As we promised ourselves, we returned to San Gimignano (a place we previously rode to on our bikes) with the dogs in the early evening. This was such a pleasant time to go as the temperature was cooling and we were ready for a wonder, a drink, and some food.
Having read some of the history of San Gimignano, prior to our visit, I was full of knowledge and could have been a tour guide!
San Gimignano is a medieval town in the hills of Val d’Elsa in Tuscany. It is a relatively small town however due to its remarkable medieval centre and interesting skyline of towers it is a wonderful place to visit. San Gimignano began in 988 and became an important centre of trade for predominately saffron. It is accessed by 3 gates and is surrounded by city walls. Between the 11th and 13th century the town became a Municipality away from the power of the bishop. As with a lot of Italian cities and towns, San Gimignano was subject to a long history of battles. In the 14th century the town became under the rule of Florence and this lasted until the 16th century.
As power and wealth grew, so did the construction of buildings. One of the striking architectural joys of this village is the towers, scattered amongst the medieval buildings. The towers were built by prominent families to flaunt their wealth and power and they would build towers taller than their neighbours’. This continued until the lord of the town announced no one was allowed to build a tower higher than his! There were originally 72 however only 13 still exist today.
In 1348 plague wiped out most of the population and this weakened the local economy, leading to the town’s submission to Florence in 1353. The long economic decline San Gimignano suffered did the town a longer-term favour as it preserved the building heritage, that gives the town its appeal today.
There are two central Piazza’s, art galleries, museums, several churches, local produce traditional shops and beautiful cuisine restaurants along with the skyline of towers and the views of the Tuscan hills. What more could you ask for from a medieval historic town?
We had a lovely walk through and around the town, taking in the panoramic views from the outer city walls and meandering through the narrow streets observing the traditional shops selling all sorts of local produce and products. We did have a Gelato (ice cream), why wouldn’t you! Then settled at a Piazza bar, which had a local band playing, and ordered our drinks. The bar was in one of the Piazza’s which contained an ancient large well, we stayed here, as the ambiance was lovely, and had a delicious meal of pizza and Italian salad.
Travel adventures 