Italian Trip Diary - Day #9 - San Gimignano

Thursday, June 21, 2001, Day Trip to San Gimignano:

Thursday we retrieved the car and drove to San Gimignano, the “Manhattan of the Middle Ages”, about an hour’s drive from Siena.  As we approached from the east, the 13 towers of the town rose on the hilltop -- a mini-Manhattan skyline.  

Towers of San Gimignano, the 'Manhattan of the Middle Ages'.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

There are several stories as to why these towers were built – one that they were built by noble families for prestige and that the bigger and higher the tower the more important the family, another that they were built for protection and that foot bridges connected the towers of allied families so that allies could gather in one house when enemies threatened; and yet another that the hollow towers were used to hang cloth dyed a special shade of yellow to dry and as the trade in this cloth grew they needed more and higher towers to meet the demand.

Manhattan-style street fair in San Gimignano.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

In any event, we arrived in the town to find that a street fair (no doubt the same tacky one that had been in front of our hotel in Siena the previous day) had been set up in both principal squares.  It’s kind of like being in Manhattan on weekends in spring and summer when you never know where the street fair or block festival will turn up next – always with the same T-shirt vendors and greasy food stands (maybe New Yorkers got the idea from their Italian ancestors).

Collegiate Church of Santa Maria Assunta, San Gimignano.  This church was consecrated in 1148 and contains the relics of Saint Germinianus (San Gimignano).  Photo by Blomme-McClure

We visited the church which has famous frescoes – a cycle on the old testament in the north aisle and one on the life of Christ in the south aisle.  

'Crucifixion of Christ' probably by Lippo Memmi, tempura on plaster, circa 1335-1345.
'Slaughter of the Innocents' in the lunette above.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

'Virgin Enthroned with Saints', tempura on plaster.  Some of the frescoes are in fragile condition.
Photo by Blomme-McClure

'Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian' by Benozzo Gozzoli, tempura on plaster, 1465.
Photo by Blomme-McClure 

These fresco cycles were the comic books of their day, telling the stories panel-by-panel for a generally illiterate populace.  Most of these are in particularly good shape.  The church and the town have been used in movies – “Tea with Mussolini”, “The English Patient”, etc. which makes the visit eerily familiar, but still enchanting.

Well in the center of Piazza della Cisterna, San Gimignano.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

While we were having lunch in the square with the well in the center (Piazza della Cisterna), the street fair was closing up its booths and tents and packing away the merchandise into their trucks. 

Sidewalk cafe on the Piazza della Cisterna (square of the well).  Photo by Blomme-McClure

After lunch, we went to the museum which includes a visit to the top of the highest tower in town.  Except for the last story, the stairs are modern – quite broad and steady.  The last story, however, is an almost vertical ladder that comes up under a steel grate – great!  It is tricky, but we all made it up to the viewing platform.  There are incredible views down into the town and out to the green and gold hills covered with vineyards and olive groves and dotted with monasteries and villas. 

View of the San Gimignano from Torre Grosso (highest tower).  Photo by Blomme-McClure

We could see the street sweepers in the two main squares cleaning up the last debris from the street fairs.

View of piazza from Torre Grosso.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

By the time we returned to the ground, the town was subsiding into a calm, unhurried pace.  We visited the “Torture” museum (quite disappointing) and then stopped on the square for granites before walking back through the twisting streets and under the gate in the walls to the car.

Steep, narrow streets beneath three of the 13 towers.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

Arches over the streets and on buildings.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

Tower rises at end of street with just motorbikes for transportation.
Photo by Blomme-McClure

Flowers on a terrace with a tower rising above.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

We took a different route back to Siena which took us up and down several valleys and by lots of vineyards and villas.  It was a lovely day with puffy white clouds dappling the countryside in light and shadow and several points on the road where we could look back at the San Gimignano “skyline”.

Returning to Siena, we got quite lost trying to find the hotel, ending up driving down a very narrow primarily pedestrian street which finally emerged into the square near our hotel.  We never did figure out how to navigate Siena by car, but we did appreciate the fact that most of the major streets in the center of town were reserved just for walking.

That evening, we decided to return to Antica Osteria da Divo for our final meal in Siena.  They were just inaugurating the new summer menu and while the food was delicious, it didn’t quite live up to the meal we had there two nights earlier.  On our way back to the hotel the passagietta was in full swing – lots of Italians of all ages out on the streets enjoying the balmy evening, strolling, gossiping, sipping coffee, window shopping.  It was a lovely way to end our stay in Siena.