San Gimignano

San Gimignano lies at 324 m above sea level on a hill overlooking the Valdelsa. Surrounded by immaculately cultivated countryside, it has been inhabited since Etruscan times, and is named after a bishop saint from Modena who died in the 4th century. Its main importance was its position on the Via Francigena between Pisa and Siena. In the 12th century it got sucked into wars with nearby cities, in particular Volterra.
Despite its prosperity, there were internal struggles within its territory between the Guelphs and the Ghibellines, until the local Guelphs took sides with Florence in 1312, accepting a dominion which became absolute in 1354.
San Gimignano first developed as an agricultural market town, but this activity was gradually superseded in terms of economic importance by trade and commerce. As a symbol of the town's power, tall towers and tower-houses were erected by the local aristocracy - in the 14th century there were 72, of which 13 are still standing - inside the town walls; these walls, still intact today, enclose the old quarters of San Matteo and San Giovanni. The town is one of the best examples of medieval Tuscan urban design.
Entering the town (closed to traffic) via Porta San Giovanni and walking along the street of the same name you get to the 13th century Chiesa di San Francesco, and soon afterwards you arrive in the central Piazza della Cisterna. It gets its name from the water tank built there in 1273 and subsequently modified in 1346. Used for a market and for festivals and competitions, this triangular piazza is slightly sloping and is paved with bricks in a herringbone pattern. Surrounding it are medieval houses and towers including the twin Torri degli Ardinghelli. On the northern side of the piazza there is the Palazzo dei Cortesti, on top of which is the Torre del Diavolo, while on the south side there is (amongst others) Palazzo Tortoli.
Adjoining Piazza della Cisterna is Piazza del Duomo, which assumed its current form towards the end of the 13th century. This is the centre of San Gimignano in terms of monuments, and there are a number of important buildings: the Palazzo del Podestà, rebuilt in 1239 and enlarged in 1337, which has a large ground-level vault that led to the Torre Rognosa; the Torre Chigi (previously named Useppi); Torre Salvucci and the tower-house of the Pesciolini family. On the south side of the piazza is the Palazzo del Popolo, or Palazzo Nuovo del Podestà, which since 1852 has housed the Museo Civico; this has a collection of 13th to 16th century paintings from the Tuscan school. To the right of the museum is the Torre Grassa.
The whole of Piazza del Duomo is dominated by the Collegiata dedicated to Santa Maria Assunta. This 12th century Romanesque construction was consecrated in 1148, and enlarged in 1460 by Giuliano da Maiano. The facade was built in the middle of the 13th century. The exterior steps up to the church were built in 1264 by Ranieri del Colle.
Inside the Collegiata there are works of great artistic value, including frescos by Taddeo di Bartolo and Benozzo Gozzoli. Positioned on shelves are two wooden sculptures by Jacopo della Quercia, L'Annunciata and L'Arcangelo Gabriele. At the end of the right-hand nave there is a fresco by Lippo Memmi depicting Santa Fina and a fresco cycle illustrating New Testament stories executed by the Lippo brothers and by Federico Memmi. The Cappella di Santa Fina, created by Giuliano and Benedetto da Maiano in 1468, was subsequently frescoed by Ghirlandaio, Pierfrancesco Fiorentino, and Sebastiano Mainardi with stories of the saint's life.
Above the main altar there is a beautiful ciborium by Benedetto da Maiano while the entire left-hand nave is decorated with a fresco cycle by Bartolo di Fredi depicting Old Testament stories.
Piazza dei Pecori opens up on the left-hand side of the Collegiata, and can be reached via the Arco di San Giovanni; on the right-hand side of this piazza there is the Loggia del Battistero, on the end wall of which there is an Annunciation by Domenico del Ghirlandaio. In the same piazza there is the Palazzo della Propositura, which houses the Museo d'Arte Sacra; there are important works here including the Codici Miniati by Lippo Vanni.
The artistic treasures of San Gimignano do not of course finish here, and as we cannot list them all, let's move on to mention the second source of the city's fame, Vernaccia. This is one of the most well-known white wines in Italy; golden yellow in colour and with a rich bouquet, it is suitable as an aperitif and also goes well with fish dishes. This wine has very ancient origins, and there are records of it dating back to the 13th century.
Besides traditional Sienese sweets like panforte and ricciarelli, the city also has one of its own, pinolata, which is made with cream custard and pine nuts.
In the appropriate season there are also dishes made from tasty mushrooms and aromatic truffles gathered from the nearby hills.