Town of beautiful Towers Located along the Frankish Road, in a central position, San Gimignano is a good starting point from where you can easily reach Florence, Siena, Pisa, Volterra, the Chianti area and, south of Siena, Montalcino and Pienza: all towns of artistic and cultural interest, surrounded by a suggestive landscape that changes, over few kilometres, from secular woods to vineyards, from bare fields to olive-groves, with small, ruined country houses and comfortable farm holiday structures.

San Gimignano a city of art which, since the middle ages, has been a crossroads of trade and tourist traffic. Over the years the town and its territory have not lost this vocation.
Today San Gimignano is a UNESCO World Heritage town, the first in the Province of Siena to be awarded this recognition. San Gimignano offers the visitor everything a town needs: history, art masterpieces, an architecture unique in the world, a countryside and landscape that are the finest in Tuscany.

San Gimignano can boast excellent food and wine: a selection of traditional, certificated products, accompanied by wines such as Vernaccia, the first Italian white wine to be declared DOCG (Guaranteed Controlled Denomination of Origin), a wine which is even mentioned by Dante Alighieri in The Divine Comedy. To its artistic, architectural and landscape beauties, not to mention the pleasures of the table, San Gimignano can add modern, people-friendly services, high quality accommodation, averagely accessible prices and a strategic position between Siena and Florence.

Arts Story Tourism restaurants shops tourist informations weather forecast bus train timetables photo gallery Wine of San Gimignano town chianti area.

San Gimignano is the most famous small town in Italy, and there are few places that evoke the atmosphere of mediaeval Tuscany so powerfully. Only fifteen of the original seventy-two towers survive - towers that represented wealth and influence more than defence and security - the higher the tower, the richer your family.

San Gimignano a charming hill town of 7000 inhabitants , which has preserved its medieval appearance more completely than any other town in Tuscany stands 334 mts above the sea level on the site of a small Etruscan settlement dating from the Hellenistic period (third to second BC). Its history begins around the Tenth Century
 

HISTORY San Gimignano rises on a hill (334m high) dominating the Elsa Valley with its towers. Once the seat of a small Etruscan village of the Hellenistic period (200-300 BC) it began its life as a town in the 10th century taking its name from the Holy Bishop of Modena, St. Gimignano, who is said to have saved the village from the barbarian hordes. The town increased in wealth and developed greatly during the Middle Ages thanks to the "Via Francigena" the trading and pilgrim's route that crossed it.

San Gimignano Attractions

Medieval Criminal and Torture Museum (Museo della Tortura e di Criminologia Medievale) Il Duomo (Collegiata) Podesta's Palace - Civic Museum Rocca Piazza della Cisterna Clock Tower Church of Sant'Agostino Palazzo del Popolo Museo d'Arte Sacra Museo Etrusco View all San Gimignano attractions

San Gimignano Articles and Guidebooks		SmartDeals
From tips & tricks to rants & raves. Read the best sources and the most up-to-date reviews... "Overview of San Gimignano," Frommer's "For a Tourist Town, Too Much of a Good Thing in San Gimignano," Aug 13, 2006 , New York Times (free registration required) "Tuscan Jewel," Jul 23, 2006 , Boston.com / Boston Globe Read all San Gimignano reviews

Comune di San Gimignano
Municipal coat of arms
Country	Italy
Region	Tuscany
Province	Siena (SI)
Mayor	Marco Lisi (since June 2004)
Elevation	324 m (1,063 ft)
Area	138 km² (53 sq mi)
Population (as of December 31 , 2005 )
- Total	7,105
- Density	51/km² (132/sq mi)
Time zone	CET, UTC 1
Coordinates	43°28′N, 11°03′E
Gentilic	Sangimignanesi
Dialing code	0577
Postal code	53037
Patron	St. Geminianus
- Day	January 31

Main sights While in other cities, such as Bologna or Florence, most or all of their towers have been brought down due to wars, catastrophes, or urban renewal, San Gimignano has managed to conserve fourteen towers of varying height which have become its international symbol.

There are many churches in the town: the two main ones are the Collegiata , formerly a cathedral, and Sant'Agostino , housing a wide representation of artworks from some of the main Italian renaissance artists.

The towers of San Gimignano

The Communal Palace, once seat of the podestà, is currently home of the Town Gallery, with works by Pinturicchio, Benozzo Gozzoli, Filippino Lippi, Domenico di Michelino, Pier Francesco Fiorentino, and others. From Dante's Hall in the palace, access may be made to a Majesty fresco by Lippo Memmi, as well as the Torre del Podestà or Torre Grossa , 1311, which stands fifty-four meters high.

The heart of the town contains the four squares, Piazza della Cisterna, Piazza Duomo where the Collegiata is located, Piazza Pecori, and Piazza delle Erbe. The main streets are Via San Matteo and Via San Giovanni, which cross the city from north to south.

SAN GIMIGNANO RECOMENDED WEBSITES http://www.sangimignano.com

San Gimignano | Official web site | Sito ufficiale  San Gimignano , il famoso borgo medievale dalle belle torri, nel cuore della campagna Toscana in provincia di Siena. San Gimignano , Italy: famous walled town www. sangimignano .com/

San Gimignano by welcometuscany.it http://www.welcometuscany.it/tuscany/chianti/san_gimignano.htm

Comune di San Gimignano - Presentazione  
Profilo della città, uffici, atti pubblici e servizi dell'amministrazione comunale. www.comune. sangimignano .si.it/

San Gimignano - The town of beautiful tower - Sangimignano .net   S . Gimignano .net starts to show the visitor all the beauties of this tuscan small town; San Gimignano history, accommodations in San Gimignano , www. sangimignano .net/ 

Consorzio Denominazione San Gimignano - Vernaccia di Sangimignano ...  [ San Gimignano , SI] Nel sito vengono presentati il Consorzio, la Vernaccia ei produttori. www.vernaccia.it/

PHOTOS OF S.GIMIGNANO TOWN
City of the beautiful towers rich in History, Art and Culture surrounded by the splendid Tuscan countryside. Only fifteen of the original seventy-two towers survive - towers that represented wealth and influence - the higher the tower, the richer your family.
http://www.freefoto.com/browse/14-29-0?ffid=14-29-0

San Gimignano Travel Guide by virtualtourist.com
Plan a San Gimignano vacation with reviews, tips and photos posted by real travelers and San Gimignano locals.
http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Europe/Italy/Tuscany/San_Gimignano-144020/TravelGuide-San_Gimignano.html

San Gimignano Vacations Tourism Reviews by tripadvisor.com http://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g187901-San_Gimignano_Tuscany-Vacations.html San Gimignano by wikipedia from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia San Gimignano is a small walled medieval hill town in Tuscany, Italy, about a 35-minute drive northwest of Siena or southwest of Florence. It is mainly famous for its medieval architecture, especially its towers, which may be seen from several miles outside the town. The town also is known for the white wine, Vernaccia di San Gimignano, grown in the area. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Gimignano