MY TRAVEL STORIES
San Gimignano — The Town That Crowned Our Vacation
How was San Gimignano for us? Strikingly beautiful!
Before last day of our vacation in Tuscany we visited the town of San Gimignano, which made our vacation end in the most pleasant way possible.
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There is so much to discover…
The city has a history that goes back to the mists of time, around the 3rd century BC, about which rivers of ink, both typographic and virtual :), have flowed, including through the skilled pens of this site.
I won’t repeat what has been said in many other works that testify the events.
If a traveler entering San Gimignano wonders what to visit, they should try to understand what kind of place this world-renowned city is, split in two by the road that was once called Via Francigena and which was among the most important in Christianity.
Situated in the midst of an authentic Italian rural landscape, San Gimignano does not live solely on tourism. Indeed, tourism is not even in the first place.
The economy of San Gimignano is primarily based on the industries in the Elsa river valley, where agriculture is represented by the specialized production of excellent wines — the famous Vernaccia is the first Italian wine to have been awarded the title of Controlled Designation of Origin (D.O.C.) as early as 1966.
Another product cultivated on these lands since ancient times is the saffron, which has enjoyed Protected Designation of Origin (D.O.P.) certification since 2005.
The saffron of San Gimignano grew so abundantly in the past that local producers sold it in various Italian markets and even exported it. Besides its medicinal and industrial use (for dyeing), saffron was used in cooking since the 13th century, as evidenced by a document dating from 1228 that shows it as a spice for the meat consumed by the podestà and his soldiers (podestà — was the highest civil office title in the governments of the cities in central and northern Italy during the late Middle Ages).
A precious spice that was protected by statute against counterfeiting and used instead of money to pay soldiers, to honor mortgage rates contracted by the municipality, or to pay tribute to emperors and kings. Today, the saffron represents 5% of the products sold in San Gimignano and known to tourists.
The cultural and educational life of the city is another aspect worth mentioning because in San Gimignano, there are continuously open museums and galleries of modern and contemporary art, a theater hosting a summer music season and a winter theater season, a library with over 100,000 volumes, numerous cultural centers and associations, two music schools, one dance school, a musical band, and a choir.
If a traveler were aware of these things beforehand, they would understand that San Gimignano is not just about its splendid towers, nor just the urban fabric or the vast artistic heritage preserved in its churches, palaces, and museums (which have earned it a place in the Olympus of world heritage, UNESCO), but it is a living and active city.
In San Gimignano, the historical memory layered over centuries, which can be breathed and felt at every moment and step, coexists with modernity. The traveler just needs to be sensitive enough and prepared to feel it, and what they will receive in return will probably be hard to forget.
As lay people, we started our journey from Piazza della Cisterna, heading northeast on Via del Castello, which took us among stone buildings towards the old walls of the fortress, up to the panoramic point on Via Degli Innocenti.
The view is spectacular. You can see the hills and fields of olive trees and vineyards as far as the eye can see. We go down and up gentle slopes, pass under porticos, and arrive in the lively area of Via San Giovanni.
We wander up and down, eyes glued to the walls or gaping at the shop windows, or entering a shop, attracted by the merchandise that is either ostentatiously displayed outside or neatly arranged on shelves.
Small producers compete to exhibit their fragrant or colorful and downright irresistible products, like artisanal chocolate, leather goods, and lavender-scented essences.
The bustle is increasing, streams of passersby flow from one side to the other, mingling with groups led by flag-bearing guides, through passages that have become too narrow.
Having reached the northwest part, near Porta San Mateo, we decide to turn back for lunch, but not just anywhere, at a restaurant located exactly on the opposite side, for which we had made a reservation because we had received recommendations before our visit and we specifically wanted to try it.
The experience at the said restaurant was very tasty and pleasant.
We lingered at the table for about an hour and a half and would have stayed longer, but we didn’t want to be the last people there.
Feeling better for a number of reasons, we got back in the mood for wandering and even something more, like looking for a panoramic point from where we could see San Gimignano from above.
Where else to climb if not in Torre Grossa? The tallest of the towers in San Gimignano (54 meters).
Arriving in Via Costarella, we entered through a wooden gate, built in an arcade. On the ground floor, there is a courtyard (built in 1323) decorated with the coats of arms of those who have held public offices in the municipality. This ground floor now houses the main civil offices of the local council.
We climbed a few steps to the left and entered the room where the ticket office is located. The local administration’s website presents various discounts depending on the case (€7.00 — children, pupils, students, people over 65 years old, or with disabilities), but we have paid the full price (€9.00/person).
The schedule is daily from 10:00 to 19:30 with slight half-hour variations during the summer (1 April — 31 October) / winter (1 November — 31 March) and weekend days. The ticket includes a visit to the Palazzo Comunale, Pinacoteca (Art Gallery), and Torre Grossa.
Palazzo Comunale, or the Town Hall of San Gimignano, built in 1288, houses the headquarters of the Civic Museums, where one can admire famous fresco cycles.
In the Council Hall, also known as Dante’s Hall, there are depicted knight tournaments and hunting scenes dedicated to Charles of Anjou. On the second floor, the Pinacoteca (Art Gallery) offers a historical and artistic journey through the 13th — 15th centuries with the help of Sienese and Florentine painters.
From the Pinacoteca, we climbed up to Torre Grossa (built between 1300 and 1311), to enjoy the panorama stretching from the city to the surrounding rural Val d’Elsa area, to the Pistoia mountains and the Apuan Alps.
The view over the urban plan and towers is unique, but what impressed me is the perspective over Piazza della Cisterna with its travertine fountain on its octagonal pedestal.
Back in Via Costarella, our gaze was attracted by the exhibits glimpsed through the open door of a building. To get a better look, we crossed the threshold of the hall where a huge model of the city stretches in all its splendor.
San Gimignano 1300 is not just a museum; it is an experience and represents the culmination of the vision of two master artists, Michelangelo and Raffaello Rubino.
Together with a team of artisans and historians, they have faithfully recreated 14th-century San Gimignano at a 1:100 scale, entirely handmade out of ceramic.
Also, the San Gimignano 1300 Museum pays tribute to the painter Memmo di Filipuccio and includes paintings by Enrico Guerrini (b. 1977) depicting a series of important moments in the city’s history from the Etruscan era to the present. Entry to this museum is free and entirely based on donations.
Our steps led us towards the Montestaffoli Fortress or what remains of it. Through two portals, one enters the site of the old fortress built in 1353 by the Florentines after San Gimignano, devastated by a plague epidemic, requested military protection from Florence.
What used to be the courtyard is now a green space where performances and concerts are organized in the summer season, but we could also admire some contemporary art works.
We crossed the courtyard towards the only tower partially left standing, from which we admired a beautiful panorama of the Val d’Elsa and the historic center of the village.
We returned leisurely towards the city center, looking again towards the towers, then via Via San Matteo we headed towards the gate. We paid the parking fee in cash at the machine (€2.50/hour, but with a discount to €2.00 starting from the second hour of parking), then we left smiling happily, on the return journey.
How was San Gimignano for us? Strikingly beautiful!
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