Guide to San Gimignano

"Known as the 'City of the Beautiful Towers', San Gimignano is one of Italy's most awe-inspiring hill towns. Its tangle of Medieval alleyways and winding backstreets are a joy to explore and the views from the steadfast 13th-century sentry towers are nothing short of breathtaking."

Almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, San Gimignano is one of Tuscany's best-preserved Medieval towns. Surrounded by flame-shaped cypress trees and poppy-filled meadows, San Gimignano exudes an almost fairytale-like character, compounded not least by the thirteen 13th-century lookout towers that punctuate its skyline. Built to serve as both fortresses and symbols of aristocratic wealth, these tall, windowless towers have come to symbolise the town – so much so, in fact, that it has been affectionately dubbed. Climb to the top of the soaring Torre Grossa and gaze out across the idyllic Tuscan hills and stroll through the quaint cobblestone streets to the 12th-century Collegiata. Its plain and rather unassuming facade belies its magnificent interior. One of the most frescoed churches in all Italy, the colonnaded central aisle is decorated in striking blue and white stripes, its indigo-hued vaulted ceilings are awash with gold stars. Vivid fresco cycles depicting Biblical tales adorn the walls – of particular note are the 26 split level episodes from the Old Testament which include the creation of Adam and Eve and Noah's Ark.

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