Gimi, Gimi, Gimi - The Medieval Manhattan

San Gimignano is the quintessential Tuscan hill town. It is also well on the tourist trail – but for very good reasons! In fact I would say there are four very good reasons for taking a day trip out to San Gimignano if you should find yourself in Tuscany.

1) Its state of preservation. Sad to say, but poverty protects. San Gimignano had a flourishing of great wealth in the 13th and 14th century due to its position on the Via Francigena trade route north from Rome through Tuscany. Added to this it had two notable exports of its own – the spice saffron, so important to the town that the medieval council used it to pay off their debts, and the local white vernaccia wine beloved of popes, potentates and painters (one pope complained that the townsfolk spent too much time on art and culture when they really should be concentrating on producing vernaccia; the Medici of Florence were so keen on the wine that they demanded a liquid tribute from the town for all important functions; Michelangelo wrote impassionedly about the quality of his favourite tipple). This wealth was spent on the art and culture the papacy so resented. San Gimignano was also fiercely courted in the medieval struggles between Florence and Siena, papacy and aristocracy, and Guelphs and Ghibellines (Dante Alligheri arrived on a diplomatic mission in 1300 hoping to win the townsfolk across to the Guelph faction). However, when the Black Death ravaged Europe in the mid-14th century it hit the town particularly hard. Short of menfolk, its economy in ruins, it was annexed by the Florentine state (who built the Rocca), but thereafter languished as a rural backwater. With no inward investment the medieval walls, houses and towers were reused by generation after generation rather than being flattened and built over with more modern construction.

2) Its local history. Great wealth brought several powerful families to the fore. Intense rivalry between them developed. This rivalry manifested itself in the proliferation of fortified towers that sprouted up in this tiny city. Why were these towers constructed? Presumably they were partially defensive, but frankly the whole thing was a semi-comic Freudian attempt to prove ones wealth and status by owning the tallest tower – a "My tower’s bigger than your tower" mentality. Finally the civic authorities realised that this whole thing was getting out of hand, and decreed that no tower could be taller than that attached to the town hall, the so-called Torre Grossa, which topped off at 54m when completed in 1311. At one point there were around 75 towers sticking up out of this small village (where did they put them all?), though now we are down to nearer a dozen. Generally they tend towards being plain, windowless and unadorned – more World Trade Centre than Chrysler Building (notably New York also saw a spate of builders attempting to out-do each other with the height of their sky-scrapers in the early 20th century).. Still, these unmistakable and quite remarkable towers provide San Gimignano’s USP, and provide a reason to make a trip here rather than another hill town.

3) Its UNESCO World Heritage Site status. For good or ill, UNESCO has designated the town a World Heritage Site. This means that if, like me, you have a studious competitiveness in trying to visit (‘tick off’) as many of these sites as possible, then it is inevitable that you will endeavour to arrange a trip out to San Gimignano (and Pienza south of Siena, which is also a World Heritage Site) rather than other no doubt equally picturesque hill towns if you fancy a journey away from the cities.

4) Its ease of access. San Gimignano is on the tourist trail, and organised tours visit frequently. But it is also easy to visit independently by public transport. It is almost equidistant from both Florence and Siena, and is well within day-trip distance. I visited from the (slightly nearer) Siena. Every guidebook I have read states that from either town you will need to catch a bus or train to the town of Poggibonsi then change to one of the frequent local buses there (the central bus stop is right outside the train station). This is nonsense. I hardly went in peak season (March), and yet I found there were buses running hourly from Siena’s Piazza Gramsci bus station direct to San Gimignano. A return ticket was €10.40, and each way takes around 70 minutes. You are deposited right outside the main Porta San Giovanni; for the return head across to the bus stop over on the right hand side on the piazzale once you emerge from the Porta.

As the bus to San Gimignano winds up the hill side you are presented with your first glimpse of the town’s famous towers poking above the trees in a suitably epic manner. The bus drops you right outside the Porta San Giovanni, the best-preserved gate to the city.

From here follow the crowds of tourists through the gate and up the Via San Giovanni. Shops to either side sell local cheses, meats and wines alongside more obvious tourist fare such as postcards and calendars. This street will deposit you in the Piazza della Cisterna. This is the real heart of the town, centred on a rustic well, often thick with teenagers sat on its lip eating gelato. The older and wiser plump for the cafes that ring the piazza. There are towers around the square too – most notably the ‘Devil’s Tower’ to the north. It gained its name when the owner returned from a journey to find that his tower was taller than when he had left it and jumped to the (understandable) conclusion that the Devil himself must have effected some quick alterations in his absence.

From here progress into the Piazza del Duomo. This square holds two sights that you will not want to miss. To one side is the Collegiata, austerely plain and Romanesque without, but beautifully decorated within. Opposite is the Palazzo del Popolo, which holds the Museo Civico and tourist information office (and toilets!). It is here that you can buy cumulative tickets for the various sites in town. It is also attached to the 1311 Torre Grossa, by law the tallest tower in Sam Gimignano. It is also the only tower you can ascend, and provides birds-eye views across the town and surrounding countryside.

If you head west (uphill) from here you will reach the Rocca, or fortress. Frankly there is not much here. It was pulled down in the mid-16th century on the orders of Cosimo I de Medici. All you are left with are the remains of the wall surrounding a patch of lawn. You can climb steps to the remains of a corner tower though, which gives a good view of the remaining towers within the town itself as you are more or less at roof-top height here.

Returning to the Piazzi you can turm north and wander along the main street to the furthest part of town. The church of Sant’ Agostino is set up here. It has a quiet little brick courtyard but no signs of life when I visited, though it does hold a Gozzoli fresco cycle of the life of St Augustine.

If you head east from here you will find one of the most enjoyable sectors of the town in my view. Not many tourists seem to make it down the Via di San Gimignano and it is a lot more peaceful. Plus you end up at the Porta San Jacopo. The San Jacopo church here is decorated with a Templar cross and blue Tunisian dishes set into its early 13th-century stonework. I found myself leaving the town at the gateway here, and continuing by following the path that runs outside the walls on the wetsern edge of town. To your left you are flanked by trees, gardens and vegetable patches. You can re-enter the town at the Porta dei Fonti; otherwise it is a long looping walk back to the next gate, the Porta San Giovanni.

Before you leave, take a moment to check out the shops. One thing they sell here that caught my eye was pre-packaged boxes of local wines in different configurations. Competition keeps the prices low, though they tend to be higher around the Piazza della Cisterna, and cheaper as you near the gates. I actually found the area immediately inside the Porta San Giovanni the cheapest, and ended up buying a box containing two bottles of chianti and a bottle of the local vernaccia for just €10.70.

In this town famous for its many towers, there is only one that the tourist can ascend – the Torre Grossa, accessed from the Museo Civico in the Palazzo del Popolo. This 54m high tower was the highest in the city when it was completed in 1311. And it remained so due to a civic ordinance designed to put an end to the tower-building rivalry of the local aristocratic families dictating that no tower was allowed to be built taller. At the top it is windy – but what a view of the Tuscan terrain! The town seems to stop almost immediately below me, providing me with breath-taking views of the surrounding countryside periodically illuminated by gaps in the clouds. To pass from one side to the other you have to scuttle beneath the suspended bell in its metal cage. It is worth noting that the interior of the tower is hollow, and so is not recommended for people squeamish about heights – stick to the enclosed staircases of the Torre del Mangia in Siena or Florence’s Campanile.

The Museo Civico itself is not without its charms. Highpoints would be some lovely frescoes by Lippo Memmi in the Sala di Dante – so named because this was where the poet pleaded his case in 1300 in an attempt to entreat the city fathers to come across to the Guelph political faction. From this room you head directly into the council chamber, shaped like a very dinky House of Commons chamber. Other frescoes include a couple on their wedding night, sharing a bath and then heading off to their shared bed. Crikey! All very Jilly Cooper…

The art gallery has pieces devoted to local girl made good, St Fina. As depicted here she lies on a plank, unconcerned as nice nibble at her. After her death she reappears to do the usual ‘sweeping down from the sky to catch men as scaffolding collapses’ sort of thing. St Gimignano himself, possibly miffed at being replaced as the town’s patron saint by the young girl, has to content himself with a guest appearance to exorcise a demon.

Entry is €5.00, so you might as well buy the combined ticket to all of San Gimignano's attractions that costs €7.50 (or €5.50 for those under 18 or over 65)

If you have had your interest in the young girl who became St Fina whetted by the depictions in the Museo Civico, then don’t miss a chance to pop across the Piazza del Duomo to the Collegiata (which – despite the name of the square – is not and never has been a cathedral). It is only a small - though exquisitely decorated – Romanesque church, and it also houses the Chapel of St Fina. In the chapel there are further depictions of her austere and self-sacrificing life. Notably she slept not in a bed, but on a plank of wood. In fact she lay on this single plank for five years, praying constantly, after committing the sin of accepting an orange from (gasp!) a boy. Well, according to the story anyway. Flowers bloom from the length of wood in the fresco.

Back in the nave of the church the walls are lined with rich frescoes like a comic book. The right-hand wall shows the life of Christ (note the unusually pointy-chinned Judas who seems absolutely determined to get his kiss). According to Giorgio Vasari the art historian / biographer / talentless hack painter (depending on whom you listen to) Barna di Siena, the man responsible for this cycle of frescoes fell from his scaffolding upon completion and died of his injuries (where was St Fina when he needed her?). The left-hand wall has Old Testament stories – I made out Adam & Eve and Noah amongst others. Finally, the back wall has a depiction of Heaven and Hell with the good and evil getting their just rewards. Usurers being force fed their own gold for example.

The entry fee is €3.50.

This museum is a bit of a wasted opportunity to tell the truth. There is no real stand out piece to make this museum a must see. Unless you are really, really keen on the Etruscans. For this was the heartland of that most mysterious of peoples, finally defeated by the Romans, and there are plenty of grave goods on display here.

The museum is housed in a former pharmacy with 17th century accoutrements (one vase helpfully shows the year 1688) on display in the renovated kitchen, the air ripe with the scent of cinnamon & peppercorns. A modern art gallery is upstairs.

Entry is €3.50 on its own, but frankly unless you are mad keen on the Etruscans it is really only worth checking out if you have a cumulative ticket (€7.50, or €5.50 for those under 18 or over 65).

San Gimignano is a wonderful day trip. However the Osteria delle Catene is the sort of place to make you wish that you were in town for longer than a day. I had a wonderful lunch here; the sort of lunch that made me hanker to stick around for dinner. The menu alone was enough to get me salivating as I noted the delicious-sounding main courses – Chianini beef, wild boar, rabbit. And all for pretty reasonable prices I must say: around €13-14. However to get the most bang for my buck on my visit I ordered a medieval San Gimignano menu de degustazione for €22 – a Tuscan soup with saffron, a meat and saffron stew, and saffron cake for pudding. I’m guessing your average medieval San Gimgnanese liked saffron then! In actual fact local-grown saffron was a key part of the local economy – in 1228 the town council paid off its debts partially in cash and partially in saffron, and in 1295 the council appointed two officials purely to weigh saffron and charge the correct export duty.

To drink I ordered a half-bottle of vernaccia, the local white much beloved of Michelangelo. It’s an acidic little beast of a wine, like a slightly softer retsina.

The Osteria is a member of the Slow Food movement, but I was not waiting long (roughly enough time to fill in one-and-a-half pages in my travel journal) before my soup was served. And it was delicious. Scrambled-egg-yellow in colour it had a piece of toasted bread floating in the middle. Its consistency was more of a puree than a hash, and upon consumption I could taste potatoes and pieces of ham, all brought into relief by the the tongue-tickling hint of saffron. It really was top-notch. Just a shame that the basket on the table contained some of the least tasty bread I’ve ever come across.

After that wonderful starter I was a bit put out by the main course. It looked like five slices of coarse pate. In fact it was more like a meatloaf. The very last slice had four or five unexpected black peppercorns hiding in it that left me gasping.

The meal redeemed itself again with the saffron cake that was served hot for dessert. From above it resembled a triangular slice of Jamaica ginger cake. However, inside it was a quiche-y yellow with a pastry base. It was lovely, soft and moist, with quite a nutty taste and texture.

I really did enjoy my meal at the Osteria delle Catene. I feel the main course of my set menu let the side down. I should have gone for that chianina steak! But the soup, the saffron cake – and even the wine – I would happily have again!