Among the most picturesque and fascinating villages of Italy, the characteristic medieval architecture of its historic center has long been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
When you come to his sight you can not stay unenchanted.
San Gimignano is famous for the ancient towers that make up the impressive profile of the hamlet, and have earned it the medieval Manhattan nickname, swaying on the abbey and the extraordinary surrounding landscape.
There were over seventy towers and house-towers of the town of San Gimignano. Today there are fourteen, where the Rognosa and the Grossa, respectively the oldest and the highest, rise up to 51 and 54 meters high, to which are added the one of the Collegiata and the tower house Pesciolini, both of which are different from the others.
You can not miss a walk through the narrow alleys of the village, discovering the religious, civil and military treasures.
The Duomo, completed around the middle of the twelfth century, is among the best examples of Tuscan Romanesque. Three naves have entirely frescoed walls, and it houses, among others, “San Sebastiano” by Benozzo Gozzoli and the sculptures by Giuliano and Benedetto Maiano and the wooden “Annunciation” by Jacopo della Quercia.
Among the religious buildings to see also the Church of Sant’Agostino, also rich in frescos and canvases, while among the most valuable civilians there is certainly the Palazzo Comunale or Palazzo Nuovo del Podestà , currently home to the civic museum and of the pinacoteca, which houses the works of Pinturicchio, Filippino Lippi, Pier Francesco Fiorentino and Gozzoli, while among the military treasures of the village are the ancient walls and the four doors, that of San Giovanni, that of the Fonti, San Jacopo and of St. Matthew.
At the rich historical heritage San Gimignano combines a remarkable wine and food offer, appreciated in its delicious restaurants, in its gastronomy and wine shops. Tourists who each year flock to the pearl of the Siena hills are divided among the artistic treasures and tastes that make the village among the most appreciated and visited of Tuscany.
The Siena hinterland, Tuscan salami and ham, then oil and saffron are just some of the delicacies that join the great wines of the area including the well-liked Vernaccia of San Gimignano.
It is in this area of ​​the heart of Tuscany, between the provinces of Siena, Pisa and Florence which produces this excellent white wine DOCG, the first Italian wine to receive, in the mid-sixties, the DOC brand. From the pale straw yellow color, from the fine and penetrating smell and from the dry and fresh flavor, it is a wine that fits well with fries, with eggs, white meat, fish and appetizers.
Appreciated also abroad, it was often on the tables of the Medici and Lorenzo the Magnificent who often required the supplies from the City of San Gimignano directly.
