San Gimignano, Italy: detailed description, attractions and reviews. Open left menu San Gimignano City of San Gimignano Italy
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The picturesque place of San Gimignano is located 40 km from Florence.
You need to look for San Gimignano on a map of Italy closer to the Northern regions, between Siena and Florence.
Location of San Gimignano on the map of Italy
The origins of San Gimignano, a city in, go back to the Middle Ages. Then, according to legend, the young Roman patricians Muzio and Silvio were forced to flee Rome from a conspiracy. They built two castles within walking distance of each other, one of them called Silvia (now Italian: San Gimignano).
The name San Gimignano was first mentioned on August 30, 929 AD. in a document issued by King Hugo of Italy to Bishop Adelard of Volterra. It indicated a place called “Tower Mountain” (Italian: Il Monte della Torre) in San Gimignano.
The real development of the city and the urban network began around the tenth century. This was a period of prosperity for the city thanks to the trade in saffron and Vernaccia wine. The city was surrounded by fortress walls built in 1262, almost 2200 meters long. Then, the protective functions of the walls were strengthened with high towers.
The plague did not bypass San Gimignano; it greatly undermined the economy and the overall development of the city network.
4 years after the terrible pestilence, when the city finally weakened, power passed to Florence.
Two more plague epidemics hit the city, after which San Gimignano, from a developing city, took on an absolutely deplorable appearance.
There was virtually no new construction. That is why the city remained almost in its original form.
Since the 19th century, San Gimignano has been an important destination for tourists coming to Tuscany, an example of Medieval architecture.
What to see
In San Gimignano, the attractions are very unique due to their Medieval appearance. The brightest ones that have preserved the spirit of that era are today available to everyone. San Gimignano is a very small town, so most of the local attractions are located very close.
You can touch the history of Tuscany and San Gimignano, which is not for nothing called the “city of a hundred towers”, by seeing:
You can admire all the sights of San Gimignano by watching the video:
Holidays and Events
Thanks to the medieval appearance of the city, street festivals look much more colorful and therefore are even more visited by tourists and townspeople:
Where to stay
For visitors, those who are not afraid of noise and constant traffic under their windows, hotels and apartments located in the very center of San Gimignano are suitable:
For those who like to stay in places that are quieter and possibly involve relaxation, we can recommend the following hotels:
Local kitchen
Tuscan cuisine is a symbol of true Italian cuisine. And the local famous wine - white Vernaccia di San Gimignano - is the standard of quality for Tuscan wines.
To produce this white grape wine, the Vernaccia di San Gimignano variety is used (at least 85%). 11 months of aging are required for the desired quality.
Vernaccia di San Gimignano - the standard of quality for Tuscan wines
In San Gimignano, of course, there is a great opportunity to try and appreciate all the main local dishes and wines in the best restaurants and trattorias.
These include:
- Fattoria Poggio Alloro, not far outside the city on Via Sant’Andrea 23. Farm-restaurant where they grow everything: from cows to their own herbs and spices. Here, the grapes grown are processed into wine. For 23 euros you can dine on the full menu of the day;
- In Via San Martino 17, in an area close to the center where many restaurants are located, visit Cum Quibus. Be sure to order pasta with truffles and any dessert. Dinner for two with wine will cost about 80 - 90 euros;
- Restaurant Da i' Mariani, in the very center of the city at the intersection of two streets Via Quercecchio, 19 and San Giovanni. Try an assortment of cheeses, sun-dried tomatoes and sausages. The average bill is 80 euros.
Restaurant Da i’ Mariani offers traditional Tuscan dishes
Climate
The weather in San Gimignano is the most optimal for living and traveling. Mild winter, without negative temperatures, it often rains.
Summer is dry and warm, sometimes the heat reaches 39 degrees (in the shade), but due to low humidity it is relatively easy to tolerate.
The best season to travel is spring, when it is not yet so hot, for example, the end of May, the beginning of June.
What else?
People usually come to San Gimignano to see unusual city with towers, eat delicious food and taste the famous wine.
In addition to these usual processes for tourists, you can spend time in San Gimignano like this:
Shopping
There are no large outlets in San Gimignano and shopping centers, but for shopping lovers there are still nice shops:
How to get there?
San Gimignano is easier to get to from nearby major cities, such as:
- Florence. From Florence to San Gimignano 54 km;
- . From Siena to San Gimignano 61 km;
Bus. The commuter bus makes communication between these cities convenient.
From Florence it costs 6.80 euros and takes 110 minutes.
From Siena - duration about 1 hour, price 6 euros.
Website: http://www.busfox.com/timetable/
Train.
On commuter train, Poggibonsi (San Gimignano) station can be reached from the following cities:
- From Florence in 1 - 1.15 min, price 7.50 euros;
- From Siena in 0.5 hours, 3.50 euros;
- For 1 hour 20 minutes, price 8.40 euros;
- From Rome in 2 hours - 3.10 hours, price 19.60 euros - 52 euros.
Still the most in a convenient way How to get to San Gimignano is by bus from Florence. Along the way, you can also look at the beautiful scenery from the highway.
The views of Tuscany amaze the imagination with a riot of colors
Cities nearby
Near San Gimignano you can visit the Tuscan cities:
- Poggibonsi(Italian: Poggibonsi) 16 km, with its fortress La Rocca di Staggia;
- Colle di Val d'Elsa(Italian: Colle di Val d’Elsa) 16 km away, here you can see the Concattedrale Dei Santi Alberto E Marziale - the ancient cathedral;
- 22 km Castelfalfi(Italian: Castelfalfi). Boccaccio was born here, “the secret of Tuscany” - that’s what this hill town is called.
Another Italian city- San Gimignano, another mystery that is carefully kept for everyone who wants to touch history.
Wonderful photos of San Gimignano can be viewed on the city’s city portal:
http://www.comune.sangimignano.si.it/en/tourism-culture/tourism/photogallery.
July 25th, 2014
This small Italian medieval town is located in the famous province of Tuscany, 56 kilometers from Florence. The appearance of the town is reminiscent of medieval Manhattan.
Until 1353, for 150 years, San Gimignano was an independent, prosperous city. And then Florence swallowed him up. From that moment on, the city was dominated by two families: the Ardingelli and the Salvucci. It was they who organized the “race” for the title of owner of the tall house in the city. After all, then, high towers were a symbol of wealth and power. The competition consumed families so much that by the end of the 14th century there were 72 high-rise buildings in the city, some over 70 meters high. The race ended only after the ban on the construction of buildings higher than the city palace was introduced. To date, only 14 of these “skyscrapers” have been preserved.
Let's find out more about the history of this town...
Where the small town of San Gimignano now stands, people settled in ancient times. According to archaeological data, the first inhabitants of the hills dominating the Elsa River valley were the Etruscans - their settlement on the site of the future city already existed at least in the 3rd century BC.
However, the “historical” period for San Gimignano begins only in the twenties of the 10th century. The first mention of the village, named after the holy Bishop Geminianus, who miraculously turned the hordes of Huns away from Modena, was a gift from King Hugo of Arles to the bishops of the city of Volterra.
Photo 4. 
San Gimignano was lucky with its location - the Via Francigena, the famous pilgrim road, and the road connecting Siena and Pisa, which went from north to south, from English Canterbury to Rome, converged near it. Archbishop Sigeric of Canterbury, who walked along the Via Francigena in the early 990s, testifies to “Sce Gemiane” - the name under which the settlement appears in the chronicle - as a “town”. And in 998, the bishops surrounded San Gimignano, which by that time had a castle and a small fortress with a market on the Montestaffoli hill, with stone walls.
Gradually, the strengthening San Gimignano became cramped under the hands of the bishops. A small contado - the surrounding fertile hilly area, the rights to which were assigned to the city, provided a good income. In San Gimignano, where there was no nobility in the usual sense of the word, an influential layer of merchant-landowners developed who made a fortune trading wine, olive oil and saffron and, unusually for those years, invested profits back into agricultural production. It was from them that later came the famous city families.
Photo 5. 
By the middle of the 12th century, San Gimignano reached its heyday. Trade connections of local merchants began to extend from Pisa and Lucca to France, the Netherlands and even the Levant. In addition, rich city families began to lend money on interest, usually at a considerable interest rate. So by the end of the 12th century, San Gimignano was already ready for independence from the Volterran lords, and in 1199 it received this independence, turning into free city- commune. Volterra itself, along with the neighboring Colle di Val d'Elsa and Poggibonsi, has since become one of the main rivals of San Gimignano.
The heyday of San Gimignano came at a time when the struggle for power between the imperial house of Hohenstaufen and the Papal throne flared up in Italy. The population of the Apennines was divided into two camps - the Ghibellines who supported the emperor and the Guelphs, who sided with the pope. In San Gimignano, as in many other cities of the Apennines, this confrontation split the city in half. The Salvucci and Ardingelli families stood at the head of the warring parties in San Gimignano. The Salvucci moneylenders became the leaders of the urban Guelphs, and their irreconcilable, as often happened in Italy, enemies of the Ardingelli, merchants whose trade connections extended far beyond Italy, led the Ghibellines.
Photo 6. 
The feud between two “equally respected” families continued in San Gimignano for decades and determined its now well-recognized architectural silhouette. Both Salvucci and Ardingelli erected fortified towers in the city, which served both as defense against enemies from the neighboring family and the opposing party, and as a demonstration of the power of their own family. Following the leading families, other eminent families also built their towers - in the heyday of San Gimignano, the number of towers exceeded seventy, and fourteen have survived to this day.
However, the internecine enmity of families and parties did not interfere with the financial and trading activities of the city residents. While Via Francigena passed through San Gimignano, visitors brought considerable money to its residents. However, this income had long ceased to be the main one for the townspeople, and when pilgrims began to use other routes and their flow through San Gimignano decreased, the city did not become poorer, quite the contrary. Throughout the thirteenth century, workshops and guilds were actively formed there - furriers, blacksmiths, carters, masons, barbers, judges, notaries and others. Thanks to the Crusades, not only selected merchants, but also financiers, moneylenders and money changers paved their way to the East. Especially many entrepreneurs from San Gimignano ended up in Syria.
Photo 7. 
The prosperous city tried to expand its small contado - mainly at the expense of the lands of its neighbors and former lords, the Volterra bishops. However, the location between two fires - Siena and Florence, continuously at war throughout the 13th century - forced the San Gimignans to be drawn into their conflict and enter into a military alliance with the Florentines.
However, the relations of the parties in Italy in those years directly depended on which party - the Guelphs or the Ghibellines - would gain the upper hand in the cities, and they often succeeded each other in power. In 1251, the Florentine Guelphs captured San Gimignano, which was then dominated by the Ghibelline faction, and the city fell into Guelph power for three years. But after the Florentine-Siena battle, which took place in 1260 at Montaperti, in which Guelph Florence was defeated, the San Gimignan Ghibellines regained their previous positions, and the city regained its independence from the Florentines. However, the situation soon changed in the opposite direction again; only by the last third of the century was agreement reached between the parties for some time, which allowed the San Jiminans to begin active construction in the city and restore the city fortifications destroyed during the last conflicts.
Photo 8. 
But the end of the independence of tiny San Gimignano was just around the corner. The small republic became entangled in geopolitical intricacies, its trade ties weakened, and the powerful Florence, which began to gather Tuscany under its hand, began to increasingly interfere in the affairs of the commune. The decline of the city was also facilitated by the devastating epidemic of the Black Death, the bubonic plague, that swept through Italy in 1348. Both San Gimignano and its surroundings - the contado - were depopulated - the disease claimed more than half of the population of the republic. And San Gimignano recognized the power of the Florentines in 1352.
Despite the general decline of civil and economic life, the city has since begun to attract notable Florentine artists - Piero Pogliolo, Benozzo Gozzoli, Domenico Ghirlandaio and Sebastiano Mainardi bring the art of the Florentine Quattrocento to the soil of San Gimignano, which was previously in the field of cultural influence, rather of the Siena circle.
Photo 9. 
However, like many previously independent and proud Italian towns that became a province of a stronger neighbor, historically San Gimignano fell asleep. Under the strong hand of the Florentine and then the great Tuscan dukes, it remained from then on far from historical upheavals. The city lived with viticulture and the past. In the 17th century, its authorities adopted a unique document, “in the name of the greatness of the land,” which ordered the preservation of its famous towers, and thanks to this we now see in San Gimignano a unique example of what the Tuscan communes of the era of Guelph-Ghibelline civil strife looked like. After all, the silhouettes of other cities were radically changed by the construction of the 16th and 17th centuries, but tiny San Gimignano remained the same as it was six hundred years ago.
Now the city of eight thousand lives the same as under the Volterra bishops - agriculture and visitors - only the place of the pilgrims heading to Rome along Via Francigena was taken by tourists making pilgrimages to San Gimignano itself, which was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1990.
Photo 10. 
The history of San Gimignano is inextricably linked with the history of the Cathedral.
Pope Eugene III, returning to Rome along the Via Francigena, personally consecrated the Cathedral of San Gimignano in 1148. For several centuries, high-ranking church officials paid special attention to this cathedral, so that the rector, the canons (priests at the cathedral) and the city administration made every effort to give the basilica a magnificent appearance corresponding to this attention. In 1238, work began on expanding and decorating the cathedral, in which 600 of the most famous craftsmen of that time took part. Here the days of the city's saints were celebrated - St. Finns, St. Bartolo, St. Pierrot the Martyr, Blessed Chardo. A special altar was dedicated to Saint Gimignano, Bishop of Modena, a relic of the saint was kept in the cathedral, and every year on January 31 his day was celebrated with special solemnity.
Franciscan and Capuchin canons, Dominicans and Augustinians preached from the pulpit of this church; passionate speeches of Savonarola sounded here in the 90s of the brilliant 15th century. As a sign of ominous discord, his stern, tragic figure appeared on the political horizon of the Florentine Republic (at that time San Gimignano was already under its jurisdiction).
Photo 11. 
Lorenzo the Magnificent Medici - everyone knows! - is considered a patron of art, but magnificent festivals and carnivals at his court were held against the backdrop of the most severe tax policy - this is what not everyone knows. This caused discontent among citizens. In addition, the surrender of Lorenzo's son Pietro de' Medici to the French troops of Charles VIII. The spokesman for the general irritation was the Dominican monk of one of the Florentine monasteries, Girolamo Savonarola. His sermons denouncing wealth and usury attracted widespread popular attention and served as the impetus for the uprising against the Medici in 1494. But he was more than the leader of the rebels, and, in fact, did not strive to become the leader of the uprising. Savonarola strove for justice, as he imagined it, but with his sincere asceticism, with convictions that few could share, he was not fit to be a secular ruler. On his orders, paintings and musical instruments were burned in the squares, and this, in the end, seemed even more savage to ordinary citizens than the bliss of the Medici, who squeezed all the juice out of taxpayers. Therefore, Savonarola was executed as a heretic 4 years after his sudden political rise, and everything returned to normal - only those who heard his sermons did not immediately forget this harsh, rebellious voice, as if the echo of his words still sounded under the arches of the cathedral.
Photo 12. 
It was the cathedral that was the center of the stormy political life of the city, since popes and cardinals took an active part in politics - either excommunicating earthly rulers, or vice versa - turning to them for help to maintain their own power.
The Cathedral of San Gimignano was rectored by various cardinals - the Romans Orsini (Giordano in 1146 and Napoleon in 1314), the Neapolitan Francesco Carbone in 1389, Francesco Soderini in 1495. Cardinal Baldassare Cossa served here, a rather prominent political figure of the period of the great schism (i.e. the simultaneous existence of two or even three popes at the head catholic church) who was subsequently elected antipope (taking the name John XXIII) in 1410 and overthrown by the Council of Constance in 1415.
At the end of the XIV - beginning of the XV centuries. As a result of the plague and severe famine, San Gimignano suffered a serious demographic crisis: the population decreased from 13 thousand to 3. In 1353, the heavily depopulated city came under the jurisdiction of the Florentine Republic. With the loss of independence, San Gimignano is gradually becoming more and more provincial. It seemed to be mothballed in the Gothic era, and even during the Renaissance it seemed somewhat old-fashioned. But it is in this old-fashionedness that its main charm lies, because antiquity gives it a special chic. And what San Gimignano is famous for, in addition to its unique architecture - the famous Vernaccia wine - also benefits from age.
Photo 13. 
There is a tower in San Gimignano called Torre Grassa, which means Thick Tower. In the 15th century it towered over a powerful pentagonal fortress, but in 1555 this fortress was destroyed by the Medici; only the tower was not damaged - apparently due to its thickness. If you climb this tower, you will see a landscape reminiscent of the background of Tuscan Renaissance paintings. Peaceful, soft lines of hills, vineyards in a bluish fog...
The gray towers of the city, a series of ancient palazzos, small squares. And if you find yourself in San Gimignano at the end of June, you will see how the narrow streets are filled with a medieval crowd and knights ride into the Cistern Square. Every year the association of Cavaliers of St. Fina organizes the knightly tournament Giostra dei Bastoni (Stick Tournament) here. This colorful performance attracts huge crowds of spectators, much larger than similar events gathered in the Middle Ages.
The original center of the city is the beautiful Piazza della Cisterna (Water Tower Square). By the way, in more than one San Gimignano the water tower is honorably located in the city center and is considered its decoration. Here in Russia, in Vladimir, an ancient water tower is located next to the Golden Gate.
Nearby is Piazza del Duomo (Cathedral Square). The Cathedral of San Gimignano or Chiesa Collegiata is a famous monument of Romanesque architecture in Tuscany. There is no point in describing such ancient churches, just as there is no point in retelling poems. Many people - more than one generation of builders, artists, donors - invested their mental and physical strength in the creation of this cathedral. But besides the architecture, paintings, sculptures, there is also a unique spiritual experience of the church, which cannot be described, but makes the church what it is.
Photo 14. 
In the cathedral there are frescoes by Bartolo di Fredi Barnaba of Siena. At the entrance to the central nave on either side of the fresco “Martyrdom of St. Sebastian" by Benozzo Gozzoli - two famous wooden sculptures by Jacopo della Quercia. Above the central nave is a fresco of the Last Judgment by Taddeo Bartolo. In the left nave is the famous chapel of St. Fina, built in 1468, with frescoes by Domenico Ghirlandaio. They depict two scenes: St. George predicts St. Fine her imminent death, and the funeral of the saint. There is also a beautiful altar by Benedetto di Maiano.
San Gimignano is full of museums: there is an art gallery, an ornithology museum, a Vernaccia wine museum, and, of course, the city museum. It is located in Palazzo Comunale or Palazzo Nuovo del Podesta. Like all buildings in San Gimignano, this palace was built many centuries ago: between 1288 and 1323. An internal staircase in the courtyard leads to the Dante Room with wonderful frescoes by Lippo Memmi. In the Pinacoteca there are paintings of the Siena and Florentine school of the 13th-15th centuries: “The Crucifixion” by Coppo di Marcovaldi, triptychs by Nicolo Tegliacci and Taddeo di Bartolo, works by Guido da Siena, Benozzo Gozzoli, Filippino Lippi, Pinturicchio, Bartolo di Freddi, Neri di Bicci.
Not far from the Cathedral - everything is close here - the Church of St. Augustine, combining features of the Romanesque and Gothic styles. Its construction took place over 18 years under Cardinal Matteo Acquasparta (late 13th century). The church is decorated with frescoes from the 14th century. Benozzo Gozzoli and his student Francesco Florentino, dedicated to the life of St. Augustine, works by Pier del Polayolo (“Madonna and Saints” in the main altar of 1483) and other Renaissance creators.
The Museum of Religious Art has a famous collection of wooden sculpture from the 14th century. In the Silver Hall there are liturgical utensils: bowls, bedspreads, carpets.
Here is the Etruscan Museum, a very interesting archaeological exhibition of local Etruscan and Roman finds. In addition to the more common household and religious objects, such as amphoras, vases, dishes, sacrificial bowls, necklaces, the museum has interesting funeral urns of the Volterran type with a reclining figure of the deceased holding a coin in his hand - payment for transportation across the River of Death.
Photo 18. 
But the most amazing museum in San Gimignano is the Museum of Medieval Criminology. Private. Call before visiting. The owners of such museums themselves are unusual people - immersed in science and the past.
No, it cannot be said that San Gimignano is modern city, even when it hosts quite modern events - for example, an international cultural festival or an open cinema festival. Everything here is somehow unreal: either this city is a colossal decoration, or you yourself are guests from the future. It’s hard to imagine that schoolchildren are walking along these ancient streets to a modern school. And the hotels here match: falling asleep on an endless bed in a gloomy bedroom of an ancient palazzo, you cannot guarantee that you will wake up in your native XXI.
Photo 19. 
How to get there:
Region: Tuscany
Distance: 60 km to Florence, 180 km to Rome
By train:
From the north: line Milano-Bologna-Firenze, Firenze-Empoli, Empoli-Siena;
line: Genova-Pisa, Pisa-Empoli, Empoli-Siena
From the south: line: Roma-Firenze (change at Chiusi/Chianciano Terme), Chiusi/Chianciano Terme-Siena, Siena-Empoli;
line: Roma-Pisa, Pisa-Empoli, Empoli-Siena
From Empoli or Fierenze to Poggibonsi station.
Further from the station: Bus number 130 to San Gimignano, goes approximately once an hour. Stops at the main gate.
The return departs from the stop across the road (near the parking lot and the carabinieri station).
By car:
From the north (from Milan): motorway A1 Milano-Roma (south) to FIRENZE CERTOSA; superstrada Firenze-Siena to POGGIBONSI NORD
From the south (from Rome): motorway A1 Roma-Milano (north) to VALDICHIANA, then follow signs for Siena, then for Firenze until POGGIBONSI NORD
From the west (from Pisa): SGC FI-PI-LI to Pisa-Firenze to Empoli S.S. 429 to Certaldo
then follow the signs for San Gimignano
By bus: from Florence, from Siena
We are approaching the middle of the year 2018, but it seems like just yesterday New Year met... How time flies! We are already thinking about welcoming 2019, but I still have unsorted folders with photographs of New Year’s Tuscan cities. Today I remember the last day of 2017 in San Gimignano.
The entrance to the fortified city is through several gates. There are 4 parking lots near the walls, which were full on New Year's Day.
San Gimignano is my favorite city in Tuscany, a town, almost a village, one might even say. Every time I come here, I make new discoveries for myself.
The blog has a separate section about this wonderful city. There are already several articles. And there will definitely be more!
Towers - business card San Gimignano. The city is sometimes called Medieval Manhattan. In the Middle Ages they liked to build towers in all cities, but so many of them were preserved only in San Gimignano. 
San Gimignano was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1990.
New Year's bustle on the streets ancient city. The most common one, but gifts in ancient city they buy special items—products from local craftsmen. The brightly colored ceramics are also famous.
The city prohibits making signs that are too bright or large. Therefore, numerous shops do not spoil the overall impression of the ancient streets.
And even in the pre-New Year bustle, we managed to find completely deserted corners of the city.
San Gimignano was founded by the Etruscans in the 3rd century BC. e., however, the first official mentions in documents about the settlement date back to the 10th century AD. In 1199, San Gimignano became independent and received its first podestà (mayor). In the 13th century, fortress walls with five towers were built around the city.
Until 1353, San Gimignano was an independent city. And then came under the rule of Florence. Two influential families, Ardingelli and Salvucci, staged a real race here for the title of owner of the tallest house in the city. After all, then, high towers were a symbol of wealth and power. In the 12th century, townspeople were prohibited from wearing overly expensive clothes and fine jewelry to show off their wealth. So they came up with a competition of towers, which absorbed families so much that by the end of the 14th century there were 72 high-rise buildings in the city, some over 70 meters high. The race ended after a ban was imposed on the construction of buildings higher than the city palace. To date, only 14 of these “skyscrapers” have been preserved.
In the 12th century San Gimignano flourished. Local merchants traded wine and olive oil even in France and the Netherlands. The fabrics brought fame to the city. It was very convenient to hang long painted canvases from the high towers to dry.
The population of the city then reached 15,000 people. But in 1348, a plague epidemic broke out and the number of inhabitants decreased by half. The plague visited San Gimignano twice more - in 1464 and 1631, after which the economy collapsed and the city turned into a poor outback. They stopped building houses here, people lived only by viticulture. In the 17th century, the municipality adopted a unique document “in the name of the greatness of the earth,” which ordered the preservation of the towers. Thanks to this, San Gimignano remained the same as it was six hundred years ago.
Beautiful views of Tuscany open from the city walls. The symbol of San Gimignano is the sunflower. I haven't taken a panoramic photo of the city with sunflowers yet!
The central, also known as the city's shopping area, is Piazza della Cisterna. Under the square in the Middle Ages there was a cistern with water reserves; now all that remains of it is an octagonal well. The well was dug at the behest of the mayor, Guccio Malavolti, whose coat of arms in the form of a staircase is carved into the stones.
In addition to markets, knightly tournaments were held on this square in the Middle Ages.
On the square is the Dondoli gelateria, one of the most famous in Italy. It's funny, but we've been to San Gimignano so many times, but we haven't tried ice cream here yet. We manage to eat something on the way to the square, and we also really don’t like standing in line, which is always there...
The Albergo della Cisterna hotel is located in one of the ancient buildings. The hotel is also located in one of the towers. The entire tower can be just yours!
On Cistern Square in the northern part is the Devil's Tower or Devil's Tower (Torre del Diavolo), which is part of the Cortesi Palace. The owner of the tower said that when he returned home one day, the tower became taller. Of course, everything was attributed to the machinations of the Devil.
The second square of the city is Cathedral Square, which has always been the political and religious center of the settlement. The Duomo of San Gimignano deserves a separate article. I somehow missed this, but I’ll definitely do it. On Cathedral Square there is also the People's Palace (Palazzo del Popolo) - the secular symbol of the city.
There are many preserved palaces in San Gimignano: Tortoli Castle, Ridolfi Palace, Pellari Palace and Ardinghelli Palace with two towers. Most palaces have interesting museums.
The Palace of the Commune today houses the Civic Museum of San Gimignano (Il Museo Civico di San Gimignano). The city's 2 torture museums are extremely popular. One museum is dedicated specifically to torture, and the second to executions. The ingenuity of Medieval executioners knew no bounds...
In San Gimignano there is a very interesting private museum of medieval criminology.
However, San Gimignano is a fortress city. And we have never before climbed up to the ruins of the Montestaffoli fortress (Rocca di Montestaffoli). But we managed to do it on the last day of 2017!
The fortress was built to defend the city from attacks by the Sienese. Almost only ruins remained from the ancient citadel. From a small tower I took a couple of panoramic photos of the city’s surroundings.
An actor dressed as Dante read poetry in a park with olive trees. Or not an actor at all... He managed to earn extra money in this way on New Year's Day, when the town was crowded with tourists.
The fortress of San Gimignano regularly hosts festivals and celebrations; on the third weekend of June, a real medieval stick tournament (Giostra dei Bastoni) is held.
This tiny town is full of interesting places, sights and events. On the third weekend of June (we missed it again!) the Ferie Messium festival takes place in San Gimignano. This is a magnificent parade of participants in medieval costumes; horse racing, in which 4 districts of the city compete; tug of war for men and braid race for women. Falconry, medieval feasts and music complete the festivities.
We will definitely return to San Gimignano again and without any reason!
When I came across a similar picture online of a fantastic city on a hill, bristling with its towers into the Tuscan sky, I immediately decided that I had to visit it. San Gimignano was supposed to be the highlight of the entire trip. After all, this is the last of the cities of Tuscany, where many medieval towers survived in their original form. And, as often happens, too high expectations ultimately led to some disappointment.
I won't delay in answering. The main problem came with planning. It was necessary to throw Pisa out of the route that day, which I had already been to, and instead spend the night in San Gimignano. Yes, the town is very tiny, you can easily get around in two hours. But we must not forget that San Gimignano is not only the notorious towers, but also several beautiful museums and churches. In general, because of this stupid rush, I didn’t really have time to watch anything I had planned. cultural program. And the most annoying thing is that there was not enough time to get out to the neighboring hills to enjoy the view of this fantastic city from the outside, and ideally to watch the sunset with such a stunning picture. I even had to resort to forgery, and I confess that the title photo was borrowed from the Internet. I was not destined to see such a beautiful view; this, I consider, was my main failure.
In addition to my oversight, San Gimignano also has an objective disadvantage. It is extremely touristy in the worst sense of this epithet. Crowds of tourists literally form traffic jams on the main streets and squares, at every step there are all these magnets and other souvenir crap, we were also “lucky” to get to the Sunday market, so normally we weren’t able to see and photograph the main squares either. Of course, all these problems would be partly solved if I spent the night here; after all, in the evening, I think most of the same two or three hour-long shooters like me disappeared. But, as the brave soldier Schweik correctly noted: “If only it were true, then beans would grow in my mouth.”
And the last thing that influenced my perception of San Gimignano was the “Siena factor”. From my previous reports, you already understood that I was delighted with this city, and I must say that on that day I somehow became mentally burnt out. I have never experienced such strong emotions as in Siena or in San Gimignano; after all, an overdose of impressions and beauty is one of the main dangers awaiting a traveler in Italy.
That's it, I've spoken, now a few words about the technical details of the trip. Firstly, how to get to San Gimignano from.
There are several options:
1. Bus 130, in Siena leaves from Piazza Gramsci, it is somewhere halfway from Campo and the train station.
2. Bus 131O from Siena with a change in Poggibonsi to bus 130.
3. By train from Siena to Poggibonsi, changing in Poggibonsi to bus 130.
The bus schedule can be viewed on the website:
http://www.busfox.com/timetable/
I made a mistake again and chose option 3, but there is little point in this, the ideal thing would be to guess the direct bus, i.e. option 1.
Secondly, tourist map sights of San Gimignano. By clicking you can download the full size of the map.
Well, it's time to go for a walk around San Gimignano. Buses unload tourists right at the San Giovanni gate, which is impressive for such a small town.
All the houses on this street are occupied to serve our simple tourist needs. In general, normal local life It's impossible to see here.
Church of San Francesco, early 13th century, not bad.
We need to write a few routine phrases about the main local attraction - the towers. Better than Mr. It’s difficult for Muratov to say anything here, so let’s turn to the authorities for a quote.
The towers are the pride and glory of San Gimignano. They make it a historical miracle, a dream come true about the Guelphs and Ghibellines, about Dante, about the pious Sienese "Frescanti". In the 14th century, they were built by a tiny city republic, built by local noble families. They still keep the old names, even now one of them is called the Salvucci Tower and the other, after the irreconcilable enemies of this family, the Ardingelli Tower. There were once similar towers. There, time and the new needs of life destroyed them. They were preserved only by this small town, bypassed by the benefits and temptations of culture. He guarded these useless and strange structures, definitely your best asset.
In the Middle Ages, small San Gimignano had more than 70 towers! Now only 14 of them have survived, but even this modest number makes San Gimignano unique.
Yes, yes, there are souvenir shops at every step, there’s no escape from it. And there are definitely more of them here than these same towers.
Sticking out in the background is the Torre Grossa, San Gimignano's tallest tower.
The 16th-century Quercecchio Church now houses the Museum of Ornithology. I’m extremely interested, does anyone in Italy go to similar museums?
The location of San Gimignano is simply fantastic, the city occupies the top of a three hundred meter hill. That’s why you always come across observation platforms looking out over the surrounding valley. Here, for example, is the view from the Rocco di Montestaffoli fortress, which protects western part cities.
The fortress houses the San Gimignano Wine Museum.
All that remains of the fortress itself are ruins, and a small park has been laid out in its place.
Have you seen gophers? And they exist!
The main church of San Gimignano is Santa Maria Assunta. It would be incorrect to call it Duomo; of course, there was no bishop in such a tiny town; it is a collegiate church. I became interested in what kind of status the church had, and I went to the wiki.
For Catholics, the collegiate church is a church community inhabited and governed by secular canons. Such a community should not be confused with a community of a monastic order, and a community of canons with a monastery. Secular canons collegiates live and serve God (including singing) together. Unlike monks, they own private property (including real estate), receive rent from the income of their church (manage church property jointly), do not take solemn vows (except for celibacy for canons ordained subdeacons) and are free to leave the community at any time.
Those who watched “Tea with Mussolini”, I think, immediately recognized that this is the same church whose frescoes were covered with sandbags to save them from bombing.
As luck would have it, the entire area near the church was filled with local Cherkizon. I couldn’t really get a good look at it, and besides, I wasn’t even allowed inside. Now, this was already a real drama. There are a huge number of masterpieces inside, it was a shame to miss it all.
https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collegiata_di_Santa_Maria_Assunta_(San_Gimignano)
In general, as I already said, things didn’t work out for me with San Gimignano. On top of everything else, I really wanted to have lunch, but I understood that then I wouldn’t have time at all. My friend said that he didn’t care, lunch was sacred, and sat down in a cafe. And I went on to wander alone, wandering is an understatement, it looked more like a jog.
I decided to take a slight detour away from the crowded main streets and, as usual, just a few steps from the central square of San Gimignano I found myself pleasantly deserted.
Mario, let's join the Communist Party!
The Church of Sant'Agostino is another mastsi in San Gimignano. Behind the simple appearance lies a series of beautiful frescoes by Gozzoli dedicated to the life of St. Augustine. I was no longer at all surprised and almost not upset when I came across locked doors. You can look at the frescoes with interesting comments from Mr. Sibister, praise and honor to him:
http://sibeaster.livejournal.com/143887.html
For some reason, tourists don’t have the strength to walk the extra three hundred meters to the northernmost edge of San Gimignano, so the square near Sant’Agostino is completely deserted.
Church of San Pietro in Forliano. Also somehow surprisingly ancient, from the 13th century, it seems, and, not surprisingly, locked with a key.
Former monastery of Santa Chiara.
But today was clearly not my day, I turned to the side where the sun was shining, it was unrealistic to really photograph the towers against the backdrop of the bright Tuscan sky. Here is the best I managed to photograph. Moreover, on the way, I realized that as long as I walked to the nearest mountain, our bus would leave safely, so, having had a little slurp, I decided to go back.
But I got to the medieval fountain, where the whole city was getting water and/or doing laundry, because... Of course, there was no river in San Gimignano; rivers somehow don’t really want to flow uphill.
The fountain was pleasantly cool and peaceful. There were no people at all. I came to my senses a little and calmed down. So, I haven’t lost everything yet. At a minimum, I can have time to go to Palazzo Communale and climb Torre Grosse.
Via Porta delle Fonti I returned back to San Gimignano.
Heights and views, views everywhere!
There is almost no greenery on the central streets of cramped San Gimignano, so local residents they set up makeshift gardens right on their balconies.
Or in some gateways.
Another observation deck overlooking the south side.
I'm back on central square San Gimignano. The damned market had finally begun to wind down, but it was still impossible to rent the area.
Piazza della Cisterna. Under the square in the Middle Ages there was actually a cistern with water supplies. As I understand it, now all that remains of it is the well in the center of the square.
So, I still managed to get into at least one museum in San Gimignano. It turned out to be Palazzo Communale. Here is his patio. The museum has a small but worthy collection of paintings; a number of halls are decorated with frescoes. Which is nice, because... Since the building is secular, many of the frescoes are non-religious in nature and from them you can find out how people lived in this city in the 14th-15th centuries.
What impressed me most was the bedroom inside this palace. Of course, to the best of my ability, I will understand what’s what and all that. But I won’t say that I have made much progress in this. But I always study frescoes and paintings from the point of view of the plot with great pleasure. You don’t need to be a great specialist here. And in this regard, a pleasant surprise awaited me at Palazzo Communale. More precisely, this did not come as a surprise, because... I was preparing for the trip. But given the misfortunes at the beginning of the walk, I was already prepared that something could be mixed up, and, say, the frescoes are in another building, or they will end up under restoration or something else like that.
But no, everything turned out to be in place. So, the promised medieval porn. It is amazing that the owner of the palace decided to decorate his bedroom with images of the advantages of a married life over a riotous bachelor. Or maybe the customer was the wife of a local baron? To discourage my husband from going to prostitutes, I ordered such a nice gift for my hubby.
Let's look at what is shown here. On the right, parents escort the young man into adulthood. His mother hands him a huge wallet with money. The center shows how well the guy decided to spend his parental funds. Of course, the first thing he did was go to the brothel. The prostitute's hand reaches into the boy's underpants... But no, it turns out she was reaching for the wallet. And on the left you can already see how the whores, having taken away the wallet, drive the poor fellow away, and even beat him with sticks on the path.
I didn't fully understand the bottom images. On the left is some kind of BSDM with a whip and other dominance, and on the right is a positive example with a book. Apparently, the dude has finally come to his senses.
UPD The solution turned out to be even more shocking, thanks to M. for the tip. It is Aristotle who is saddled and flogged, and the Macedonian voyeur is spying on this show!
According to a popular medieval legend, the outstanding ancient philosopher Aristotle instilled in his student, Alexander the Great, the idea that his relationship with the courtesan Phyllida was harmful. Having learned about this, Phyllida decided to take revenge by charming Aristotle himself, and when he fell madly in love with her, she straddled the philosopher and lashed her with a whip, having previously informed Alexander that he could secretly watch this scene (he is depicted on the left with his wife).
Another lower-case plot still does not have an unambiguous interpretation. According to one version, it depicts a scene from the cycle of legends about King Arthur: the Lady of the Lake Viviana seduces the wizard Merlin in order to master his magic and imprison him in an ice palace. According to another version, this is a plot from Dante’s “Divine Comedy” (Hell, Chapter V), according to which Paolo and Francesca read the story of Lancelot and Ginevra together, which led them to a love relationship, and ultimately caused death at the hands of Francesca’s deceived husband .
Sure enough, the young man finally returned to the path of virtue and decided to get married. This looks like a matchmaking scene.
And, behold, they are the joys of married life. You can wash with your beloved in a large tub without any restrictions. It seems that the bathroom is cool, so the newlyweds do not take off their hats while washing together. Let's face it, the artist (Memmo di Filipuccio, this is the first time I've heard of it) was not good at depicting boobs. Or maybe the customer’s wife asked me not to be too zealous here, you never know.
And finally, the happy ending to the story, the newlyweds (without taking off their hats, which is typical) lay down on their wedding bed. Quite interesting modern design checkered blankets and now you can see some at IKEA.
So what do you think? I really wanted to get married after such creativity.
To see all the brides in San Gimignano at once, I climbed Torre Grossa.
Unfortunately, I didn’t find any brides, but I looked at Cisterna Square from above.
This turned out to be a slightly chaotic trip to the city of my dreams. But, I hope, despite my haste, you got an idea of this unique place.
As for the answer to the question from the title of the story, it’s difficult for me to definitively decide. Still, I had too little time and many subjective reasons why not everything went smoothly with the city. Perhaps you can say both ways. Indeed, crowds of tourists in such a small square of the city destroy the atmosphere of this place; on the other hand, the famous towers do not disappear from the number of people, and you will still see them and be amazed just like me.