Out of Town: San Gimignano, The Manhattan of the Middle Ages

San Gimignano is a city located south-west of Florence, born around the 3rd century BC. as an Etruscan village, strategically positioned on a hill that dominated the upper Val d'Elsa. According to tradition, the name derives from the saint, who defended the village from the occupation of Attila's Huns.
The city experienced its most prosperous period in the Middle Ages, as the Via Francigena passed right by it and it became a perfect place of trade and rest for merchants and pilgrims traveling to Rome.
Due to its proximity to Florence and Siena, San Gimignano was involved in the fights between the Guelphs and Ghibellines, but despite that the economic development of the city did not stop, on the contrary it flourished, thanks above all to the trade of local products such as wine and saffron.
Urban development also advanced during this period. San Gimignano is in fact famous for its medieval towers, which earned it the nickname of “Manhattan of the Middle Ages”. Wealthy families had towers built to show off their wealth, and of the 72 original towers, 14 still remain today to characterize the city skyline. The tallest is the Potestà Tower, 54 meters high, while the oldest is the Rognosa Tower, built at the beginning of the 13th century.

The economic decline of the city began with the plague and famine that struck in the mid-1300s, however its artistic and cultural development continued.
The Cathedral of San Gimignano is absolutely worth visiting, as bare on the outside as it is rich in masterpieces on the inside. In fact, you can admire the splendid frescoes by Domenico Ghirlandaio in the Chapel of Santa Fina, frescoes of the Old and New Testament by Bartolo di Fredi, the Last Judgment by Taddeo di Bartolo, the Stories of San Sebastiano by Benozzo Gozzoli, then also wooden statues by Jacopo della Quercia and sculptures by Giuliano and Benedetto da Maiano.

This small village has so much to offer, art, good food and nature. In the surrounding area you’ll have in fact the chance to go on an excursion in the Castelvecchio nature reserve. There is something for all tastes in this jewel of Tuscany, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1990.