San Gimignano and Monteriggioni
San Gimignano was a prosperous
medieval town and lay along the main road through Italy to Rome.
But after the Black Death it fell into decline. So its buildings remained
mostly intact,
giving a vivid sense of what a medieval Italian town would have looked like.
The most
famous features of San Gimignano are its towers. Similar towers would have
been typical for wealthy
families in the Italian towns in the Middle Ages, most only one room on each
floor but stretching upwards by
ten or more stories. In later centuries the upkeep proved too much, and most
here and in other towns were lopped
off at five stories or less. San Gimignano's decline meant that more towers
were preserved here than elsewhere.
In San Gimignano
a few are open to the public, and a climb to the top
offers unbelievable views of the town and surrounding countryside.
San Gimignano
is perhaps one of the best known of the hundreds of hilltop towns in Tuscany
and Umbria.
In the Middle Ages the hilltop setting provided protection from invaders.
All competed with each other for
resources and trade. Some were much more successful than others, so towns
like Florence and Siena grew
into big modern cities. Others lost out in this competition, and stagnated,
until modern tourism found them.
The village
of Monteriggioni, still surrounded by its medieval walls, is only about two
blocks wide and four
blocks long. There is not much to do there but wander through it and admire
a place that progress has forgotten.
Close this page and click on another image from the map of Italy to see other photos.