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San Gimignano, a town with approximately 7,000 inhabitants that rises 334 m above sea level, is surely one of the most interesting and charming towns of Tuscany.
A town of Etruscan-Roman origins, San Gimignano gained importance in the Middle Ages mostly owing to the fact that it was crossed by the Frankish Road, the renowned thoroughfare that connected Rome to the most important towns of Europe. Those who travelled this road could stop in San Gimignano to rest in one of its taverns, inns and assistance centres for pilgrims and as a result the town experienced the development of a lively commercial activity that brought richness to many families.
To make a show of their richness, it was then that the families started to build the famous towers (out of 72 built, at present only 15 are still intact) but none could have been taller than the "Rognosa", the tower of the Podestà; the Ardinghelli family built two twin towers (if we imagine them one on top of the other, they are far taller than the "Rognosa") to show that their power exceeded the power of the Podestà.
Always owing to the Frankish Road, the townspeople of San Gimignano exported saffron, produced here in great quantities, mostly to Pisa, Lucca, Genoa, France and the Flanders; other sources of richness were wool and pottery, and naturally Vernaccia wine and oil.
After the fights between Guelphs and Ghibellines, starting from 1353 San Gimignano was totally under Florentine rule.
In 1478 the plague caused the economic collapse of the town, and a gradual recovery was only possible under Medicean rule.
San Gimignano is also famous for its artistic heritage. Works by Benozzo Gozzoli, Domenico Ghirlandaio, Filippino Lippi, Giuliano and Benedetto da Maiano, Jacopo della Quercia, Lippo Memmi, Pinturicchio, Taddeo di Bartolo and others are in fact kept here. Modern art, too, is well represented in the historical centre.
To enjoy a charming view of the medieval village and the surrounding countryside, it is sufficient to climb the only standing tower of the pentagonal fourteenth-century Rocca (stronghold), demolished in 1555 by the Medicean troops.
Like the town, the prestigious Vernaccia wine of San Gimignano has a rich and fascinating history.
It seems that the first shoots of Vernaccia reached San Gimignano around 1276 from Greece or Liguria.
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