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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Beautiful Countryside in Chianti, Tuscany

Beautiful San Gimignano, Tuscany Italy

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San Gimignano Tuscany Escorted Tours

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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...

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Villa for families between Florence and Siena

7 Beds 10-18

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Italy,Tuscany,San Gimignano

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Villa near San Gimignano

5 Beds 10

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Apartment Virgo

1 Beds 1 Baths 3

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San Gimignano Tuscany Escorted Tours with Italy Vacation Specialists

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Cottage Riccio featured rental property in San Gimignano Italy

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Cottage Riccio

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Italy,Tuscany,Arrezzo,Arezzo

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Luxury Villa in Arezzo

10 Beds 20

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Stories That Stay With You

Here's what our guests share about their unforgettable journeys

“Jesse, There are no words to describe the fabulous time we had in Italy. Everything went as you promised. Absolutely no problems! The venues were fabulous. The guides were punctual and helpful. It couldn't have worked out better. You and your staff deserve high praise for the quality and efficiency of your work. BTW, Guiseppe was an absol”

[Read More] Jo Ann West

“The trip was great; we appreciate all the hard work you and your team invested to make our experience a once in a lifetime trip. We appreciate all the attention to the details, in particular Giuseppe spending the time and the focus with us on the road and as we were exploring your great country.”

[Read More] Leon and Michele

“I went to high school with the owner of the company who organized my honeymoon for myself and my now wife from Tokyo. We spent three short weeks seeing Piedmont and experiencing wine paradise there, then heading to Nice in France with our private driver and flying to Rome where honestly 4 days is NOT enough. They keep saying to spend more”

[Read More] Robin and Kumi Bruun, Tokyo Japan

“We're home now from the most amazing trip to Italy! I can't thank you enough for your efforts and coordination of what was without question the finest vacations I've been on to date.”

[Read More] Carol Carson

“I am a travel agent with All About Honeymoons and I would highly recommend Italy Vacation Specialists. Jessica was wonderful in helping us plan in a last minute anniversary vacation during high season without any issues. She even checked on our clients while on vacation to make sure things were going well. I plan on using them again soon ”

[Read More] Tammy Joyce, All About Honeymoons

“In September of 2018 I brought a group of 12 from Venice to Sicily and organized all of my services with the Italy Vacation Specialists. Being a travel agent and in the business, I know how complicated organizing travel arrangements can be in Italy and the IVS team took a huge burden off of me! I would like to start of by saying "THANK YO”

[Read More] Ann Brownell, KHM Travel Group

“This company really knows their stuff and recommended our family to stay longer in each location. We didn't listen to them, but wished we had in every single place we went. They recommended Sestri Levante over the Cinque Terre which was our favourite destination on our entire trip. We visited Rome where we stayed in the outstanding Hotel ”

[Read More] Sean & Veet Chapman, CGA

“In August 2018, my family of four and myself travelled from Vancouver, BC to Rome Italy and spent 3 weeks touring Italy with IVS. This company had come highly recommended by many friends and associates of ours who had used them before and indeed to say they do an outstanding job is an understatement. You can tell while being in Italy that”

[Read More] Vijaya Sunil CPA, CGA

“I am a travel agent from Lebanon and have organized several group tours as well as individual tours of Italy with Italy Vacation Specialists. I highly recommend them as one of the very best tour operators in Italy to work with, given their professionalism and work ethic which I feel is second-to-none in the travel industry. All of the sta”

[Read More] Nicole Haddad, Lebanese Travel Agent

“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 ou”

[Read More] Ron and Deb Crosby