San Gimignano, Italy, is Medieval eye-candy!
Written: Jan 02 '00 (Updated Jan 06 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: So much beauty to see that your eyeballs will hurt!
Cons: Too many tourists...especially too many Americans!
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| vickie's Full Review: San Gimignano |
San Gimignano is famous worldwide for it's views and it's wine. As you drive through the Upper Elsa Valley you see the towering silhouette rising up from the hills. That view is the last peace and quiet you will experience when you visit this Medieval town! The 14th century architecture of this town is remarkably preserved. It remains a vibrant town filled with friendly, tourist savvy residents. Fifteen of the original 72 towers of the walled city remain standing and can still be admired among the antique noble houses, narrow streets and squares.
The Piazza della Cisterna (built in 1327) is the beautiful heart of the town. It is encircled by the Piazza del Duomo (inside the Cathedral are works of art by Benozzo Gozzoli, Jacopo della Quiercia and Taddero di Bartolo), the Podesta's palace, the Town Hall, which houses the Civic Museum (in which hangs the Lippo Memmi painting "Majesty" and works by Pinturicchio and Filippo Lippi), and the Romanesque/Gothic Church of Saint Augustine, with 17 frescoes by Benozzo Gozzoli illustrating the life of the Saint. I must say that the art was truly outstanding, but you can tire of religious art and feel the need to seek out more of the secular works!
The most magnificent view of the city and surrounding countryside is from the Torre Grossa, the only surviving tower of the 14th-century pentagonal Fortress, most of which was destroyed by the Medicis in 1555. The tower is open from March through October and is well worth the $5-6 price of admission…..and the climb to the top! The folklore of the towers of San Gimignano is worth a quick mention. The 70+ towers were built in the 12th and 13th centuries by the feuding Ardinghelli and Salvucci families. There were used as warehouses and were considered status symbols, testifying to the wealth and power of their owners. At one point there were so many of these towers in the compact, walled city that crossing the town was done more commonly by rooftop instead of down on the streets!
While San Gimignano takes tourism to "new heights", it is still possible to get some great shopping bargains there….particularly leather goods. You need to be willing to wrangle with shop owners to get the price lower than what appears on the ticket. However, this wasn't hard to do…..and I'm not known for being very good at it! Leaving one shop, I found the shopkeeper following me out onto the street in an effort to continue the "negotiation"! I ended up with a fabulous, fully lined, soft-sided leather "week-ender" bag for under $90…..a steal!
The wine of San Gimignano deserves special mention. In 1966, VERNACCIA was the first Italian wine to receive the Denominazione di Origine Controllata, (DOCG), a prestigious recognition given by the Italian government…..a government that takes its wine VERY seriously! This wine continues to be one of Italy's highest quality white wines. It is produced exclusively in the area of San Gimignano and is made using only "Vernaccia de San Gimignano" grapes from hilly, well-exposed areas. Vernaccia de San Gimignano is a pale, straw-yellow that tends toward a golden color with age. It has a light and penetrating scent and is dry with a slight aftertaste.
So far, I've carefully avoided the major liability of San Gimignano…..it is FULL (READ: STUFFED) with American tourists! What little space is left is stuffed with tourists from other parts of Europe. Normally, this would be enough of a deterrent to prevent me from devoting even one day to exploration. However, I think that you will find, as I did, that San Gimignano is worth the patience required. The photos (from the top of the Torre Grossa) alone are worth the trip!
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
vickie
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Location: Waltham, MA
Reviews written: 75
Trusted by: 113 members
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