San Gimignano, Tuscany

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Overview

San Gimignano is a central town in the region of Tuscany, Italy and it is one of the more famous Tuscan towns known to many as the "Manhattan" of Tuscany. This is because approaching San Gimignano from any direction, you will see first that it cascades down a small hill about 325 meters high, overlooking the Val d'Elsa. Then you will wonder about the many "skyscrapers" that dart upward mostly near its uppermost reaches. This is the Town of the Towers, one of the prettiest, most well-preserved medieval towns in all of Italy.

There is evidence that San Gimignano began as an Etruscan settlement as long ago as 500 BC. Later, it was a Roman town on the Via Francigena, between Siena to the south and Lucca to the north. Nothing of moment seems to have occurred during the Roman period, except, during the fall of Rome, when, according to legend, the Bishop of Modena (whom later became Saint Gimignano for whom the city is named) saved the city from barbarian invaders.

So, how to explain the towers? A little history will help.

During the early Christian era, San Gimignano was one of several villages under the domination of the Bishop of Volterra. Toward the end of the 9th Century, the Bishop granted the town the right to hold a weekly market, setting the town on a course of growing importance in the area. In 949 AD, San Gimignano became a city and by 998 AD, the citizens had erected the first ring of walls there. Noblemen and commoners alike built within these walls to take advantage of the protection they offered.

For a period of about three centuries from these early days, there was conflict between the Bishops of Volterra and the local nobility and wealthy signori of the city, with power shifting back and forth between the Bishop's faction (the Guelphs) and the faction identified with the Holy Roman Emperor (the Ghibellines).

In 1199, at a time when the Bishop had once again asserted control he shrewdly offered a tax incentive to noblemen and wealthy merchants who built within the city walls, a second set of which were built a couple of years later.

At the same time, cultivation, harvesting and exportation of saffron and crocuses on the slopes of the Val d'Elsa, was generating great wealth for land owners now living in the city. Within the confined space circumscribed by the walls, the wealthy families competed with one another to display their wealth, resulting in the building of the first towers to overcome the lack of space on the ground. These wealthy families also funded the building of various piazzi (court yards or squares), churches and various other public buildings still extant in San Gimignano today.

So intense was the tower-building competition, that a local ordinance was passed to prohibit the building of any tower higher than the 50 meter (165 ft) high city hall, known as the Rognosa. Seventy two such towers were built, of which only 14 remain standing today.

The building of towers was very common in medieval towns and cities of the era, including in cities like Florence, Bologna and Perugia, but except for a few isolated instances, the towers either collapsed, were destroyed in war, or were pulled down during rebuilding programs.

They survived mostly because as peace came to the area, and people, towns and connecting highways moved to the valleys, San Gimignano lost the importance it had during the medieval era. In other words, the town retains its medieval appearance - and all that medieval charm - precisely because no significant changes have occurred within the city walls for hundreds of years.

But, because it has been so well preserved in its medieval condition, it is now a major attraction to tourists and travelers, whose money is now the economic life blood of San Gimignano. However, the fact that it is such a heavily touristed town should not deter you from visiting, although an off-season visit is recommended. It is a beautiful and unforgettable place, redolent of a profound, not a superficial, medieval atmosphere.

The color of its stone, a warm ochre, that radiates a golden lustre in the afternoon light, its twisted and winding streets, its convivial piazzas, its cool and solemn Duomo and churches, its charming cafes and restaurants, can take you back in time in a way that few other places can. And, from the tops of the famous towers, you can see a rolling, green and verdant Tuscany - a Tuscany you think only exists in your imagination, but is real indeed.

Jesse Andrews, 2016

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Florence, Tuscany and the Italian Riviera

A classic introduction to the must-see sites of Tuscany and Cinque Terre. From the wine-growing lands of Chianti and Val d'Orcia to the Renaissance splendour and the museums of Florence, the tour ends in the incredible natural beauty of the Italian...

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10 Days / 9 Nights

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TUR-01971

Tuscany Mini-Stay

A brief retreat to Tuscany promises a delightful blend of Renaissance art, rolling vineyards, and charming medieval towns. This mini holiday in Tuscany provides a perfect taste of the region's art, culture, and culinary delights in just a few memorab...

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3 Days / 2 Nights

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Our Private and Small Group Tours

TUR-00822

San Gimignano Morning Tour with Full Tuscan Lunch and Multiple Wine Tastings

North west of Siena, on the hills of Val d'Elsa, stands the medieval town of San Gimignano. Defined as the town "with a hundred towers", owing to the presence of these impressive buildings symbolising power and wealth, till the thirteenth century the...

Small Group

8 Hours

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€60 per person

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TUR-00313

Pisa, Volterra, San Gimignano

This is one of our favorite private tours in the Tuscany region, exclusively offered by Italy Vacation Specialists. We can pick you up from your hotel in Florence, cruise ship in Livorno, or villa in Tuscany to begin this tour. During the tour, you w...

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8 Hours

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€200 per person

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TUR-00990

Tuscany: Siena & San Gimignano from Florence or Livorno

This tour of Tuscany begins in either Livorno or Florence and includes a visit to two of Tuscany's most beautiful towns Siena and San Gimignano which are right in the heart of the beautiful Tuscan countryside inside the Chianti wine territory. Over t...

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8 Hours

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€220 per person

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TUR-00295

Tuscan Wine Tour from Livorno

This tour is a perfect tour for foodies and wine lovers who want to get the most out of their time in Tuscany from the port of Livorno. Chianti is a large wine producing zone in the Tuscany region of Italy and is home to some of Italy's most notable...

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12 Hours

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€200 per person

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TUR-01680

Private Tour of Volterra and Her Incredible Landscapes including San Gimignano

Volterra occupies an incredible position overlooking an amazing, often unbelievable landscape in all directions. It is one of the highest towns in Tuscany and offers visitors a step back through time into Etruria and a look at the Etruscans, though i...

Private

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TUR-01413

Gourmet Tuscany: Truffle Hunting Followed by Cooking Class and Lunch

A wonderful morning of truffle hunting, cooking and wine tasting in the beautiful Tuscan countryside.

Semi-Private

4 Hours

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€210 per person

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“Dear Guiseppe and Jesse, We just returned from our most wonderful vacation to Italy and wanted to first thank you for putting together such a wonderful trip, and second to provide some feedback for the future. Hotels 1. Hotel Sovestro in San Gimignano was wonderful. The staff were very friendly and helpful and made the first portion of our journey very stress free. They made us feel like we were p”

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