San Gimignano Travel Guide - City of Beautiful Towers

San Gimignano, known as the City of Beautiful Towers, is a classic medieval walled hill town in Tuscany, Italy. Its 14 surviving medieval towers create a beautiful skyline visible from the surrounding countryside. Originally there were 72 towers, some as tall as 50 meters, built by patrician families probably to demonstrate their wealth and power.

San Gimignano's historic center is a UNESCO world heritage site for its architecture. During the middle ages, the town was an important center for trade and for pilgrims travelling to or from Rome on the Via Francigena.

San Gimignano is 56km southwest of Florence in the Siena Province of Tuscany (see Tuscany map). San Gimignano is about 70km from Italy's west coast.

To get to San Gimignano on public transportation, take a bus or train from Siena or Florence to Poggibonsi. From Poggibonsi there are frequent buses to San Gimignano. The 20 mintue bus ride drops you in Piazzale dei Martiri near Porta San Giovanni. Go through the gate and walk up Via San Giovanni (lined with souvenir shops) and on to the town's center, Piazza della Cisterna.

If you arrive by car, you'll take the Firenze-Siena road, exit at Poggibonsi Nord and follow signs to San Gimignano. There are parking lots outside the walls. San Gimignano is best explored on foot.

San Gimignano's tourist office is at Piazza del Duomo, 1. It's open daily, 9:00-1:00 and 3:00-7:00, November - February the afternoon hours are 2:00-6:00.

San Gimignano was once a big grower of crocuses to produce saffron which they exported. There are still a few small saffron producers. Today San Gimignano's main product is a white wine, Vernaccia, that comes from grapes in the surrounding vineyards. You can try it several places in town.

For a small town, San Gimignano has a number of good restaurants serving typical Tuscan food. There are at least a dozen restaurants in the center and other good restaurants in the countryside. You can also stock up on picnic items and a bottle of wine for a picnic near the Rocca.

While San Gimignano can be easily visited as a day trip from Siena or Florence, it's best appreciated in the evening after the tourist buses leave. Accommodations may be less costly here as well. Here are top rated places to stay in San Gimignano including hotels, bed and breakfast inns, and nearby farm houses.

Seven of San Gimignano's towers are around Piazza del Duomo. The tallest tower is Torre Grossa, 54 meters (177 feet) in height, dating from 1298. Visitors can climb to the top of Torre Grossa for fantastic views of San Gimignano and the picturesque countryside. Opposite the Duomo is Torre della Rognosa, 50 meters high and one of the oldest towers, rising from the original town hall building, Palazza del Podesta. Edicts at the time forbade anyone from building a tower taller than Torre della Rognosa but several wealthy families bought lots nearby to erect similiar towers.

Take a virtual look at the towers, squares, and views in Europe Travel's San Gimignano Pictures.

Besides the towers, San Gimignano's historic center has several interesting tourist attractions.

• La Collegiata - San Gimignano's 11th century duomo, la Collegiata, has an interior lavishly decorated with 14th century frescoes, floor to ceiling, illustrating the Life of Christ and the Old Testament. In the Chapel of Santa Fina is a 15th century fresco showing San Gimignano's towers as they were then.
• Palazzo del Popolo Civic Museum - The Civic Museum is inside the Palazzo del Popolo. The museum contains some outstanding art work and frescoes from the 13th-15th centuries, including the famous Sala di Dante with frescoes by Benozzo Gozzoli.
• Torture Museum - The Museo della Tortura is inside the Torre della Diavola. It has a large display of torture instruments, some of which are still in use today in various parts of the world.
• Archaeology Museum - The Museo Archeologico, in a former convent, has a small collection of Etruscan artifacts. The Etruscans were the first civilization to occupy what's now San Gimignano.
• Museum of Sacred Art - The museum has a small collection of religious art including 14th century illuminated choir books.
• Sant'Agostino - The small 13th century church of Sant'Agostino is worth visiting for its charming frescoes, its elaborate marble altar, and the 15th century carved tomb of San Bartolo.
• La Rocca - The remains of the 14th century fortress above the town are worth visiting for the views of San Gimignano's towers and the countryside. Walk up the hill from Piazza delle Erbe. There's also a wine museum and an outdoor cinema in summer.
• Medieval Fountains - The 9th century Fonti Medievali on Via delle Fonti is where medieval townspeople got water and did their laundry.

San Gimignano Combination Ticket

The combined ticket covers admission for the Civic and Archaeological Museums, Torre Grossa, Gallery of Modern Art, Santa Fina chapel, and Museo Ornitologico. It's currently 7.50 euro for adults but prices may change.