Little San Gimignano, not much more than a village in size, is one of the most visited places in Italy ... approaching the town it's easy to see why. A stunning hilltop skyline of towers, legacy of one of the most entertaining and productive feuds of the Middle Ages, meets the eye. The hill town began life as an Etruscan fortress around the 3rd century BC, and during medieval times it became a watering hole for pilgrims on their way to Rome (it's a stopping point on the Via Francigegna to this day).
The little city grew rich on the fertile farmland around and, in a fit of hubris, little San Gimignano declared itself independent from Volterra in 1199. The internal life of the comune was riven by infighting between the Guelph and Ghibelline factions, and each vied to build the biggest and grandest palazzi, to commission the greatest artworks. 'My tower is bigger than your tower' became the boast, as rival families vied to build the highest 'torre'. Alas, like many European cities, San Gimignano was felled by the Black Death. Its economy devastated, its houses standing empty, and the pilgrim-tourist trade drying up, it was forced to submit itself to Florence. And so San Gimignano languished until tourists and artists began to rediscover the astonishingly pretty town in the 19th century. EM Forster fictionalised the town as Monteriano in Where Angels Fear to Tread. San Gimignano also appears in the movie Tea with Mussolini and John Grisham's The Broker.
As well as the towers, there are important churches including the Collegiata and Sant'Agostino. The Palazzo Comunale houses the town gallery, with paintings by Filippino Lippi, Pinturicchio and other masters. The town is centred around four squares, Piazzas della Cisterna, Duomo, Pecori and delle Erbe.
To the left you'll find a selection of hotels, to get you in the mood
- see also our full listings of San Gimignano hotels.
