San Gimignano Travel Guide

 6 Reviews  Attached to Palazzo Comunale, the 54-metre Torre Grossa is San Gimignano's highest tower. It was built between 1300 and 1311 and is one of seven towers surrounding Piazza del Duomo. However, it is the only one of San Gimignano's towers that is open to the public with access provided through il Museo... 

 15 Reviews   I really enjoyed the market square or the Piazza della Cisterna – named after the cistern well that is in the center of the piazza. The many buildings with ivy growing over them, the shops and restaurants, the gelato shops, and the atmosphere make this a wonderful experience. And it is all... 

 5 Reviews  The most important of the city gates of San Gimignano, Porta San Giovanni lies at the southern end of the fortified wall. The road from here reached Siena along Via Francigena, the famous pilgrim road which eventually led to Rome. Anyone approaching from Siena, even nowadays, would likely enter the... 

 4 Reviews  San Gimignano's second largest church, la Chiesa di Sant'Agostino dates from 1298 AD. It is located on its namesake piazza near Porta San Matteo. The simple red-brick church with a square campanile has a hint of Gothic style. It has a minimally decorated wide single nave ending with a triple arch... 

 6 Reviews  The political and religious heart of San Gimignano, Piazza del Duomo contains the town's most important buildings. This includes il Duomo, the old and new government buildings (Palazzo Comunale and Palazzo Vecchio del Podestà), and the Loggia del Comune. The piazza is also surrounded by seven of San... 

 5 Reviews  Standing in ruins, the Rocca di Montestaffoli is a castle located at the western edge of San Gimignano. It was built in 1353 by the Florentines, who by then had taken control of San Gimignano. The castle was used to defend the town for the next two centuries, but when Siena took over from Florence,... 

 3 Reviews  Located on Via San Matteo, north of Piazza del Duomo, la Chiesa di San Bartolo was originally dedicated to San Matteo and gave the street and the quarter its name. It was built in 1173, but was rededicated to San Bartolo in the 16th century while the street kept its name. The simple but elegant... 

 4 Reviews  Linking Porta San Giovanni with Piazza della Cisterna, Via San Giovanni is one of the main thoroughfares of San Gimignano. Outside the fortified walls, it led to Via Francigena which, in Mediaeval times, transported pilgrims and Crusaders all the way to Rome. Today, Via San Giovanni is a... 

 4 Reviews  On the right hand side of Piazza del Duomo stands the Town Hall, which was built in the 13th century. The tower next to the town hall is the Torre Grossa, and measures 54 m. This is the highest and only tower in San Gimignano that you can climb. 

 3 Reviews  The main thoroughfare north of Piazza del Duomo, Via San Matteo links the heart of the town with the northern gate, Porta San Matteo. The street is also a continuation of the mediaeval pilgrim road, Via Francigena, which brought pilgrims from as far as Canterbury, England, to San Gimignano on their... 

 2 Reviews  San Gimignano is a very unique city. Not only that it is medieval (all the buildings were made of thick bricks including the narrow streets), it is also nestled on top of a hill. All the stores, museums, restaurants are very close to each other that you can see this city in a day! If you don't... 

 2 Reviews  One of San Gimignano's oldest churches, la Chiesa di San Pietro in Forliano was built in the early 12th century. It is a small and simple red brick church, located on Piazza Sant'Agostino, opposite Chiesa Sant'Agostino. When I visited San Gimignano in May 2009, San Pietro in Forliano was closed, so... 

 4 Reviews  Located at the northern end of San Gimignano, Porta San Matteo is another important gate in the 13th century fortified wall. The imposing structure, typical of Tuscany, was built in 1262 and led into Via San Matteo, the main street north of Piazza del Duomo in San Gimignano. Via Francigena, which... 

 3 Reviews  Also known as Palazzo Nuova del Podestà, il Palazzo Comunale has been the seat of the government of San Gimignano since it was built in 1288. Prior to its construction, the seat of the government was at the nearby Palazzo Vecchio del Podestà (vecchio = old, nuovo = new). In 1323, the building was... 

 3 Reviews  Linking Via San Giovanni with Piazza della Cisterna, the Arco dei Becci was once the town's southern gate. It was built at the end of the 10th century along with the original fortified walls, but the gate was opened and made into an arch in 1262 when San Gimignano expanded and the outer walls were... 

 2 Reviews  The Museo Civico was settled in 1852 in the upper floors of the Palazzo del Popolo. The entrance is the courtyard of the Palace (which was under restoration in June 2006) built in 1323. In the courtyard you can see nice paintings like San ivo che Rende Giustizia made by Sodoma. In the museum of can... 

 2 Reviews  Dominating the view at the end of Via San Giovanni, la Torre dei Cugnanesi is one of the highest towers in San Gimignano. It dates from the 13th century and belonged to the Cugnanesi family, along with their namesake palazzo. Both are located just outside the Arco dei Becci, at the end of Via San...