The town of San Gimignano, which is situated on a hill that reaches 300 meters in altitude and dominates the Val D’Elsa, absolutely cannot be excluded from our itinerary. Its town center, declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1990, and which has changed very little from the way it appeared in the 1300’s, is one of the best examples in all of Europe of  urban organization resulting from the period of city-state rule. The history of this town dates back to the 10th century A.C., when it adopted the name of San Gimignano, the Archbishop of Modena, who according to popular belief saved the city from hordes of barbarians. There was an extremely prosperous period from 1000 to 1200, largely due to the fact that the city was located along the Via Francigena. However around the middle of the 1300’s, following an epidemic of the black plague, the population was literally decimated, resulting in an economic and political decline that continued through the following centuries. Not everything that came from this decline and isolation was harmful though, because this was exactly what made the urbanization of the city a possibility, which allowed it to last until present time.
What to see in San Gimignano:
The defining characteristic of this town in the province of Siena is its numerous towers that rise up from the inside of the city walls. Of the 72 towers and houses with towers that  existed in the prosperous period of the community, you can still find 15 that are in very good condition. Among these towers the oldest is the Torre del Podestà, also known as la Rognosa, which is 51 meters tall, while the tallest is the Torre Grossa, reaching 54 meters. From the Torre Grossa you can access the Palazzo Comunale (also known as the Palazzo Nuovo del Podestà ) and on the inside there is also the town museum, as well as a very important art gallery with masterpieces from artists such as Pinturicchio, Benozzo Bozzoli, and Filippino Lippi.
Another place that is worth a visit is the Duomo, named the Chiesa Collegiata, built in 1148 and home to praiseworthy frescoes including San Sebastiano by Bozzoli and the Storie di Santa Fina by Domenico Ghirlandaio.
There are various museums to visit in San Gimignano including the Museo Civico (city museum), the Museo Diocesano, the Museo Etrusco (Etruscan) Spezieria di Santa Fina, and last but not least the intriguing Museo Criminale Medioevale (Medieval crime) where you can see the instruments and techniques used for torture and for enforcing the death penalty in the Middle Ages, as well as a large collection of documents from the Inquisition.
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