13^th century cisterna/well in the center — it’s a perfect piazza to me. You’ll notice the brick pavement (right under your feet) is laid in a herringbone pattern. The Piazza del Duomo (again with the herringbone brick paving) has the Romanesque church/duomo called the Collegiata di Santa Maria Assunta (11^th century) with frescoes (left and right sides) covering the walls (old and new testament). There are more frescoes in the Cappella di Santa Fina (the patron saint of San Gimignano). You can’t miss the star-filled ceiling here either (beautiful). There are two small museums just to the left of the duomo/Collegiata. They are the Museo d’Arte Sacra and the Museo Etrusco. The Palazzo del Podesta (13^th century) is also in the Piazza del Duomo with its Torre della Rognosa. Interestingly, there was a law that stated that no other towers in town could be taller than the Rognosa (and that was when there were 72 towers in town!). It’s 168 feet high. The town hall or Palazzo del Popolo is a 13^th century building containing the Museo Civico with some great paintings (really great). If you climb the tower (Torre Grossa) you’ll enjoy some wonderful views (117 feet high). The ruins of the fortress or Rocca offer some views on the valley. The Chiesa di Sant’Agostino (13^th century) has some frescoes on the inside as well as ornamentation which contrasts with the simple exterior of this church. Market day is Thursday in San Gimignano.