Holiday in San Gimignano

What makes San Gimignano special as a destination?

San Gimignano is the Manhattan of the Middle Ages and one of the best-preserved medieval towns in Italy. The small town in the Tuscan hillside is famous for its fourteen noble towers, which stretch like stone fingers into the sky and make the silhouette of the town unmistakable. In the Middle Ages, there were once 72 of these towers here - every wealthy family built their tower as a symbol of power and wealth. The UNESCO World Heritage site sits on a 334-meter-high hill between the Elsa and Elsa valleys and offers panoramas over the classic Tuscan landscape with cypress trees, vineyards, and olive groves. The Piazza della Cisterna, a triangular square with the medieval fountain at its center, is the heart of San Gimignano and one of the most atmospheric squares in all of Tuscany. Here is also the Gelateria Dondoli, which has been awarded the title of best ice cream parlor in the world multiple times, and its saffron-Vernaccia ice cream is one of the culinary pilgrimage sites of the region. The adjacent Piazza del Duomo houses the Collegiata, a Romanesque church whose interior walls are completely covered with 14th-century frescoes - a picture book of medieval painting. The tallest of the preserved towers, the Torre Grossa, can be climbed and offers a panoramic view that, on clear days, reaches as far as Siena and the coast. The Museo Civico in the Palazzo del Popolo showcases impressive paintings from the Sienese school alongside the Torre Grossa. San Gimignano is also famous for its Vernaccia white wine, the only DOCG white wine in Tuscany, which is grown in the surrounding vineyards. From Germany, San Gimignano is best reached via the airports of Florence or Pisa, both about 60-80 kilometers away. A rental car is essential, as San Gimignano has no train station. The best travel time is from April to October, with the summer months being very crowded. The most beautiful times are early morning or late afternoon when the day tourists have left and the golden sun bathes the towers in warm light.