"San Gimignano
From  whatever direction you arrive, the sight of San Gimignano's profile reared high against the sky is breathtaking. And the enchentment grows stronger as you the Medioeval gates to find a city of such incredibly well-conserbved architecture that a stroll throut its streets seems a voyage back to the time of knights in armor and sea-faring spice merchants. From the height to the top of the Torre Grossa, the gaze sweeps over a vast landscape, one of the most beautifull to be found in Italy or, as, E.M.Forster English writer put it in 1904, over the " view of half of Tuscany steeped in sunlight" .

History ...
San Gimignano, a town with approximately 7,000 inhabitants that rises 334m above sea level, is surely one of the most interesting and charming towns of Tuscany. A town of Etruscan-Roman origins, San Gimignano gained importance in the Middle Ages mostly owing to the fact that it was crossed by the Frankisch Road, the renowed thoroughfare that connected Rome to the most important towns of Europe. Those who travelled this road could stop in San Gimignano to rest in one of its taverns, inns and assistance centres for pilgrims and as a result the town axperienced the developement of a lively commercial activity that brought richness to many families. To make a show of their richness, it was then that the familiese started to build the famous towers ( out of 72 built, at the present only 15 ere still intact ) but none could have been taller than the " Rognosa ", the tower of the Podestà; the Ardinghelli family built two twin towers ( if we imagine them one on top of the other, they are far taller than the " Rognosa " to show that their power exceeded the power of the Podestà. Always owing to the Frankish Road, the townspeople of San Gimignano exported saffron , produced here in great quantities, mostly to Pisa, Lucca, Genoa, France and the Flanders; other sources of richness were wool and pottery, and naturally Vernaccia wine and olive oil. After the fights between Guelphs and Ghibellines, starting from 1353, San Gimignano was totally under Florentine rule. In 1478 the plague caused the economic collapse of the town, and a gradual recovery was only possible under Medicean rule.

San Gimignano is also famous for its artistic heritage. Works bydi Benozzo Gozzoli, Domenico Ghirlandaio, Filippino Lippi, Giuliano e Benedetto da Maiano, Jjacopo della Quercia, Lippo Memmi, Pinturicchio, Taddeo di Bartolo and others are in fact kept here. Modern art, too, is well represented in the historical centre. To enjoy a charming view of the medieval village and the surrounding countryside, it is sufficient to climb the only standing tower of the pentagonal fourtheenth-century Rocca ( stronghold ), demolished in 1555 by Medicean troops. Like the town, the prestigious Vernaccia wine of San Gimignano has a rich and fascinating history. It seems that the first shoots of Vernaccia reached San Gimignano around 1276 from Greece or Liguria.