The little town of San Gimignano is prominently situated on a hill some 35km/22 mi northwest of Siena and 50km/30 mi southwest of Florence.
History
The hill on which San Gimignano stands was the site of an Etruscan settlement but the place - named after St Germinianus, a 4th century Bishop of Módena - first appears in history in the MIddle Ages. the town's situation on the "Franks' Road", the road to Rome from the north, brought it a profitable trade, and the growing of saffron brought great prosperity. As a free commune San Gimignano was governed by Consuls and later by a podestà, but in 1353 it came under Florentine rule.
During its period of independence there was continual strife between two great families in the town, the Ardinghelli, who took the Guelf side, and the Salvucci, who were Ghibellines: a rivalry which left its distinctive mark in the form of the towers built by the rival factions, increasing constantly in number and in height. At one time there were more than 70 of these towers, and of these 13 still survive, giving this little walled town its characteristic aspect.
The town
When more convenient routes for traffic developed in the valleys trade abandoned the "Franks' Road" and San Gimignano declined. New building ceased, and it was all the inhabitants could do to prevent the old ones from falling into ruin. Thus San Gimignano remained almost unaltered in accordance with regulations promulgated by the municipality in 1602. In recent years restoration work promoted by UNESCO has done much to preserve these precious remains of the past.
To the south, outside the Porta San Giovanni, stands the Museo di Arti e Mestieri (Museum of Art and Handicrafts), with exhibits dating from the Middle Ages to the present day.
Hours:
Always closed on: New Year's Day (January 1), May Day / Labor Day (May 1), Christmas - Christian (December 25), Easter - Christian
Adjoining the Church of Santa Maria Assunta is the Museo d'Arte Sacra (Museum of Religious Art), which contains sculpture of the 14th and 15th centuries, an Oriental carpet in the form of a Greek cross (16th century) and liturgical vestments.
Address: Museo d'Arte Sacra, Piazza Pecori 1, I-53037 San Gimignano, Italy
Hours:
March 1 to October 31: 9:30am-7:30pm; Closed: Mon
November 1 to February 29: 9:30am-1:30pm, 2:30pm-4:30pm; Closed: Mon, Mon
Facing Santa Maria Assunta is the old Palazzo del Podestà, built in 1239, incorporating houses belonging to the Mantellini family, and enlarged in 1337. On the ground floor is a loggia, and the palazzo is dominated by a 51m/167ft high tower known as the Rognosa.
Address: Palazzo del Podestà / Santa Maria Assunta, Piazza del Duomo, I-53037 San Gimignano, Italy
To the left of Santa Maria Assunta is the Palazzo del Pópolo (also known as the Palazzo Nuovo del Podestà; begun 1288, enlarged 1323), which was the seat of municipal government from the end of the 13th century and still the Town Hall. The tower, known as the Torre Grossa (Fat Tower), is the tallest in the town (54m/177ft; fine view from top). A municipal ordinance laid down that no other tower should be higher than this one.
Hours:
Always closed on: New Year's Day (January 1), May Day / Labor Day (May 1), Christmas - Christian (December 25), Easter - Christian
Standing on a hill, surrounded by cypresses, is the Pieve (Parish Church) of the village of Cèllole, probably built at the turn of the 12th-13th centuries. The facade is plain, but the outside of the apse has rich figural decoration. The church has a beautiful font.
A little way west of Santa Maria Assunta, built against the town walls on the highest point of the hill, is the rocca (castle), erected by the Florentines in 1353 but demolished in 1555 on the orders of Cosimo I. Only a tower and fragments of the walls survive. From the top there are magnificent views of the town and surrounding countryside.
Near the Porta San Iácopo, the north town gate, is the little Romanesque Church of San Iácopo, built by the Templars in the 13th century. The facade (lower part brick, upper part travertine) has a Pisan-style doorway with a beautiful rose-window. The interior is aisleless, with groined vaulting. There is a fine fresco of the Crucifixion by Memmo di Filippuccio (13th-14th centuries).
To the left of the Palazzo del Podestà, at the end of Via San Matteo, are the two Torri Salvucci, which once belonged to the powerful Ardinghelli family. Farther along Via San Matteo are the Casa-Torre Pesciolini (No. 32) and the Palazzo Tinacci (Nos. 60-62).
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Municipal Art Gallery
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Torri Salvucci, San Gimignano
Torri Salvucci, San Gimignano
San Gimignano, Siena
