San Gimignano: the tower’s village
May 17th, 2007Views:1007
If you have the possibility to go to Tuscany, we suggest you to stop in San Gimignano, a place that has been declared as UNESCO’s heritage because of its typical medieval structure, consisting of some famous and characteristic towers.
In the Middle Ages the towers were even more numerous (it seems that there were 72 of them) and they represented the economic power of the local well-to-do families. Today there are 13 towers left, which make San Gimignano a unique village, because of its originality and beauty.
In the Middle Ages the towers were the maximum symbols of power and they could be built only by the richest families of the town, that usually were merchants.
The tower’s dwelling did not extend in the whole height of the building, but the different rooms were arranged in a precise way: on the ground floor there were the shops, on the first floor there were the bedrooms and, on the higher floors, there was the kitchen. This arrangement of the rooms followed some simple security rules. In fact the kitchen, where people usually lit the fire, was built on the highest floor, so that it could be possible to flee from the tower in case of fire.
Moreover, we suggest you to visit some prestigious buildings, as the Palazzo Comunale - the Town Hall - (decorated with frescoes in chivalric style), the Art Gallery, St Augustine’s (with the magnificent frescoes by Benozzo Gozzoli 1464-1465) and St Fina’s Spezieria (the apothecary’s shop), with its collection of rare ceramics and glasswork.
Finally, before going back home, you must taste the Vernaccia from San Gimignano, one of the rarest and internationally well known white wines; this wine is produced precisely in this area of Tuscany and has received the prestigious trademarks DOC and DOCG (appellation contrôlée).
So now we wish everybody: “Have a good journey!!”
