San Gimignano - Piazza della Cisterna

The picturesque little Piazza della Cisterna, the town's main square, takes its name from a well constructed here in 1273. Triangular in shape, it was enlarged in 1346, and is paved with bricks laid in a herringbone pattern. Flanking the square (from right to left, beginning at the arch) are the Casa Razzi (No. 28, on the south side), with the stump of a tower; the Casa Salvestrini (No. 9), formerly the Ospedale degli Innocenti and now the Albergo della Cisterna; the Palazzo Tortoli, with the remains of a tower belonging to the Palazzo del Capitano del Pópolo; the Palazzo dei Cortesi (on the north side of the square), with the tall Torre del Diávolo (Devil's tower); and the two Torri Ardinghelli (on the west side).