San Gimignano - Tuscany - I Like Italy

SAN GIMIGNANO

The castle of San Gimignano is very ancient, but the full development of the town was at the end of the Dark ages, when the main buildings and towers of the town were builded.

The towers of San Gimignano are unique in the World. Nowadays we can admire just 13 of the ancient 72 towers, that where the symbol of the power of the richest families of the town.
San Gimignano was a sort of Manhattan of the middle age.

San Gimignano from 1990 is one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

If you walk the wall of the castle you can watch one of the most impressive landscapes of the Tuscan hills and valleys.

In Sant'Agostino square, there is the Church (with the same name), in romanesque-style with some gothic elements. The Church was builded in 1298.

On the same square there is one of the oldest church of San Gimignano, the Church of S.Pietro in Forliano, that was builded in XII century.

If you across the S.Jacopo Gate, you can find the Church of S.Girolamo, that was builded in 1337.

Close to the gate, there is the romanesque-style church of S.Jacopo of Templars. It seems that it was builded by the templar knights that came back from the I crusade

After the gate of S.Jacopo, there is the gate "Delle Fonti".

This gate was the ancient access to the public fountains for the whole population. This gata was builded in XIV century, to cover the ancient stone fountain builded by Lombards in IX century.

With a few steps walk you can find the big buiilding of San Domenico and then the Church of San Lorenzo in Ponte, that was builded in 1240 and it's in romanesque-style

Inside the narrow streets of the town you can find the House of Santa Fina, a very young saint, who is celebrated yearly, on march, the 12th

"Piazza della Cisterna" was the ancient seat of the main shops, workshops and taverns. In the middle of the square there is the ancient octagonal well of the city. Tourists usually say that San Gimignano is a sort of time machine that bring the people in the middle age.

Piazza del Duomo, Dome square, is close to Piazza della Cisterna and it's the seat of several towers. The dome is in romanesque-style too, and it was builded in 1000 AC. Beside it there is a museum of Holy Art, and next the present palace of the municipality, that was builded in 1298.

From the museum it's possible to visit the highest tower of the town. The landscape is outstanding from the top of the tower.

Few steps far from the Dome there is the "Rocca di Montestaffoli", originally it was a castle and then a convent. It host a little tower, a small outpost of the external wall of the town that let people to watch a 360° landscape of all the valley of the Elsa river.


For our usual "journeys of the taste", we'd like to underline two typical high-quality products of San Gimignano.

The first one is the white wine called "la Vernaccia". It's was the first italian mark guaranteeing the quality of a wine.

"La Vernaccia" has a fresh dry taste, a golden colour, and a remarkable delicate smell.

The second typical product of San Gimignano is the saffron.

San Gimignano has the right climate conditions to growing the saffron plant and San Gimignano's one is estemeed as a top quality saffron.

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• Tuscany
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