San Gimignano (; named after St. Geminianus) is a small walled medieval hill town in the province of Siena, Tuscany, north-central Italy. Known as the Town of Five Towers, San Gimignano is famous for its medieval architecture, unique in the preservation of about a dozen of its tower houses, which, with its hilltop setting and encircling walls, form "an unforgettable skyline". The town is also known for saffron, its dry-aged and saffron infused Golden Ham, pecorino cheese, and local white wine - Vernaccia di San Gimignano - produced from the ancient variety of Vernaccia grape grown on the sandstone hillsides of the area.

Territory

The municipality of San Gimignano extends for 138 km² and is located on a hill in Valdelsa. The altitude difference is between a minimum of 64 meters a.s.l. in the plain of the river Elsa near Certaldo at a maximum of 631 meters in the area of Cornocchio.

History

thumb|left|250px|The central Piazza della Cisterna

In the 3rd century BC a small Etruscan village stood on the site of San Gimignano. Chroniclers Lupi, Coppi and Pecori relate that during the Catiline conspiracy against the Roman Republic in the 1st century, two patrician brothers, Muzio and Silvio, fled Rome for Valdelsa and built two castles, Mucchio and Silvia (now San Gimignano). The name of Silvia was changed to San Gimignano in 450 AD after Bishop Geminianus, the Saint of Modena, intervened to spare the castle from destruction by the followers of Attila the Hun.

The city flourished until 1348, when it was struck by the Black Death that affected all of Europe, and about half the townsfolk died. The town submitted to the rule of Florence. Initially, some Gothic palazzi were built in the Florentine style, and many of the towers were reduced to the height of the houses. There was little subsequent development, and San Gimignano remained preserved in its medieval state until the 19th century, when its status as a touristic and artistic resort began to be recognized.

Description

The city is on the ridge of a hill, with its main axis being north/south. It is encircled by three walls and has at its highest point, to the west, the ruins of a fortress dismantled in the 16th century. There are eight entrances into the city, set into the second wall, which dates from the 12th and 13th centuries. The main gates are Porta San Giovanni on the ridge extending south, Porta San Matteo to the north west and Porta S. Jacopo to the north east. The main streets are Via San Matteo and Via San Giovanni, which cross the city from north to south.

At the heart of the town are four squares: the Piazza Duomo, on which stands the Collegiate Church; the Piazza della Cisterna, the Piazza Pecori and the Piazza delle Erbe. To the north of the town is another significant square, Piazza Agostino, on which stands the Church of Sant' Agostino. The locations of the Collegiate Church and Sant' Agostino's and their piazzas effectively divide the town into two regions.

Main sights

The town of San Gimignano has many examples of Romanesque and Gothic architecture, which are distinguished from each other by their round and pointed arches, respectively. As well as churches and medieval fortifications, there are examples of Romanesque secular and domestic architecture. A particular feature which is typical of the region of Siena is the depressed arches of openings, with doorways often having a second low arch set beneath a semi-circular or pointed arch. Both Romanesque and Gothic windows sometimes have a bifurcate form, with two openings divided by a stone mullion under a single arch. A 1:100 recreation of the city in the 14th century is housed in the SanGimignano1300 museum.

Squares

Piazza della Cisterna

This piazza, entered from Via San Giovanni, is the main square of the town. It was named after the cistern constructed in 1287. It was once used to host markets, most famously utilized by Picansichado Ghezzi. It also hosted recreational actives like tournaments and festivals. It is triangular in shape, and is surrounded by medieval houses of different dates, among them are some fine examples of Romanesque and Gothic palazzos. At the centre of the piazza stands a well which was the main source of water for the town's residents. The structure dates from 1346. Although much of it has been renewed in the late 20th century, parts of the paving date from the 13th century.

Piazza Duomo

This piazza is to the north of Piazza della Cisterna, and is connected by a passage adjacent to an open loggia. To the west, at the top of the square, stands the Collegiate Church, reached by a broad flight of steps. The name of the square would seem to imply that this church was at one time a cathedral, but this is not the case. Other important buildings on the square include the Palazzo Comunale and the Palazzo Podesta, the house of the mayor. The Palazzo Podesta is distinguished by its huge arched loggia.

Towers

thumb|right|250px|Towers in San Gimignano

thumb|250px|[[Torre Rognosa]]

While in other cities, such as Florence, most or all of their towers have been destroyed by wars, catastrophes, or urban renewal, San Gimignano has conserved the following 14 towers of varying heights, for which it is known internationally:

  • Campanile della Collegiata
  • Torri degli Ardinghelli
  • Torre dei Becci
  • Torre Campatelli
  • Torre Chigi (1280)
  • Torre dei Cugnanesi
  • Torre del Diavolo
  • Torre Ficherelli or Ficarelli
  • Torre Grossa (1311),
  • Torre di Palazzo Pellari
  • Casa-torre Pesciolini
  • Torre Pettini
  • Torre Rognosa,
  • Torri dei Salvucci

Churches

There are many churches in the town: the two main ones are the Collegiata, formerly a cathedral, and Sant'Agostino, housing many artworks from early Italian renaissance artists.

The Pieve di Santa Maria at Cèllole, a village in the municipality, is a Romanesque rural church with a baptistery.

Civic buildings

The Communal Palace, once seat of the podestà, is currently home of the town gallery, with works by Pinturicchio, Benozzo Gozzoli, Filippino Lippi, Domenico di Michelino, Pier Francesco Fiorentino and others. From Dante's Hall in the palace, access may be made to a Maesta fresco by Lippo Memmi, as well as the Torre del Podestà or Torre Grossa, 1311, which stands high. there is no evidence of a plan to destroy the churches. However, the reference to risk of cultural destruction is historic, as the Allies bombed the area for ten days.

In the 2005 novel The Broker by John Grisham, Joel Backman takes his second of three wives on vacation in Italy to keep her from divorcing him. They rent a 14th-century monastery near San Gimignano for a month.

A 15th-century version of the town is featured in the 2009 video game Assassin's Creed II.

Municipal government

thumb|right|250px|The Town Hall ([[Palazzo Comunale, San Gimignano|Palazzo Comunale) nearby the Duomo]]

San Gimignano is headed by a mayor (') assisted by a legislative body, the ', and an executive body, the '. Since 1995 the mayor and members of the ' are directly elected together by resident citizens, while from 1945 to 1995 the mayor was chosen by the legislative body. The ' is chaired by the mayor, who appoints others members, called '. The offices of the ' are housed in a building usually called the ' or '.

Since 1995 the mayor of San Gimignano is directly elected by citizens, originally every four, then every five years. The current mayor is Andrea Marrucci (PD), elected on 26 May 2019 with the 70.3% of the votes and re-elected on 9 June 2024 with 84.9% of the votes.

{|class="wikitable"

|-

! Mayor

! Term start

! Term end

! class=unsortable| 

! Party

|-

|Franco Nencioni

|align=center|24 April 1995

|align=center|14 June 1999

|bgcolor=|

|PDS

|-

|Marco Lisi

|align=center|14 June 1999

|align=center|8 June 2009

|bgcolor=|

|DS

|-

|Giacomo Bassi

|align=center|8 June 2009

|align=center|27 May 2019

|bgcolor=|

|PD

|-

|Andrea Marrucci

|align=center|27 May 2019

|align=center|incumbent

|bgcolor=|

|PD

|}

Demographic evolution

Twin towns – sister cities

San Gimignano is twinned with:

  • Český Krumlov, Czech Republic
  • Meersburg, Germany
  • Mestia, Georgia

Panoramic view

<gallery mode="packed">

File:Via San Giovanni - San Gimignano, Siena, Italy - March 24, 2016 01.jpg

File:Via San Giovanni - San Gimignano, Siena, Italy - March 24, 2016 02.jpg

File:Tuscany - San Gimignano (5782967779).jpg

File:Piazza del duomo in san gimignano.jpg

File:Piazza della Cisterna, San Gimignano, May 2009-2.jpg

File:San Gimignano Tramonto.jpg

File:San Gimignano depuis la Tour Grossa (54m).jpg

</gallery>

In art

  • Wall mural in Grossi Florentino, executed by students of Napier Waller under supervision

References

Sources

  • AA. VV., Medieval Churches of the Val d'Elsa. The territories of the Via Francigena between Siena and San Gimignano, Empoli, dell'Acero Publishers, 1996.
  • San Gimignano - The town of the beautiful towers
  • A Walk in San Gimignano
  • SanGimignano1300, a local museum
  • Video Introduction to San Gimignano
  • San Gimignano virtual tour (Italian Landmarks)
  • San Gimignano Guide
  • Commune of San Gimignano