San Gimignano, Tuscany: art, history, wine, countryside walks

San Gimignano and its history

San Gimignano, founded in Medieval times, is a hill town in the heart of Tuscany, midway between Florence and Siena.
It has a very characteristic, spectacular skyline, due to its walls and towers: 14 of its original 72 towers remain.
The towers of San Gimignano were built in the 12th and 13th centuries by rival noble families. They create one of the most distinctive and beautiful urban profiles in the world, looking from a distance like a castle in the sky. The Duomo (cathedral) is also noteworthy.
The town is visible from a long distance, and it commands far-ranging views itself.
San Gimignano, although an important tourist centre, is a small town, with a population of about 7,000 people.

ITS HISTORY
Originally called "City of Silva," it later took its name from the Bishop of Modena, who liberated the town from a barbarian invasion. An independent republic in the Middle Ages, San Gimignano was dominated by two powerful, continually feuding families, the Ardinghelli (Guelf) and the Salvucci (Ghibelline). In 1352, its finances exhausted, the city placed itself under Florence.

S. GIMIGNANO IN NUMBERS

Altitude: 324 metres
Telephone code: +39 0577
Postcode: 53037

San Gimignano art and attractions

San Gimignano is rich in Gothic architecture and is one of the best-preserved Italian medieval towns. Its famous towers were built by leading families vying with each other for prestige. Most of the towers fell because of insecure foundations. The town's most notable monuments are the Palazzo del Popolo (1288-1323), containing the civic museum and picture gallery; the Collegiata (the former cathedral, consecrated in 1148), decorated with numerous frescoes; and the church of Sant' Agostino (1280-98), containing in its choir frescoes by Benozzo Gozzoli depicting a cycle of 17 scenes from the life of St. Augustine, dating back to 1463-1465.
The historical centre of San Gimignano, surrounded by a circle of city walls, has remained intact throughout the centuries with its towers, gates, walls, frescoes and other art treasures.

San Gimignano wines

The hilly countryside surrounding San Gimignano produces some of the world's most famous, appreciated and noble wines: from Chianti Classico to Brunello di Montalcino to Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. San Gimignano itself is renowned for its wine, the Vernaccia di San Gimignano.

In the countryside near San Gimignano lies Villa Strozzi, where the British prime minister Tony Blair has spent some of his holidays.

Walking in the country around San Gimignano

The surrounding area is of such great beauty that a closer contact is extremely rewarding. Walking is the best way to savour this countryside, created by nature but perfectioned by man's art.

The Renaissance landscapes of the Tuscan countryside come alive from the perspective of a pair of hiking boots. The rolling seesaw sceneries, already familiar as backdrops of the Great Masters' paintings, are cloaked by olive groves, quilted by vines, shaded by umbrella pines. The hollows are filled by peach and cherry tree orchards, lovingly tended plots of zucchini (courgettes), tomatoes, beans and onions, patches of wheat and barley.

Farmhouses, guarded by dark battalions of cypresses, half-hidden by the vegetation, emerging behind gates at the end of long dusty roads, adorn the canvass.

Medieval hill towns, unchanged over the centuries, dominate the scene from the top, built there to be inaccessible, to protect themselves from armies and predators.

Nowhere in the world has man so harmoniously blended into the natural scheme of things.

You can walk to many places you like, because much of the land in Italy is open to the public. There are plenty of trails, of well-trodden footpaths, of dusty white gravel byways to follow. If you're on your own, you can expect to lose your way, though. A simple alternative is to go with a company or a tour operator that either organizes group walks, or (if you want to go alone and be an independent walker) provides you with maps and instructions.

If you take an escorted walk with a travel company, you'll stop to sleep at various places: from converted castles, palaces and convents to rooms in private houses. If you're lucky, some trips will guide you to wine cellars in the region.

The climbing isn't hard, because the hills are gentle, and not steep. In the summer, it can obviously be quite hot. The ideal months, especially for people who are used to Northern climates, are the mild half-season ones: May, June, September and October. Bring with you something to eat and drink.

Italy Travels Guide