San Miniato Attractions

San Miniato lies on high ground on the southern edge of the Arno Valley, 45km/28 mi east of Pisa.

History

Thanks to its excellent strategic situation the site of San Miniato was occupied in Roman times and later by the Lombards. Its name San Miniato al Tedesco (tedesco=German) reflects its connection with the German (Holy Roman) Empire; for in the Middle Ages it was an important Imperial stronghold, and in the reign of Otto I (936-973) it became the official residence of the Imperial Vicars. Frederick II (1212-50) had his counselor Pier delle Vigne imprisoned and blinded in the tower on top of the hill, as Dante relates in the "Divine Comedy" ("Inferno" 13). In the 14th century San Miniato came under Florentine control.