What to do and what to see in San Gimignano beautiful Torri, one of the treasures of Tuscany and Italy?
San Gimignano is a small medieval town found in the famous region of Tuscany in Italy, 56 km south of Florence. Located at the top of a hill and fortified with walls and towers, the city has an unforgettable silhouette that looks like a “ mini-Manhattan of medieval times ". Originally an Etruscan village, San Gimignano was under the jurisdiction of the bishops of Volterra, when he became independent in 1199 and acquired his first podestat . The city immediately began the enrichment of the commune, with churches and public buildings, entering a long period of prosperity that lasted until 1353, when it fell under the domination of Florence.
Flickr – Antonio Cinotti
During this period, the city was controlled by two major politically and culturally rival families, the Ardinghelli and the Salvucci , who then began a struggle for the one who would build the highest turn house. Owning a tower was a symbol of wealth and power . Over the decades, the city has experienced a steady increase in the number of towers raising the high city in the sky. At the end of the 14th century, the city had no less 72 laps and some of them were more than 50 metres high. The construction of the towers finally stopped when the communal council ordered the prohibition that a tower be greater than that adjacent to the Palazzo Comunale .
Flickr – gengish skan
On these 72 laps, 14 only managed to resist to wars, disasters and urban development, including house Cugnanesi on the old Via Francigena, the house Pesciolini on Via San Matteo, and Palazzo Franzesi-Ceccarelli , via del Castello.
The city flourished until 1348, when it was hit by the black plague which touched all of Europe, and about half of the city dwellers died. Failed by the plague, the city submits to the authority of Florence . At first, some Gothic palaces were built in the Florentine style, and most towers were reduced to the height of the houses. There was little further development, and San Gimignano remained preserved in its medieval state until the 19th century, when its status as tourist and artistic site began to be recognized.
Flickr – Chris Wee
What to visit and see in San Gimignano?
San Gimignano counts only 8,000 inhabitants and little to visit in an afternoon. The historic centre, classified at UNESCO, is its main tourist attraction. Here's what you can visit:
- ♪ 14 holiday homes of course
- L’Sant’Agostino church Romano-Gothic style
- The palaces of the Piazza della Cisterna and of Piazza del Duomo
- San Gimignano College
- L’San Jacopo al Tempio
- The SanGimignano museum1300
- The complex of the Spedale di Santa Fina
Flickr – Kevin Poh
Flickr – Andrés Nieto Porras
Flickr – Marco Lazzaroni
Flickr – Antonio Cinotti
Have you visited the medieval village of San Gimignano in Tuscany?
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