Perhaps the light of Florence is too dazzling, covering up the beautiful towns in Italy's Tuscany region. Tuscany's quiet and simple pastoral atmosphere and distant culture are the home for many people to escape from the hustle and bustle of the world and rest on their bodies and minds. However, they do not know that the medieval towns are crisscrossing and preserved intact medieval towns are the charming features of this boot country.

There was a popular "reality show" "Flowers and Boys", a small town in central Italy. One of the stops was the small town of San Gimignano. Celebrities climbed the tower, and the aerial cameras of the program team showed the beautiful scenery of the mountains without reservation. The stone tower was towering into the blue sky, blending with the green fields and vineyards, and also made this small town popular among the Chinese people.

Screenshot of "Flowers and Boys"

As early as 1990, it was listed on the World Heritage List before many places of interest in Italy, but I don’t know if its too twisted name blocked the footsteps of many tourists. The town has always been lukewarm and has not been well-known to the world like many historical sites. Without the bustling tour groups, the town has slowed down in this era of rapid development. No matter how the outside world changes, time still remains in the medieval world in the ancient city surrounded by thick walls.

Aerial Photos

San Gimignano is located about 56 kilometers south of Florence. Its earliest history can be traced back to the 3rd century BC. It was once a village of the Etruscan (also translated as "Etruscan") in northwestern Italy, and was later annexed by the Romans. In the 1st century AD, a coup broke out in the city of Rome. The noble brothers Muzio and Silvio fled here and built two castles as defenses, named Mucchio and Silvia after them. In 450 AD, the Catholic saint Geminiauns, who blocked the attack of Attila, the "Whip of God", died here, and named Sylvia Castle "San Gimignano" after him. Because the small town is located on the main road for the believers to make pilgrimage to Rome, many people stay here, and the city is thriving day by day. Since 929 AD, the city was ruled by the bishop of Volterra (an ancient city in the Tuscany region between Pisa and Siena). By 1199, the city was even more prosperous and was self-governed without the rule of the bishop. However, the good times did not last long. In 1348, the Black Death that swept across Europe made the small city slump, taking away two-thirds of its lives, leaving only about 3,000 people. With the development of the times, Florence gradually robbed the limelight and was abandoned for five centuries. It was not until the 19th century that it became an art destination.

San Gimignano location

From Florence all the way south, the vehicle drove along the highway, and from a distance, he could see the ancient city wall surrounding the towers of different heights, standing proudly under the sky, which was quite spectacular. The history of these towers can be traced back to 1100 AD. Many Italian cities have the tradition of building high towers. In order to show off their financial resources, the noble families who control cities compete to build high towers. Whoever builds the towers is richer. At the same time, these rough and heavy towers are also family fortifications, which can be condescendingly on the enemy and strengthen defense. During the heyday of the city, there were at most 72 towers (some say 75), and it was known as the "City of Hundred Towers". Two of the most powerful families have put in great effort to build the tower high, and they are not allowed to build any buildings nearby. This undoubtedly caused waste of land. It was not until the government came forward and ordered that no building should be more than 54 meters high in the Palazzo Comunale, and this "building war" ended.

It seems that today, the tradition of striving to build "the world's tallest building" has existed in ancient times

Imagine how spectacular it is that there are 72 buildings about 50 meters high in the small area of the small town! It can be seen that the financial resources here were so strong at that time. Therefore, some people call San Gimignano "Medieval Manhattan."

As time passes, most towers have disappeared due to wars, earthquakes or urban transformations. Now there are only 14 left, forming the most beautiful skyline of the small town.

San Gimignano is about 1 kilometer from north to south, about 500 meters from east to west, and a circle of defensive walls is about 2.2 kilometers long. The overall preservation is well preserved. The bastion is distributed in different corners. There is a stone city gate in the south, north and east. The San Giovanni Gate on the south side is the main city gate for tourists to enter.

The other two gates on the east and south sides of the small town

The Italians, who are scattered by nature, have always been extremely strict in protecting World Heritage Sites, and no cars are allowed to pass in the city center. Park the car in the parking lot outside the city and walk into the city. The tall stone walls and uneven bluestone roads seem to have traveled back to the medieval time in an instant. The thick walls separate the hustle and bustle outside the city, and one day in the city, the world has been for thousands of years.

A narrow stone street runs through the entire ancient city, and the towering stone houses on both sides are exquisite homes and art shops. The surroundings are surrounded by narrow alleys, built along the mountains, with stone steps up and down, strolling through the old city and enjoying time quietly.

You can see the towering towers, all concentrated in the center of the town. It is hard to help but make people think about their role: although these towers have defensive functions, their more important role is to live. The narrow space in the tower usually does not exceed 2 meters, leaving only extremely small windows for ventilation, let alone lighting. Could it be that this "dark medieval" is related to this? However, the nobles canYou won’t treat yourself badly. Such a tower is actually warm in winter and cool in summer. The bedroom is located on the second floor above the entrance, and the kitchen is mostly on the top floor, which is both fire-proof and convenient for smoke exhaust. These towers that symbolize wealth and status were also connected by iron chain bridges in order to connect and move around. Put down the stairs during the day and evacuate at night to ensure that the nobles in the harsh environment can fall asleep peacefully. Today, only the pits connected to the iron chains remaining on the tower are still telling tourists about its former glory and scenery, and they also make people imagine the past appearance of this sky city.

City-state disputes and wars, the towers became the main battlefield. No wonder the game "Assassin's Creed II" is filmed here, using the tower as the stage, achieving repeated climbing and assassination.

A small town has no shortage of all the buildings that life requires: squares, streets, houses, palaces, wells, fountains... Every element is the best testimony of medieval life.

Along the main street, Via San Matteo, walk to the triangle "Piazza della Cisterna", which is named after the 1287-year-old octagonal well in the center. The well was once the most important source of water in the past, but now it has been blocked by the iron net for the safety of tourists, but people still throw coins in to make wishes.

Environmental protection organizations also made dolls with used plastic bottles next to the well to remind people to recycle garbage.

On one side of Water Well Square, there is an ice cream shop Gelateria Dondoli. I have recommended Italian ice cream Gelato many times, which is low in sugar and low in fat. Although this store is not big, it has won the world championship of ice cream for many years. The walls are covered with photos of celebrities, and there are a variety of ice creams of various flavors such as pistachios, strawberries, oranges, peaches, vanilla, chocolate, etc. The store has also "developed" several unique flavors ingeniously, including: saffron and pine nut cream, pink grapefruit and sparkling wine, etc. If you are interested, you may wish to try it.

Two corners of the triangle-shaped water well square lead to the wall at the bottom of the mountain, and a few steps up the mountain is Piazza del Duomo, surrounded by most of the existing towers in the town. The high steps lead to the Norman (Romanic) Cathedral of Duomo di San Gimignano, also known as the Collegiata di Santa Maria Assunta, is the cathedral of the ancient city, which was built in the 12th century. There is also a museum inside the church, with many medieval collections.Works of the Siena School of Painting in the Renaissance of Jihe.

Torre Grossa opposite the church is the tallest tower with a total height of 54 meters. It was built in the early 14th century and is also the only tower open to the public.

Schematic diagram of the tower section (This picture comes from the official website of San Gimignano Tourism)

Along the spiral upstairs, visitors can climb to the top of the tower and take a look at the beautiful scenery of the small town and the Tuscan mountains, and only then can they know how big the world is and how small life is.

The unique soil and high altitude terrain, coupled with the continuous breeze of the Mediterranean, make Tuscany the most important wine-producing region in Italy. Italians believe that wine can inspire people's inspiration and passion for life, and list it along with bread and olives as three elements on the dining table. A white wine produced in San Gimignano is the only white wine among the nine DOCG-grade wines in Tuscany. It has a very sweet taste. It was used as a gift to the royal family and nobles as early as the 13th century, which shows its preciousness.

Today there are 22 craftsmen living in the city, carefully producing handicrafts such as jewelry, home accessories, ceramics, wood carvings, etc., and still inherit the medieval style in the vivid contemporary life.

It is so pleasant to walk in the small town, bathe in the bright Tuscan sun, and listen to the rhythmic sound of shoe heels knocking on the stone road. When I was tired, I walked into the restaurant and ordered a glass of white wine, or a piece of Italian pizza pizza, and then a World Champion ice cream to make a dessert. The life of aristocrats in the Middle Ages, but that's it.

Tips:

1. Transportation: San Gimignano does not have trains, usually there is a bus from Florence or Siena, which is about 1 hour's drive one way.

2. Recommended tour time: 2-3 hours.

3. If you don’t want to take a bus and it’s inconvenient to drive by yourself, you can take the Hibus in the circle, set off from Florence in the morning, travel along the way to San Gimignano and Siena, and arrive in Rome at night. You don’t need to collect your luggage or transfer the car, making it more convenient to play.