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.

 

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