This golden lily of the Middle Ages is called the Manhattan of Tuscany since it preserves 13 of its noble towers, giving it a skyscraper skyline. The approach to the walled town is dramatic today, but once it must have been fantastic, for in the heyday of the Guelph and Ghibelline conflict, San Gimignano (San Gimignano delle Belle Torri) had as many as 72 towers. Its fortresslike severity is softened by the subtlety of its harmonious squares, and many of its palaces and churches are enhanced by Renaissance frescoes because San Gimignano could afford to patronize major painters.
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Becci and Cugnanesi Arch and houses  |
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Torre Grossa  |
Vicolo di Santa Fina  |
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Saint Pietro  |
Piazza Sant'Agostino  |
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Porta San Giovanni  |
Porta San Giovanni  |
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The "Manhattan of Tuscany" from a distance  |
