San Gimignano Twin Towers in Tuscany Italy
From Pisa we set off to visit the San Gimignano twin towers, an UNESCO World Heritage Site. We were treated to a great visual treat as we arrived at this tower-topped town in central Tuscany. To our surprise there were fourteen of them! Located on a hill, at an elevation of 334m above sea level, the skyline of towers were visible from a considerable distance. My kids were curious: would one of them be a like the leaning tower of Pisa?!
These towers were built by warring wealthy families of the eleventh and thirteenth centuries to establish their power and dominance during the Middle Ages. The mediaeval traders made a fortune by exploiting the town’s strategic location – between Sienna and Florence – on the high traffic Via Francigena pilgrimage route to Rome.
This medieval town was once important as pilgrims halted there enroute to Rome, Vatican and then Jerusalem. The town once had 72 towers, of which only 14 stand tall today having resisted the deteriorating effects of time. Gimignano towers were the skyscrapers of medieval ages and they are visible from miles away even today.
History of San Gimignano Towers
Like the traders of Jaisalmer, the traders of Gimgnano too vied with each other to express their might through the towers. Only difference being Jaisalmer traders expanded on a horizontal plan as they could not surpass the height the King’s palace, Gimignano traders competed with each other in terms of height of their towers. It was their status symbols of prestige and power. Due to the confines of the fortified hilltop town, the traders were unable to build grandiose palaces.
San Gimignano 14 towers
San Gimignano Piazza Duomo
After 13th century there was reversal of fortunes due to Black Plague which killed many of its residents. The pilgrims avoided this path and rerouted their journey through Florence. This resulted in its loss of glory and revenue. It slipped into oblivion before being rediscovered by 19th-century visitors on the Grand Tour of Italy.
Thankfully the changing society outside hardly affected the architecture and atmosphere within the town’s walls. Credit also goes to Cosimo I de’ Medici, Lord of all Tuscany, who in the mid-16th century decreed that San Gimignano could not be enlarged or restructured. The pre-baroque state of the historic centre is classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Town of Towers San Gimignano Italy
Legends of Gimignano
- San Gimignano gained its name from the bishop of Modena, St Geminianus, who – according to legend – saved the inhabitants from barbarians.
- The town is associated with St Serafina, a pious orphan girl who died of a debilitating disease at the age of fifteen after five years of agony and spiritual devotion. The town celebrates her feast day is celebrated each year on 12 March, on the anniversary of her death in 1253.
Interior of Towers of San Gimignano
The towers had a unique plan to make it friendly and useful for its residents. Ground floor would consist of a workshop, the 1st and 2nd floors were the bedrooms. Top floor was for the kitchen – in such a way that any accidental fire in the kitchen would allow residents to escape safely.
Rooms were small (1 x 2 m.), had few openings and 2 m. thick walls which keep things and people cool in the summer, warm in the winter.
It was worth spending >one hour here, roaming aimlessly along the twisted narrow lanes. The place still reflects the eleventh and thirteenth century prosperity and the old crumbling walls plead with you to linger on there for a longer time.
Popular Towers of San Gimignano
Palazzo Comunale or Town Hall, which is open to the public, has the ancient Council Hall and a gallery of Tuscan painters, has fascinating frescoes of life in the Middle Ages. Towers grew to a height of 70 m. until the city council decided that no one was to have a tower higher than that of the Palazzo Comunale, or city hall.
Torre Grossa is 54 m. (218 steps), a height that took 11 years to achieve.
Torre del Podestà in Piazza Duomo is worth a visit to get a feel of how citizens must have lived in these medieval skyscrapers.
Things to Do in San Gamignano
Chapels and Churches
The St. Fina chapel – This chapel is one of Italy’s most prized examples of renaissance architecture, painting and sculpture. The chapel contains two exquisite scenes, painted by Domenico Ghirlandaio, central to Fina’s life; her vision of Pope Gregory announcing her impending death, eight days before she died, and her subsequent funeral.
Collegiata Church in Piazza del Duomo has fresco cycles depicting scenes from the Old and New Testaments – described by UNESCO as “works of outstanding beauty” – by artists such as Benozzo Gozzoli, Taddeo di Bartolo, Lippo Memmi and Bartolo di Fredi.
Museums in San Gimignano
The town houses several art museums such as the Pinacoteca, which showcases examples of medieval and high renaissance works.
Museum of Sacred Art, has an impressive collection of wooden sculptures dating from the 14th century.
The Museum of Medieval Torture is spread out over two nearby buildings, that has unsettling graphic contents with gruesome detail, the torture methods of the Middle Ages, some visual aids including tortured wax models and blood-curdling illustrations in addition to elaborate texts on them. One ticket allows access to both.
The Tower Town an Inspiration for Artists
English novelist E. M. Forster, after staying in San Gimignano, wrote about the fictionalised Monteriano in his 1905 novel Where Angels Fear to Tread.
Dutch graphic artist M. C. Escher immortalised the town’s skyline in two woodcut prints in the early 1920s.
San Gimignano town featured prominently in Franco Zeffirelli’s 1999 semi-autobiographical film Tea with Mussolini.
Gift ideas from San Gimignano
I found the pottery and ceramic works of art on display very interesting. Very fragile, you have to think twice before ordering them.
There were leather stuff on sale like jackets, belts, purses and more. Be sure they are locally made ones and not sourced from elsewhere before you make the purchase.
How to reach San Gimignano Twin Towers
All tourists intending to tour the town of towers have to walk the final stretch to the centre from the car park that is almost halfway up the hill. It is an enjoyable one with amazing scenic sights below and old high walls. Those who have checked into hotels must return their vehicle to the car park below within ten minutes.
View from town of towers San Gimignano
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San Gimignano is unbeatable…
Beautiful shots, love the last one!
Very informative. Nice pictures.
That's such a beautifully preserved heritage!!!
Nice pics, and especially I love the last one.. oh how much I would like to take a walk there..! So exciting and original! 🙂
Have nice days! 🙂
You have done a very nice skyline.
Like Photo Cache this is the first «Louis» has learned of this town. A very interesting post, Indrani.
seems you show Italy as well. 🙂
Sadly I was not able to visit any other place so I can enjoy yours. I like the wall in the last shot.
San Gimignano: what a beauty! I've been there some time ago, while I was in Florence. Thanks for sharing these nice and interesting pictures, Indrani!
Wonderful…. ^^
Amiko
Medieval town? I'm in 🙂 The second to the final shot is sooo Italy judging from Under The Tuscan Sun scenes 😀
Lovely shots of your beautiful and special place.
what an amazing place! those towers are magnificent and the narrow alley is wonderful! great shots.
beautifully captured!
Marvellous shots that really capture the spirit of the place.
This is a town I didn’t see during my recent visit to Italy but it does look fascinating. The silhouette of the towers does, indeed, look like modern day skyscrapers. So enjoyed seeing this part of your journey. 🙂
Those towers are so interesting. I guess that they didn't have cars back then so they outdid each other with towers.
Wonderful.
What an interesting place and great shots. I love the textures.
Interesting post, as always.
I do so look forward to your posts each week, Indrani, and to be able to see so many wonderful places through your superb photos! Today was exceptional and I do love the history that you share with us! Have a great week!
Sylvia
I do so look forward to your posts each week, Indrani, and to be able to see so many wonderful places through your superb photos! Today was exceptional and I do love the history that you share with us! Have a great week!
Sylvia
I love Italy, and why not, it has one of the archaeological finds you would come across: Pompeii.
To be around in the times of those warring wealthy families must have been something! Great images.
Beautiful towers and architecture.
Just amazing by all means. I like it a lot! Kind regards.
Very interesting post.Greetings Andrzej.
thanks for an informative post. first time to be hearing about his italian town.
Thanks for telling us about this Town of the Towers. I had not heard of it before. Your pictures are beautiful, but I especially like the last one. The green cast to the wall does a great job of conveying the age of the town.
These are beautiful!! such ancient but huge buildings are rare indeed, and you are lucky to see them!