In our trip to Tuscany we have visited the beautiful medieval market town of San Gimignano, situated on a hill of the Elsa Valley on the crossroads of the Pisana Road, that brought to the sea, and the ancient course of the Francigena Road, used by pilgrims to go to and from Rome, of which was a relay point. It was constructed by the bishops of Volterra in an area that was occupied in the ancient times by the Etruscans, became independent when had its first podestà (1199) and was prosperous until it was conquered by Florence, in 1353. In the 13th century it had 7000 inhabitants, like today, and 9 hospices for merchants. The change of the course of the Francigena Road and the rise of the nearby towns of Poggibonsi and Colle caused the economic decline of the town and the ending of all construction works until the 19th century. It was controlled by two major mercantile rival families, that were in conflict between them: the Ardinghelli, Guelph sympathizers, and the Salvucci, Ghibellines. They constructed 72 tower houses (14 still survive), some as high as 50 m, symbols of the town and of their wealth and power, protected since 1282 by a law that forbade their demolition unless for constructing nicer buildings. The walls, reconstructed in 1262 and reinforced later by five towers, have a perimeter of 2177 m and five gates: of St. John, with a nice arch, of Quercecchio, of St. Matthew, of St. James and alle Fonti. The Street of St. James contains the Romanesque Church of St. Francis and the palaces Pratellesi and Cugnanesi and brings to the triangular Square of the Cistern trough the Becci Arch, part of the first town walls. The square, constructed in 1273 and enlarged in 1346, has a herringbone paving edged with bricks and a nice well and is bordered by the towers Andrighelli (two twin buildings) and Benucci, the houses Razzi, with double windows, Salvestrini, Rodolfi and the palaces Cortesi and Tortoli-Treccani, with a high tower. The most important public and private buildings (also the twin towers Salvucci) are on the main Square of the Duomo. The Romanesque Collegiate Church, preceded by a long staircase, consecrated in 1148 and reconstructed in 1460 by Giuliano da Maiano, has three aisles divided by columns. On the internal façade are frescos by Taddeo di Bartolo and Benozzo Gozzoli and, on two brackets, sculptures made by Jacopo della Quercia and painted by Martino di Bartolomeo. On the walls of the side aisles are frescos by Lippo Memmi, Federico Memmi and Bartolo di Fredi and in the presbytery a ciborium by Benedetto da Maiano. He projected also the beautiful Renaissance Chapel of St. Fina, together with Giuliano da Maiano, and its altarpiece; there are also frescos by Domenico del Ghirlandaio e Sebastiano Mainardi. The Palace of the Podestà (it was also an inn and a theatre) has the towers Rognosa and Chigi and a nice lodge with a triple row of stone seats. The People’s Palace (town hall), constructed in 1288, enlarged in 1323 and crenellated in 1882, has the Large Tower, 54 m high, and a nice lodge with two arcades. Inside there is the Council Hall, with frescos by Lippo Memmi, the Hall of the Secret Meetings, with nice wooden seats and a sculpture made of terracotta, and the Podestà’s Hall, with frescos by Memmo di Filippuccio. In the church of St. Augustin are stunning frescos, masterpiece of Benozzo Gozzoli and Piero del Pollaiolo, and an altar made by Benedetto da Maiano. The Franzesi-Ceccarelli Palace has an asymmetrical façade that circumvented a law which stipulated that no new palaces should be wider than 12 armspans for a linear depth of 24 armspans. In the town are many other monuments: the Castle of Montestàffoli, with a nice tower, the house of St. Fina, the Pesciolini House, the Palace of the Provostship, the Oratory of St. Francis, the Convent of St. Clare, the Hospital of St. Fina and the churches of St. Lawrence in Ponte, St. James, St. Peter, St. Bartolo and St. Jerome.

This town is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen (even if I was disappointed by the fact that the major monuments were closed) because its medieval character and the beauty of the monuments. It’s absolutely worth to be visited (if you go there you must leave the car out of the centre) and justifies the inscription.

Photo: San Gimignano – Towers