Private tours
Chianti Siena and Tuscany

San Gimignano, a bit of history

The architecture of San Gimignano makes this small city,
so concentrated and noble, unique with the geometric
pattern of the towers rising above the town. It was al-
ready known in Etruscan and Roman times. During the
Middie Ages its importance grew thanks to the presence
of the Via Francigena, the most important route at the
time which connected Italy to all of Europe. San Gimig-
nano almost always sided with Florence, but was unable
to expand its power or its boundaries further because ge-
ographically it was inhibited by nearby Florence and
Siena.
The two urban spaces with the greatest wealth, artistical-
ly speaking, are the Piazza della Cisterna and the Piazza
Duomo. The former takes its name from the 13th-
century cistern set almost in the center of the square. All
around is a series of medieval buildings including, on the
south, the Palazzo Tortolini Treccani (14th cent.) with
two tiers of two—light windows, the Casa Salvestrini and
the Casa Razzi (13th cent.); on the west side, the twin
Guelph Towers of the Ardinghelli (13th cent.); and last-
ly, on the north, the Palazzo Cortesi flanked by the tow-
er of the same name known also as Torre del Diavolo
(Devil’s Tower).
The Palazzo del Podestà, built in 1239 and enlarged
about a century later, rises up on the Piazza Duomo.
There is a fine fresco by Sodoma on the ground floor.
One of the tallest towers (51 m.), the Torre known as
Rognosa, rises up over the palace, while right across the
way is the Collegiata, built around 1239 on the ruins of
the old parish church of San Gimignano, with a fine fa-
cade in brick and stone. The tripartite Romanesque in-
terior has magrnficent cross vaulting. On the internal
wall of the facade there are frescoes by Taddeo di Barto-
lo, and, at the sides, two wooden statues by Jacopo del-
la Quercia (1421). The walls are entirely covered with
fine frescoes: on the wall of the right aisle there is a
beautiful cycle depicting Scenes and Episodes of the
.................................MORE

Mercedes Van

Mercedes E class

For more information and rates e.mail us at:
limo@limousine-florence.com 

Official web site : 
www.limousine-florence.com