Just under 8,000 inhabitants and 20,000 tourists on peak days: San Gimignano is in demand! The village is considered the Manhattan of Tuscany. Up to three (!) million visitors come every year. The medieval towers are to blame. What they are all about...
- How San Gimignano becomes the Manhattan of Tuscany
- The danger of the medieval skyscrapers
- Short and compact
- Travel tips: Arrival, accommodation, parking & more
From a distance, the high towers of the small village look like skyscrapers. Originally there were more than 70 towers, but today 13 of them still rise into the sky.
The Manhattan of Tuscany
From the beginning. In the 12th and 13th centuries, San Gimignano is a prosperous trading town due to its agricultural production and also an important stopover for pilgrims and travellers on their way to Rome. As much money as there is, there are many disputes. Family feuds dominate everyday life in the Middle Ages.
Photo by Siegfried Poepperl on Pexels.com
In order to be able to defend themselves in case of emergency, the rich noble and merchant families build themselves a so-called family tower. As a rule, the higher the tower of the "family dynasty", the more powerful and wealthy it is.
For safety reasons, the tower has no door on the ground floor; the upper floors can only be reached via a rope ladder. In the event of an attack, the ladder is pulled up and hot oil, stones or similar are poured on the attackers.
In everyday life, the towers are not comfortable. For fire safety reasons, the kitchen is on the top floor. The tower is gloomy, stuffy and clammy. Those who can afford it have a palazzo for peacetime next to their tower.
Photo: kompasstudio/Getty Images via canva.com
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Danger of collapse
Over the decades, the towers become taller and taller, and collapses occur. In the middle of the 13th century, it is decreed that no tower may be higher than the "thick tower", the tower of the local town hall. The "Torre Grosso" measures a spectacular 54 metres.
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+++ From Florence: Day trip to San Gimignano Ad
In fact, lack of money has ensured that the towers in San Gimignano still stand today. After the plague in the 14th century, the village became impoverished (one in two died), and in 1352 they submitted to Florence.
For lack of funds, the centre of the village remained as it was. No new palaces or squares, the towers remained standing. Fortunately.
San Gimignano: short & compact
- At Torture MuseumMuseo della Tortura", there is a collection of instruments of torture.
- Famous white wine: the protected "Vernaccia di San Gimignano". More in the wine documentation centre of the municipality (HERE, external link)
- Also the Saffron of the region has had a protected designation of origin since 2005.
- The Ancient Roman pilgrimage route, the Via Francigena (Franconian Way), leads through the city. It takes about three hours to walk to Gambassi Terme and about 30 kilometres to Monteriggioni in the south.
+++ First looking for truffles, then wine tasting and lunch: Tuscany dreamlike! Ad
Travel tips
Arrival
>>> TrainFrom Florence it takes about an hour by train. The ticket costs 8 euros (as of 09/22). There are twelve connections a day. +++ You can book your train ticket online here. Ad
>>> Bus:
>>> Flight: The nearest airports are in Florence (61 kilometres), Pisa (75 kilometres) and Bologna (150 kilometres). +++ Find cheap flights to Italy here Ad
>>> Car: The entire historic old town is closed for cars from outside (more about the ZTL zone can be found here). There are four pay and display car parks outside the town, two in the south (Parcheggio P 1 Giubileo, P2 Montemaggio) and two in the north ("P3 Bagnaia Superiore" and "Parcheggio P4 Bagnaia Inferiore"). +++ Still need a rental car for your road trip? Take a look here... Ad
Accommodation
There are more than 100 guesthouses and hotels in and around San Gimignano: from rustic and simple to opulent and luxurious, everything is possible, centrally in the town or outside on the agriturismo, farm holiday.
+++ Good inns and beautiful hotels in San Gimignano Ad
+++ A holiday home in Tuscany, with or without a pool? Ad
Here you come to the official tourist information from San Gimignano
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written by Pietro Perroni, first published 30 November 2021, updated 15 September 2022
Cover photo/montage: Madzia71/Getty Images Signature via canva.com
Sources: own research; Welt: Sigrid Mölck-Del Giudice, "San Gimignano war das Manhattan des Mittelalters"; Wiener Zeitung: "San Gimignano - Türme zwischen Prestige und Pandemie", NZZ: Andreas Heller, "I was there too", Stern: "On a foray through the "City of Towers"" Toskana-Reisefuehrer.de: "Gender Towers San Gimignano"
