Between the two large Italian cities of Florence and Siena is located cozy town San Gimignano (territorially and administratively refers to the city of Tuscany and its surroundings), information about which began to appear in the period of antiquity. The first settlement that arose here was founded by the Etruscan tribes.
The name San Gimiyano appeared thanks to the efforts of the Bishop of Modena, who began to upset the small village, gradually turning it into an impregnable defensive fort. During 12-13 years. the main buildings, residential quarters, street layouts, squares, and towers appeared. Most of the buildings have been perfectly preserved until now.
Unique medieval architecture is in harmony with nature, creating stunning picturesque landscapes around the city.
The architectural appearance of the city was largely determined by the colorful towers, the main part of which was built in the 12-13th centuries. Their total number exceeded 70 pieces, of which only 14 have survived to this day.
Guests of San Gimignano, first of all, go to see these majestic buildings, which can be seen from different points of the city. The number of visitors to the city is several times higher than the number of local residents, of whom there are only 7100 people... In 1990, San Gimignano was taken under the protection of UNESCO, thanks to the presence of towers, perfectly preserved residential complexes and urban planning of the Middle Ages.
The buildings rise above the city, recalling the former greatness of the city, which in the Middle Ages was famous for winemaking and weaving. Because of the towers, San Gimignano is sometimes called the city of the Towers that form the skyline. 14 buildings have survived to this day in excellent condition, which is why the towers are called the devil's dozen. The most famous of them are Torre Chigi, Torre Pettini, Torre Cunyanesi, etc. The average height of the towers is 70 m. At the end of the 15th century. a law was passed, according to which the height of buildings should not exceed the tower built near Palazzo Communale.
The towers were built by representatives of wealthy families who wanted to leave their mark on the history of the city. As a result, San Gimignano looked majestic, aristocratic, giving uniqueness to the city.
The towers served another function as well - utilitarian... Fabrics were hung from the windows on the walls of buildings, for the production of which the city was famous in the Middle Ages. It was better to hang long canvases vertically than to occupy the space of city squares.
The whole city is a museum of antiquity, but in the very center of San Gimignano there is a huge number of buildings built by people in the 11-13th centuries, some much earlier. The old center is fenced off from the rest of the streets and quarters of the city by the ruins of the fortress walls, behind which there are wineries, shops, attractions, residential buildings, restaurants, cafes. Monuments are represented by temples, palazzo, galleries, towers and squares, built in the Romanesque and Gothic styles.
The buildings - secular and religious - were built from a special gray stone called travertine. The foundation and most of the walls were made from it, and the top was decorated with brickwork.
City streets
The old part, like the whole city, is entangled in a network of narrow, extremely winding streets that connect city quarters, houses, outbuildings, palazzo.
The emergence of narrow streets in medieval towns the likes of San Gimignano was not a phenomenon. But in this locality the passages between houses and buildings are so narrow that it is impossible for two to walk on them. This layout was caused by the fact that in the area blew strong winds that cause fires. In addition, it was necessary to stop the advance of enemies in the event of the capture of the city.
Fortress and gate ruins
The fortress in San Gimignano appeared a little later than the main buildings. The building was erected in the middle of the 14th century, thanks to the efforts of the Florentines. In form and function, it was a military bastion called San Francesco.
The fort was supposed to protect the Route of the Franks, as well as the surrounding area of Florence. The fortress was built of travestin, like most of buildings in the city. Unfortunately, constant hostilities in the vicinity of Tuscany and Florence negatively affected the condition of the fortress. Now its ruins are overgrown with thick grass and trees, as a result of which the remains of San Francesco look very picturesque over the city.
The original name is Torre del Diavolo or Devil's Tower. It is part of the palace complex of the Palazzo Cortesi and the central square of the city of Cisterna. The tower is located on the northern edge of the square. It was possible to get into the building through a portal, which had a height of two tiers. In the Middle Ages, this portal was at the same time a passage to the Golden Street of Craftsmen.
At the very top of the tower there are holes preserved from wooden beams. The presence of the latter was necessary for the construction of galleries, through which the population moved from one room to another. And it was not necessary to go out at all. One of the windows of the tower is narrow and long, which indicates the defensive function of the Devil's Tower. There is a well at the foot, which was adjacent to the structure.
Location: Piazza Della Cisterna - 6.
It is called Piazza della Cisterna, which appeared in San Gimignano earlier than other piazzas. It has a rather original triangular shape, which distinguishes it from the squares that were built in the Middle Ages.
Along the perimeter, della Cisterna is surrounded by buildings - houses, outbuildings, a palazzo, which has bright features of the Romanesque and Gothic styles. In the center of the square there is a well, which in the Middle Ages was the central place from where the inhabitants received water for drinking.
The northern part of Piazza della Cisterna merges into Piazza Duomo. The Collegiate Church is its jewel and pearl of the city. Previously, the temple bore the status of a cathedral, but due to the small number of inhabitants, the cathedral lost its position.
There are several unique medieval buildings on the square - Palazzo Comunale, Popolo, the Church of Sant'Agostino, the Chapel of Fina. The walls of these buildings are decorated with unique frescoes of the 13-15th centuries.
Or the Municipal Museum, which is located in the halls of two Palazzo - Ficarelli and Gamucci. The premises display a unique exposition representing the reconstruction of the city from the Middle Ages.
The City Museum consists of ten galleries and exhibitions. In the neighboring palazzo, which once belonged to the Propositura family, a museum of religion and religious art was opened. You can get acquainted with the history of the city, its ancient past, while visiting the Archaeological Museum.
This institution is worth mentioning separately. Finding a museum of torture and torture is very easy. An executioner stands at the very walls of the fortress. No one knows this mannequin or a person dressed in the outfit of a medieval club. In several halls of the museum you can see the instruments of torture of the Etruscans and Romans, the medieval torture of the Florentines and Tuscans. The guide must pay attention to the structures that killed many famous people of that time.
Location: Via San Giovanni - 123.
A very interesting and picturesque landmark of the city. The festival has been held in San Gimignano every year since the Middle Ages.
The essence of the holiday is to locals dress up in traditional outfits, and then rush in a noisy crowd through the streets of the city. This is how the time of the harvest is celebrated annually, as well as the beginning of the tournament of equestrian knights and the old tournament - a battle on sticks.
On the last weekend of July, every year, San Gimignano hosts an original action called the Festival of the Arts. Historians could not establish the exact date of the start of the event, but it happened either in 1920 or in 1924. For two days, concerts, performances are held, Italian opera stars perform, films are shown. The festival takes place on the ruins of the Bastion of San Francesco.
Sometimes the building is called the Podesta or the People's Palace, which from the 13th century. performs the functions of the city hall. All meetings of the city municipality were held here. Next to the palazzo is the collegiate church of Santa Maria Assunta.
Both buildings are located in the central square of the city. The palazzo, like the church, is recognized as the oldest buildings in the city, around which the rest of San Gimignano developed.
The palace is decorated with unique frescoes by masters of the art schools of Tuscany, Siena, Florence. The palazzo now houses a museum and an art gallery.
This is the Catholic Collegiate Church of San Gimignano. Sometimes the temple is called the College di Santa Maria Assuanta. Construction, most likely, began in the middle of the 11th century. Consecration in honor of Saint Geminian took place in November 1148.
The interior painting of the walls of the temple was carried out by such masters of medieval architecture as L. Memmi, B. di Fredi and others. The Lesser Basilica, like the rest of the buildings in the old part of the city, is under the protection of UNESCO. The importance of the temple increased in the 12th century, turning into a cathedral. This was due to the fact that the famous Route of the Franks, the path of pilgrims to Rome, passed through the city.
This is the pilgrimage route that led to Rome via San Gimignano and neighboring cities... The Franks' road was considered the second most popular among the pilgrimage routes to Rome.
On the way, the British and French went to the Italian capital, and the Italians moved to northern part Europe, where the city of Canterbury was located. Now local historians can show the thickets where this great pilgrimage route once ran, information about which began to appear in sources in the 9th century.
The Collegiate Church of San Gimignano is better known as the Church of the College. She is on Cathedral Square and is one of the most significant sights of the old picturesque town. In fact, the College is a former cathedral church. There is no longer a bishop in San Gimignano, so there can be no cathedral either.
The building that has survived to this day was built in the XI century, in the XIII century it was reconstructed and a wide front staircase... The last significant reconstruction of the church dates back to the second half of the 15th century. Then the premises were significantly expanded and additional chapels were acquired (designed by Giuliano da Maiano).
The facade of the church is made in austere Romanesque style with two portals and three windows. The jewel of the Colleges, and indeed of the entire region, is a collection of the most valuable frescoes, divided into narrative cycles. They adorn the entire inner surface of the walls of the church.
The collection includes "The Last Judgment" by Maddeo di Bartolo (1393), "The Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian" by Benozzo Gozzolo (1465), a cycle on the subjects of the Old Testament by Bartolo di Fredi (1367), a cycle of frescoes with scenes from the New Testament by the brothers Pippo and Federico Memmi (early 14th century), etc. There are sculptural images famous medieval artists.
Due to the abundance of valuable works of art the entrance to it is paid, about 3.5 euros.
Palazzo del Popolo with art gallery
Since 1990, the miniature town of the Italian province of San Gimignano has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Even in the turbulent 21st century, he managed to preserve the medieval flavor, slowness and picturesqueness, for which tourists from all over the world now travel.
In ancient times, San Gimignano was an ordinary village of the Etruscans and lived a quiet, unremarkable life until the division of the town between two influential families began. At the same time, approximately in the 12-13th centuries, the towers were built, which today are the symbol of the city and give it an extraordinary flavor.
In addition to the towers, San Gimignano has plenty of attractions. For example, these are luxurious palaces, including the Palazzo del Popolo, which was built in 1288-1323. It is certainly interesting as an architectural object. But there is another highlight here: an art gallery with a collection of works by Filippino Lippi, Pinturicchio, Benozzo Gozzoli and other masters of the Florentine Quattrocento.
What sights of San Gimignano do you like? There are icons next to the photo, by clicking on which you can rate this or that place.
Church of Sant'Agostino
The ancient 13th century church is located far from the lively center of miniature San Gimignani.
It is good in itself - a leisurely walk around Sant'Agostino will fully let you feel the frozen, but living spirit of the Middle Ages. If you look inside, you can enjoy rare, if not unique, preserved 15th century frescoes by Gozzoli.
The history of their appearance is as follows: in 1464 a plague came to the city, the inhabitants prayed to their patrons for its end. When the disease receded, Benozzo Gozzoli was hired to paint paintings in the church expressing gratitude to the patron saints. The city liked the artist's result and was asked to decorate Sant'Agostino with scenes from the life of Saint Augustine. They can be seen on the wall behind the main altar.
The main architectural landmark of the town of San Gimignano. These are fifteen medieval towers, built by the most noble Tuscan families in the XI-XIII centuries. In this way, the rich wanted to demonstrate their significant social position.
According to various estimates, from 70 to 76 "medieval skyscrapers" (as the towers are now called) were built in San Gimignamo, but only a few have survived to this day. These include the House of Cunanezi, the House of Pesciolini, and the Palazzo Francesi Ceccarelli with an asymmetrical façade built to circumvent building restrictions imposed in 1255. The height of the individual towers is 50 meters.
Now San Gimignano and its towers are included in the list of the world cultural heritage and are under the protection of UNESCO.
The most popular sights of San Gimignano with descriptions and photos for every taste. Choose best places for visiting famous places San Gimignano on our website.
San Gimignano from A to Z: map, hotels, attractions, restaurants, entertainment. Shopping, shops. Photos, videos and reviews about San Gimignano.
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Imagine medieval Manhattan - 14 mighty towers scraping the sky like shiny high-rise buildings historic center New York. Something like this looks like San Gimignano - a miniature town that is equally easy to reach from Florence and Siena. Unique architecture, fantastic landscapes, which, it would seem, could be born only in the imagination of a designer and "photoshop", and only 7 thousand people, make this city one of the most picturesque and visited by tourists in all of Tuscany.
In ancient times, San Gimignano was an ordinary village of the Etruscans and had a completely different name, until, wishing to save the city from the barbarians, the Bishop of Modena gave it its current name and new owners. This was the beginning of the fascinating history of the city, which for a long time could not be divided between two influential families. Around the same time, in the 12-13th centuries, the towers were built, giving the present appearance of San Gimignano an amazing flavor.
Since 1990, San Gimignano has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Information Office
The information office is located in Piazza del Duomo. Opening hours: March-October 9: 00-13: 00 and 15: 00-19: 00, November-February 9: 00-12: 00 and 14: 00-18: 00. You can find here free maps, book a hotel room, buy bus tickets, as well as audio guides along the city streets for 5 EUR. In addition, the office organizes walking tours which start from March to October every Sunday at 15:00 in English and Italian for 15 EUR.
There is also a market on Piazza del Duomo every Thursday, where you can buy fresh vegetables and fruits, cheeses and meats, homemade wine and liqueurs.
Prices on the page are for September 2018.
How to get there
The city's bus station (Piazzale dei Martiri di Montemaggio) is located outside the city walls (Porta San Giovanni), from there you will have to walk 5-10 minutes to the center of San Gimignano. There is also one of the large parking lots (2 EUR per hour). Buses arrive at the station from Florence (7-11 EUR, 2 hours, 12 departures per day) and Siena (7-10 EUR, 1 hour 5 minutes, 10 departures). In addition, several buses run daily to Poggibonsi. The return flight schedule and cost can always be checked at the information office. Volterra can only be reached with a change in Colle di Val d'Elsa and, possibly, also in Poggibonsi (6-9 EUR, 2 hours 22 minutes, 4 departures per day except Sunday).
Some hotels offer their guests free transfer from parking and bus station.
There is also free parking in San Gimignano, but it is located quite far from the center - on the northern outskirts, in the so-called new area.
You need to move around the city itself exclusively on foot. Only to the bus station and parking lot, some lazy individuals can use either the hotel's transfer, or, if they have not booked a night in San Gimignano, the electric shuttle bus that runs throughout the day from Porta San Giovanni to Piazza della Cisterna and on to Porta San Matteo. The fare is about 2 EUR, a ticket can be bought at a tobacco kiosk, on the way back - at the information office.
Search for flights to Florence (closest airport to San Gimignano)
Shops and restaurants
Along the main street of the city, there are many cafes and restaurants, where you can taste amazing Italian cuisine from the freshest, selected products grown literally outside the city walls. There are no less shops and souvenir shops here. Tourists traditionally buy magnets and plates with images of Tuscan pastorals and meadows, but you should be smarter and ask the price for all kinds of wines, liqueurs and limoncello. All of them in San Gimignano are distinguished by their amazing quality, taste and wide choice.
Guides in San Gimignano
Popular hotels in San Gimignano
Entertainment and attractions San Gimignano
Apart from the majestic towers (out of 72, only 15 have survived), San Gimignano is also interesting for its luxurious palaces- Palazzo Nuovo del Podesta and Palazzo del Popolo. The latter was built in 1288-1323 and today attracts attention not only for its architecture, but also art gallery with a collection of works by Filippino Lippi, Pinturicchio, Benozzo Gozzoli and other masters of the Florentine Quattrocento. Remarkable and Cathedral(1148) and the Church of St. Agostino with unique frescoes by Gozzoli (1298).
The city's museums deserve special mention. For example, the Municipal Museum, which is located in the former halls of the Gamucci and Ficarelli palaces. All 10 exhibition galleries are worth exploring here, with a focus on the imposing reconstruction model of the city depicting San Gimignano during the Middle Ages.
San Gimignano
Another museum that has not been missed by any curious face of a schoolchild is the Museum of Torture and Torture. Located at the very entrance to the city, literally right behind the fortress walls, it draws attention to its collection of the figure of the executioner standing on the street at the door (no one dares to check whether he is real).
At the end of June, there are more tourists in the city, and all because of the Harvest Festival held here, which has been celebrated every year for a long time. These days, crowds of townspeople in traditional clothes rush through the narrow streets to the Piazza della Сisterna to watch the tournament of the equestrian knights. In addition, the Giostra dei Bastoni (stick fighting) tournament is organized here every year.
When I came across on the net a similar picture of a fantastic city on a hill, bristling with its towers in the Tuscan sky, I immediately decided that I must definitely go there. San Gimignano was supposed to be the highlight of the entire trip. After all, this is the last of the cities of Tuscany, where many medieval towers have survived in their original form... And, as is often the case, too high expectations ultimately led to some disappointment.
I will not delay with the answer. The main jamb came out with planning. I should have thrown out of the route that day Pisa, in which I had already been, and instead spend the night in San Gimignano. Yes, the town is very tiny, it can be easily managed in two hours. But we must not forget that San Gimignano is not only the notorious towers, but also several wonderful museums and churches. In general, because of this stupid haste, I really did not have time to see anything from the planned cultural program... And the most offensive thing is that there was not enough time to get out to the neighboring hills to enjoy the view of this fantastic city from the side, and ideally meet the sunset with such a stunning picture. I even had to go for forgery, and, I confess, the title photo was borrowed by me from the Internet. I was not destined to contemplate such a beautiful view, this, I think, is my main failure.
In addition to my oversight, San Gimignano also has an objective disadvantage. It is extremely touristy in the worst sense of this epithet. Crowds of tourists, on the main streets and squares literally form traffic jams, at every step all these magnets and other souvenir crap, we were still "lucky" to get to the Sunday market, so normally the main squares were also not able to be seen and filmed. Of course, all these problems would be partly solved if I had arranged a bed here, nevertheless in the evening I think most of the same two or three hour rate of fire, like me, have resolved. But, as the brave soldier Schweik correctly remarked: "If only there were beans in the mouth."
And the last thing that influenced my perception of San Gimignano was the "Siena factor". According to my past reports, you already understood that I was delighted with this city, and I must say that on that day I somehow burned out mentally. I have not experienced such strong emotions as in Siena, in San Gimignano, after all, an overdose of impressions and beauty is one of the main dangers awaiting a traveler in Italy.
That's it, I said it out, now a couple of words about the technical details of the trip. First, how to get to San Gimignano from.
There are several options:
1. Bus 130, in Siena, departs from Piazza Gramsci, it is about half way from Campo and the train station.
2. Bus 131O from Siena with a change in Poggibonsi to bus 130.
3. By train from Siena to Poggibonsi with a change in Poggibonsi on bus 130.
The bus schedule can be found on the website:
http://www.busfox.com/timetable/
I again made a mistake and chose option 3, but it makes little sense, ideally - to match to a direct bus, i.e. option 1.
Secondly, tourist map attractions of San Gimignano. Click to download the full size of the map.
Well, it's time to go for a walk in San Gimignano. Buses unload tourists right at the gates of San Giovanni, impressive for such a small town.
All the houses on this street are occupied to serve our simple tourist needs. In general, it is impossible to see normal local life here.
Church of San Francesco, early 13th century, not bad.
It is necessary to write a few routine phrases about the main local attraction - the towers. Better mr Muratov, it is difficult to say something here, so let's turn to the authorities for a quote.
The towers are the pride and glory of San Gimignano. They make it a historical miracle, a dream come true about the Guelphs and Ghibellines, about Dante, about the pious Siena "frescanti". In the XIV century they were built by a tiny urban republic, were built by local noble families. They still keep the old names, even now one of them is called the tower of Salvucci and the other, after the name of the implacable enemies of this surname, the tower of Ardingelli. In the same towers there were once and. There time and new needs of life destroyed them. They were preserved only by this small town, bypassed by the benefits and temptations of culture. He guarded these useless and strange structures, as if the best property.
In the Middle Ages, there were more than 70 towers in small San Gimignano! Now only 14 of them have survived, but even this modest number makes San Gimignano unique.
Yes, yes, there are souvenir shops at every step, you can't get away from this. And, there are definitely more of them here than these very towers.
In the background is Torre Grossa, San Gimignano's tallest tower.
The Quercecchio church is from the 16th century and now houses the Museum of Ornithology. I am extremely interested, does anyone go to such museums in Italy?
The location near San Gimignano is fantastic, the city occupies the top of a three hundred meter hill. Therefore, there are constantly observation platforms on the surrounding valley. For example, here is a view from the Rocco di Montestaffoli fortress, which protects the western part of the city.
The fortress houses the San Gimignano Wine Museum.
Only ruins remained from the fortress itself; a small park was laid out in its place.
Have you seen gophers? And they are!
The main church of San Gimignano is Santa Maria Assunta. It would be wrong to name it Duomo; of course, there was no bishop in such a tiny town, it is a collegiate church. I wondered what kind of status the church had, and I got into the wiki.
The Collegiate Church for Catholics is a church community inhabited and ruled by secular canons. Such a community should not be confused with a community of a monastic order, and a canons' dormitory with a monastery. Collegiate secular canons live and serve God (including singing) together. Unlike monks, they own private property (including real estate), receive rent from the income of their church (manage church property together), do not bring solemn vows (except for celibacy for canons ordained to subdeacons) and are free to leave the community at any time.
Those who watched "Tea with Mussolini", I think, immediately recognized that this is the same church, the frescoes of which were covered with sandbags to save them from the bombing.
As luck would have it, the entire area near the church was filled with the local Cherkizon. It was not possible to see it clearly, besides, I was not allowed inside yet. Now, this was already a real drama. There is a huge number of masterpieces inside, it was very disappointing to miss all this.
https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collegiata_di_Santa_Maria_Assunta_(San_Gimignano)
In general, as I said, it did not work out for me with San Gimignano. In addition to everything else, I really wanted to have lunch, but I realized that then I would not be able to do anything at all. My friend said that he didn’t care, dinner was sacred and sat down in a cafe. And I went on to wander alone, to wander to put it mildly, it looked more like a jog.
I decided to turn a little from the crowded main streets and, as usual, just a couple of steps from the central square of San Gimignano, was pleasantly deserted.
Mario, let's join the Communist Party!
The Church of Sant'Agostino is another mastsi in San Gimignano. Behind the simple appearance, there is a cycle of beautiful Gozzoli frescoes dedicated to the life of St. Augustine. I was not at all surprised and almost not upset when I stumbled upon the locked doors. You can look at the frescoes with interesting comments from Mr. Sibister, praise and honor to him:
http://sibeaster.livejournal.com/143887.html
For some reason, tourists do not have enough strength to walk an extra three hundred meters to the very northern edge of San Gimignano, so the square near Sant'Agostino is completely deserted.
Church of San Pietro in Forliano. Also some amazingly ancient, 13th century, it seems, and, not surprisingly, locked with a key.
Former convent of Santa Chiara.
But the day today was clearly not mine, I found myself walking in the direction where the sun was shining, it was unrealistic to take pictures of the towers against the background of the bright Tuscan sky. Here is the best thing I managed to photograph. In addition, on the way, I realized that while I was walking to the nearest mountain, our bus would leave safely, therefore, having a lot of sleep, I decided to go back.
But I got to the medieval fountain, where the whole city was taking water and / or doing laundry, because of course, there was no river in San Gimignano, the rivers uphill somehow do not really want to flow.
The fountain was pleasantly cool and peaceful. There were no people at all. I came to my senses a little and calmed down. So, I haven’t done everything yet. At the very least, I can go to the Palazzo Communale and climb the Torre Grosse.
Through Porta delle Fonti I returned back to San Gimignano.
Height and views, views everywhere!
There is almost no greenery on the central streets of close San Gimignano, so locals set up makeshift gardens right on their balconies.
Or in some alleyways.
Another one observation deck facing south.
I'm back on central square San Gimignano. The damned market began to wind down at last, but still it was impossible to rent the square.
Piazza della Cisterna. In the Middle Ages, under the square there was indeed a cistern with water supplies. As I understand it, now only a well in the center of the square is left of it.
So, I still managed to get into at least one museum of San Gimignano. It turned out to be the Palazzo Communale. Here is his patio. The museum has a small but decent collection of paintings; a number of rooms are decorated with frescoes. Which is nice, because the building is secular, then many frescoes are of a non-religious nature and from them you can find out how people lived in this city in the 14-15 centuries.
What impressed me most was the bedroom inside this palace. I, of course, to the best of my ability, to understand what's what and all that. But I will not say that I have made great progress in this. But I always take great pleasure in studying frescoes and paintings from the point of view of the plot. It is not necessary to be a great specialist here. And in this regard, a pleasant surprise awaited me at Palazzo Communale. More precisely, it was not a surprise, since I was preparing for the trip. But considering the failures at the beginning of the walk, I was already ready that I could confuse something, and, say, the frescoes are in another building, or they will be under restoration or something like that.
But no, everything was in place. So, the promised medieval porn. It is striking that the owner of the palace decided to decorate his bedroom with images of the advantages of a married life over a riotous bachelor. Or maybe the customer was the wife of a local baron? To discourage her husband from going to prostitutes, I ordered such a nice gift for my hubby.
Let's take a look at what is shown here. On the right, the parents accompany the young man into adulthood. His mother hands him a huge wallet with money. In the center it is shown with what benefit the dude decided to spend parental funds. Of course, the first thing he did was go to the brothel. The prostitute's hand reaches into the boy's underpants ... But no, it was she who climbed for the wallet, it turns out. And on the left you can already see how the whores, taking away the wallet, drive the poor fellow away, and even beat him on the path with sticks.
I did not fully understand the lower images. On the left is some kind of BSDM with a whip and other domination, and on the right is a positive example with a book. Apparently, the dude still took up his mind.
UPD The solution turned out to be even more shocking, thanks to M. for the tip. It was Aristotle who was saddled and flogged, and a Macedonian voyeur was spying on this show!
According to popular medieval legend, the outstanding philosopher of antiquity Aristotle inspired his student, Alexander the Great, with the idea of the perniciousness of his relationship with the courtesan Phyllida. Upon learning of this, Phyllida decided to take revenge, charming Aristotle himself, and when he fell unconsciously in love with her, she saddled the philosopher on horseback and lashed with a whip, having previously informed Alexander that he could secretly observe this scene (he is depicted on the left with his wife).
Another plot of the lower case still has no unambiguous interpretation. According to one version, it depicts a scene from the cycle of legends about King Arthur: the Lady of Lake Viviana seduces the wizard Merlin in order to master his magic and imprison him in an ice palace. According to another version, this is a plot from Dante's Divine Comedy (Inferno, Chapter V), according to which Paolo and Francesca read the story of Lancelot and Ginevra together, which led them to a love relationship, and eventually caused death by the hand of Francesca's deceived husband ...
Precisely, the young man nevertheless returned to the path of virtue and decided to marry. It looks like a matchmaking scene.
And, behold, they are the joys of a married life. You can wash yourself with your beloved in a big tub. It looks like the bathroom is cool, so the newlyweds do not take off their hats when they wash together. Let's face it, the artist (Memmo di Filipuccio, I hear it for the first time) was not good at depicting boobs. Or maybe the customer's wife asked me not to be too zealous here, you never know.
And, finally, the happy ending of the story, the newlyweds (without taking off their hats, which is typical) fit into their marriage bed. Quite modern design of a blanket is interesting, it is in a check and now you can see some at IKEA.
So what do you think? I really wanted to get married after such a creativity.
To see all the brides in San Gimignano at once, I climbed the Torre Grossa.
Unfortunately, I did not find brides, but I looked at Cistern Square from above.
This was a bit of a chaotic trip to the city of my dreams. But, hopefully, despite my haste, you got an idea of this unique place.
As for the answer to the question from the title of the story, it is difficult for me to unambiguously decide. Still, I had too little time and many subjective reasons why not everything went smoothly with the city. Perhaps you can say so and so. Indeed, crowds of tourists on such a small area of the city destroy the atmosphere of this place, on the other hand, the famous towers do not disappear from the number of people, and you will still see them and be amazed just like me.
San Gimignano- bears a nickname la citta delle Belle Torri, "The city of beautiful towers". Of the 72 medieval towers that symbolized the power and wealth of the noble families living here, only 14 survived, but this is enough for the city to be called “Tuscan Manhattan”. This is why San Gimignano attracts many tourists, especially during the summer months.
San Gimignano is located 56 km south of.
"Transfer point"
For a long time, the pilgrims who walked from the north to Rome along the path of Francigena preferred to stay overnight in a small village. San Gimignano... There was everything necessary for the weary travelers - both the courtyards and the exchange shops. Medieval "tourist business" brought considerable income, and soon San Gimignano was decorated with the first towers. but in the middle of the XIV century Golden time ended: the route of the pilgrims changed, who now walked along the calm banks of the Elsa River, instead of climbing steep hills.
On the new path, the pilgrims chose the city of Poggibonsi for the night, and the abandoned San Gimignano remained at the top of the hill, clinging to the clouds with its many towers.
The history of San Gimignano
San Gimignano was founded by the Etruscans in the 3rd century BC. It received its current name in the X century, in honor of the Bishop of Modena, St. Geminiana, who, according to legend, saved the city from Attila. The city became a commune in 1199 and often fought with neighboring Volterra. The next two centuries were darkened by the enmity between the Ardinelli (Guelphs) and Salvucci (Ghibellines) families, which sometimes led to bloody clashes. Most of the city's towers were built at that time, and in the 13th century one of the city's rulers forbade the construction of towers higher than his own (51 m).
In 1348, San Gimignano suffered greatly from the plague, the city commune weakened, and as a result the city went to (1353).
Tourist Office San Gimignano
- Piazza del Duomo, 1
- 0577 94 00 08
- daily 09.00–13.00, 15.00–19.00 (winter until 18.00)
Attractions San Gimignano
There are not so many attractions in San Gimignano: everything is located within the old town, which on average is about 1 km in diameter.
Tourist route in San Gimignano
Porta san giovanni
Main city the gate of San Giovanni (1)(Porta san giovanni) were built in 1262. From them to piazza del Duomo (piazza del Duomo) leads via San Giovanni(via San Giovanni).
Porta san matteo
Via San Matteo (via San Matteo) comes from piazza del Duomoto northern gate of San Mateo (2) (Porta san matteo, XIII century).
Piazza della Cisterna
The center of the city is considered to be a triangular piazza della Cisterna(Piazza della Cisterna), in the center of which there is a tank for drinking water(XIII century). The square is surrounded by houses and towers of the XIII-XIV centuries.
Collegiata di Santa Maria Assunta
TO piazza della Cisterna adjacent piazza del Duomo, on which there is a Romanesque Church of Santa Maria Assunta (3) (Collegiata di Santa Maria Assunta).
The church has a harsh and simple façade (13th century), however, the interior of Santa Maria Assunta is famous for its wonderful frescoes, which almost completely cover the walls of the temple. on the left wall from the entrance there are scenes from the Old Testament (Bartolo di Fredi, 1367), on the right wall - from the New (Barn da Siena, 1381).
On the western wall, the artist of the Sienese school, Taddeo di Bartolo, depicted a scene of the Last Judgment (1393). Santa Fina Chapel(Capella di S. Fina) are decorated with frescoes by domeniko Ghirlandaio.
- Santa Maria Assunta
- Apr – Oct Mon – Fri 09.30–19.30, Sat 09.30–17.00, Sun 13.00–17.00,
- Nov-March Mon-Sat 09.30-17.00, Sun 13.00-17.00
Palazzo del Podestа and Torre della Rognosa
Opposite the church costs palazzo del podesta(Palazzo del Podesta, XIII century) c tower of Rognoza(Torre della Rognosa, 51 m). The name of the tower comes from the Italian word rogna, which is translated as "problems", in particular "problems with the law" - for a long time there was a city prison here.
Palazzo del Popolo
Palazzo del Popolo (4) (Palazzo del Popolo) is located to the left of Santa Maria Assunta. In 1299, here, in the Council Hall ( Sala del Consiglio), Dante Alighieri appealed to the local people, calling for support for the Guelph party. The hall is decorated with the fresco "Maesta" (the traditional image of the Madonna on the throne) by Lippo Memmi (XIV century).
- Palazzo del Popolo
- Piazza del Duomo, 1
- daily March – Oct. 09.30-19.30 Nov-Feb 10.30-17.30
Musei Civico and Torre Grossa
From the inner courtyard of the building you can climb the stairs to City Museum (5) (Musei Civico), which contains paintings of the Sienese and Florentine schools of the XII-XV centuries, as well as on tower of Gross(Torre Grossa, 54 m, XIV century) - the tallest of the towers of San Gimignano, offering a wonderful view of the city and the surrounding area.
Fortress of Montestaffoli
If you walk a little in the westerly direction from piazza del Duomo impressive ruins can be seen the fortress of Montestaffoli (6) (Rocca di Montestaffoli, 1358), where concerts and exhibitions are held in summer.
Church of Sant'Agostino
Church of Sant'Agostino (7) (Chiesa di S. Agostino, XIII century) is located in the north of the historical center of the city. Inside you can see a cycle of frescoes by Florentine Benozzo Gozzoli on themes from the life of St. Augustine (1467).
- Sant'Agostino
- Piazza Sant'Agostino
- daily summer 07.00-12.00, 15.00-19.00, winter 07.00-12.00, 15.00-18.00
Devil's Tower and Torture Museum
V Devil's tower(Torre del Diavolo) on via del Castello is located Torture Museum (8) (Musei della Tortura), where the torture instruments of the times of the Inquisition are exhibited with detailed comments, including in English.
- Torture museum
- Via del Castello, 13
- daily July – September 10.00–24.00, Oct. – June 10.00–19.00
