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San Gimignano
     
   


San Gimignano

  
 
   
San Gimignano is one of the best-preserved Italian medieval towns, with city walls, gates, and 14 of its famous old towers remaining intact. These towers, characteristic of San Gimignano, once numbered 72, were built by leading families vying with each other for prestige. The historic town centre was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1990.

San Gimignano was founded as a small village in the 3rd century BC by the Etruscans. In the Middle Ages and Renaissance, it was a stopping point for Catholic pilgrims on their way to Rome and the Vatican, as it sits on the medieval Via Francigena. Taking advantage of the wealth that arrived in the city from the Francigena and because of its position at the borders between Siena and Florence, together with the political weakening of Volterra, the zone of the Val d' Elsa was an ideal theater for the development of local autonomy. In San Gimignano the economy of the merchants grew into a powerful force that led to the emergence of a great city.
San Gimignano's most notable monuments are the Palazzo del Popolo (1288–1323), containing the civic museum and picture gallery, the Collegiata, formerly a cathedral, decorated with numerous frescoes, and the church of Sant’ Agostino (1280–98), housing a wide representation of artworks from some of the main Italian renaissance artists, among them frescoes by Benozzo Gozzoli depicting scenes from the life of St. Augustine.
1
 Piazza della Cisterna
2
 Palazzo Tortoli
3
 Arco dei Becci
4
 Palazzo del Podestà
5
 Piazza del Duomo
6
 Palazzo del Popolo
7
 Museo d'Arte Sacra, Museo Etrusco
8
 Torri Salvucci
9
 Palazzo Cancelleria
10
 Palazzo Pesciolini
11
 Palazzo Tinacci
12
 San Pietro
13
 Piazza Sant'Agostino
14
 San Iacopo
15
 Porta San Iacopo
16
 Porta d. Fonti
17
 San Lorenzo in Ponte
18
 Porta San Giovanni
19
 Porta Quercecchio
20
 Porta San Matteo

 

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San Gimignano Churches

    
The Duomo or Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta)
The Duomo of San Gimignano is a monument to Romanesque architecture in Tuscany. The Basilica is an actual temple of faith and art. Its development reflects the town’s evolution and growth. Originally a simple Parish Church built around 1000 it was transformed into a Rectory in 1056. The solemn consecration was carried out in 1148 by Pope Eugenius III while he was returning to Rome from Pisa on the Via Francigena. From the 12th century onwards the Collegiate church enjoyed numerous privileges endorsed by papal bulls and decrees. The works of extension and embellishment began in 1239 – involving the most famous artists – and continued throughout the 17th century. The town’s saints were worshipped and celebrated here: Santa Fina, the Holy Bartolo Bompedoni, San Piero martyr, of the Cattanei family, the Holy Ciardo. The relics and altar of San Geminianus, the beatified Bishop of Modena, are housed here, and on 31st January he is celebrated as patron saint of San Gimignano. Girolamo Savonarola preached from the pulpit of this church in 1497. Various Cardinals were Rectors of the Collegiate church: Giordano Orsini in 1146 and Napoleone Orsini in 1314; the Neapolitan Francesco Carbone in 1389, Francesco Soderini in 1495 and Baldassare Cossa, who was the Antipope elected in 1410 and deposed at the Council of Constance in 1414.
Inside, the Basilica is frescoed throughout: along the right hand wall, Stories from the New Testament, attributed to the School of Simone Martini, and on the left some remarkable examples of mediaeval art by Bartolo di Fredi. On the inner façade there is a great fresco of the Martyrdom of St Sebastian, dating to 1465, and two beautiful wooden sculptures by Jacopo della Quercia: the Announcing Angel and Our Lady of the Annunciation. Above, frescoes by Taddeo di Bartolo depicting the Last Judgement.

The Church of San Lorenzo in Ponte
This church is in Via del Castello, very close to the former Monastery of St Dominic, once the Bishop’s Castle and the earliest nucleus of the town. It was built in Romanesque style in 1240. The gallery was closed in 1561 to turn it into an oratory. The church’s name (St Lawrence by the Bridge) derives from the fact that it was built near the drawbridge of the Bishop’s Castle. Inside there is a cycle of frescoes with Stories of St Benedict and, at the bottom, a great fresco with the Glory of Christ, the Virgin and the 12 Apostles by Cenni di Francesco di Ser Cenni, dated around 1413.

The Church of San Bartolo
The Romanesque Church of San Bartolo is In Via San Matteo, after Palazzo della Cancelleria. A local saint who died in 1299 while looking after lepers in the lazaretto of Cellole, Bartolo later had a famous chapel dedicated to him in the church of Sant’Agostino. The brick façade, built in 1173, has an elegant series of blind arches set in two orders of different size and standing on half-columns.
The main door architrave is decorated with the characteristic Greek cross of the Knights of St John of Jerusalem who later became the order of the Knights of Malta, Between the 11th and 12th centuries, when it was part of the quarter that was developing to the north, outside the first circle of city walls, it was dedicated to San Matteo. In the same way and for the same reason the present church of San Francesco, in the southern area of the town, was then called San Giovanni and gave its name to the quarter in which it was located.

Church of Sant’Agostino
The style recalls the gothic: nave only, culminating in a presbytery on which the choir and two side chapels open up. The church of Sant’Agostino contains an immense heritage of magnificently beautiful works of art. On entering you immediately notice the Altar of San Vincenzo, a 1494 work by Francesco Fiorentino. Above the altar-piece, the Pieta fresco is by Vincenzo Tamagni. At the farthermost part of the church the Chapel of San Bartolo stands out with its marble altar sculpted by Benedetto da Maiano. Continuing, you will note a Pieta painted by Bartolo di Fredi, then the Altar of San Niccolò da Tolentino, frescoed in 1529 by Vincenzo Tamagni. Proceeding towards the altar you will see the dominating altar-piece by Piero del Pollaiolo – The Crowning of the Virgin – dating to 1483. On the right, facing the main altar, the Chapel of the Nativity, frescoed by Bartolo di Fredi. The altar-piece is the work of Vincenzo Tamagni. Going from the chapel to the choir you’ll discover a marvellous cycle of frescoes by Benozzo Bozzoli who spent no less than three years in their execution, from 1463 to 1465. They depict the life of St Augustine and are of a unique beauty, as is the church which is dedicated to the Saint. Leaving the choir you enter the other chapel and go back down into the presbytery where, on the right, there is a fresco of San Gimignano by Sebastiano Mainardi. Continuing on you’ll find the Altar of Our Lady of Graces which begins a fresco by Lippo Memmi dating to 1330. The pulpit was built in 1524 and the paintings are by Vincenzo Tamagni. Lastly, after the pulpit, note the St Sebastian painted by Benozzo Bozzoli in 1464. Before leaving the church you are recommended to visit its enchanting and peaceful cloister.

Church of San Pietro in Forliano
In the enchanting Piazza Sant’Agostino you will also find the little church of San Pietro, popularly known as the church of San Piero. It is one of the oldest in San Gimignano (12th century). Its simple brickwork façade is lightened by the terracotta corbels of the cornice and a single, sober rosette above the entrance door, preceded by a series of four staircases in stone. Small and Romanesque, the interior is nave only with a raised presbytery, truss ceiling and the walls rich in original frescoes such as the one of the Virgin hand in hand with the infant Jesus, between St Peter and St John the Baptist. Many have attributed it to Lippo Memmi. On the main altar, a 1531 painting attributed to the Florentine school.

Church of San Jacopo
In Via Folgore da San Gimignano, at the exit from the city walls in a recently rebuilt and justly upgraded area, you’ll find the Romanesque church of San Jacopo dei Templari. The tradition is that the Knights Templars had it built on their return from the first crusade, but it actually dates to a later epoch. The lower part is in stone with a portal surmounted by a double blind arch and the symbol of the Templars, whereas the upper part is in brick, lightened by a beautiful rosette in finely worked cotta. The interior, nave only, has frescoes representing the saint to whom the church is dedicated.

Church of San Girolamo
The little church of San Girolamo (St Jerome) stands just before the Templar church of San Jacopo in Via Folgore da San Gimignano, near the Convent of the Enclosed Benedictine Nuns. The church is nave only with a grating that divides the enclosed part and the altar decorated with a fine painting by Vincenzo Tamagni depicting the Virgin Enthroned with the Child and saints Giovanni Gualberto, Benedict, John the Baptist and Jerome. Inside the convent, not open to the public, there are 16th century Florentine school frescoes.

Remains of the Church of San Francesco
The remains of the ancient church of the Monastery of San Francesco are on the right in Via San Giovanni. Set between two brick houses, the fine façade in white travertine is broken by dark, horizontal lines of serpentine recalling the Pisan style. Above the door there is a double arch enclosing the symbol of the Knights Templars. We are given some idea of the severe beauty of this Franciscan order church which had formerly been the home of that rich order of soldier-monks whose duty was to defend the Holy Sepulchre. It was also used as a hostel for pilgrims and wayfarers on Via Francigena.
 
   

 
   

Tuscany is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. Known for its enchanting landscapes, its fantastic and genuine food and beautiful towns as Florence, Pisa, Lucca and Siena.
Podere Santa Pia is an enchanting Tuscan farmhouse, nestled in the vineyards and olive groves of the rolling Maremma hills. This privileged location offers a spectacular vista over the charming medieval town of Cinigiano and the entire Ombrone Valley. It is the perfect place for your relaxing holiday with your friends and family. The property consists of 4 large bedrooms furnished in a classic Tuscan style and 2 bathroom with shower, a big full-equipment kitchen with a fireplace and a big living room and dining room. With its original kitchen and the wood burning pizza oven, Podere Santa Pia offers an upbeat atmosphere. The farmhouse has been renovated and provided with all modern comforts (satellite TV, Wi-Fi Internet access, washing machine, dishwasher, and so on), with an eye to preserve the typical and charming elements of these rural lodgings. There you have, then, cosy and warm rooms with traditional terracotta-tiled floors, stone walls and wood-beamed ceilings. And the kitchen, furnished for pleasant meals with traditional Tuscan dishes (bread soup or "ribollita", tomato soup, "fettunta", Florentine-style steak, stewed wild boar, cinta senese cured meat, and other Tuscan specialities).
The impressive garden (9000 square mt.) allows you to enjoy a relaxing holiday and is perfect for taking time out and lounging about while sipping on a glass of local wines, Montecucco DOC and Brunello DOC.
Sitting in the garden, one can enjoy our dawns and dusks, with their jubilee of colours ranging from dark yellow to pink, orange and red. In this scenario, it is often possible to observe the flight of pheasants, falcons and buzzards, great tits, chaffinches and sparrows.
This is an enchanting place far from noise, ideal to regenerate body and mind, where one has the opportunity enjoy pleasant walks or rides on mountain bike. The summer breeze that caresses Podere Santa Pia guarantees "cool" holidays even in the hottest weather.

Tuscan farmhouses | Podere Santa Pia
 
         

Montalcino
Pieve di Pernina
Sovicille, Pieve di San Giovanni Battistaa Ponte allo Spino

Pieve di Cèllole

San Gimignano,
view from Rocca di Montestaffoli
Colle di Val d'Elsa
       
Colle di Val d'Elsa
The Romanesque church Pieve di Cèllole, which inspired Giacomo Puccini's Suor Angelica, is located in Cèllole, just a few kilometres from San Gimignano in the fortified village of Collemuccioli. There are Etruscan tombs nearby (Poggio alla Città). Places worth visiting in Collemuccioli are the Piazza dei Priori, one of Italy's most beautiful squares surrounded by impressive 14th century buildings; the Priori Palace, the municipal Picture Gallery, the Romanesque Cathedral, the Baptistry, the arch Porta all'arco, the Etruscan acropolis, the Medicean fortress named Maschio, alley Viale dei Ponti, Matteotti street, the Etruscan Museum Guarnacci with thousands of funeral urns dating back to the Hellenistic and Archaic periods, the archaeological excavations of the Roman amphitheatre and the tombs in Valle Bona.
         
   
La Chiesa di Sant' Agostino, fresco cycle of St Augustine by Benozzo Gozzoli
    

The single-aisled hall church with three apsidal chapels and an open roof truss, built by the Augustinian canons between 1280 and 1298, is a typical example of the Gothic architecture of the mendicant orders in central Italy.By 1463 at the latest, Benozzo had left his native city and moved to San Gimignano for four years, until 1467. Here, in collaboration with several assistants, he produced his main work, the decorations of the apsidal chapel of the church of Sant'Agostino (1464-65).
The paintings were produced within the contemporary context of the reformation of the monastery of Sant'Agostino. The choir, being the place where the community of monks assembled, was decorated with a didactic program of the life and work of St Augustine.
The cycle of St Augustine is one of the main works of Tuscan narrative art dating from the middle of the century. The cycle depicts 17 scenes from the life of the Father of the Church. As in the cycle of St Francis in Montefalco, the cycle of St Augustine does not depict any miracles or posthumous events, but portrays the saint as a student, teacher and scholar.

The cycle is read from the bottom upwards, and as a result should be interpreted as a painted metaphor of a striving to reach God. The 17 pictures, which are arranged in three rows, use the traditional horizontal direction of reading, from the bottom left to the top right. In the lowest register he depicts the education, teachings and journeys of the saint. The middle register shows his path to Christian faith, and finally, in the lunette fields the culmination of his journey through life appears.

Art in Tuscany | Benozzo Gozzoli

  

La Chiesa di Sant' Agostino, The Parable of the Holy Trinity by Benozzo Gozzoli
     
Colleggiata, the Stories of St Fina by Domenico Ghirlandaio

    
Between 1468 and 1472, architect Giuliano da Maiano built Saint Fina's mortuary chapel in the collegiate church and Domenico Ghirlandaio covered the walls with frescoes. His brother Benedetto da Maiano created the saint's burial altar about 1475. Both artists were working in direct competition with each other, for they were depicting the Obsequies of Saint Fina side by side, each using his own medium, fresco and relief carving.
It was in the frescoes for this chapel Ghirlandaio was able to develop his own style. The two frescoes in the Saint Fina Chapel are the first major works of Ghirlandaio's career. There are already signs of the architecture that will feature in his later works, here imaginatively and skillfully constructed according to the laws of perspective.
There are two Stories of St Fina: the Apparition to Fina of St Gregory who announces her Death and the Obsequies of the Saint. The immediate inspiration for the composition of the Obsequies of the Saint was Fra Filippo Lippi's fresco in the choir of Prato Cathedral, the Obsequies of Saint Stephen. Ghirlandaio would later create another variation on this composition in a fresco for the Sassetti Chapel in Florence.
In the long row of expressive heads Ghirlandaio already reveals his unique ability to create convincing character studies, a skill that was to bring him fame and many well paid commissions. Some of those depicted do not seem to be taking part in the ceremony, while others are deeply moved. The server at the saint's feet is more interested in his processional cross than in the ceremony, and the server next to him is looking around to keep himself amused.

Domenico Ghirlandaio (1449-94) was a Florentine painter. He trained with Baldovinetti and possibly with Verrocchio. His largest undertaking was the fresco cycle in the choir of Sta Maria Novella, Florence, illustrating Scenes from the Lives of the Virgin and St John the Baptist (1486-90). It is this talent for portraying the life and manners of his time (he often included portraits in his religious works) that has made Ghirlandaio popular with many visitors to Florence. But he also had considerable skill in the management of complex compositions and a certain grandeur of conception that sometimes hints at the High Renaissance. Ghirlandaio worked on frescos in Pisa, San Gimignano, and Rome (in the Sistine Chapel) as well as in Florence, and his studio produced numerous altarpieces. Ghirlandaio's son and pupil Ridolfo (1483-1561) was a friend of Raphael and a portrait painter of some distinction. His most famous pupil, however, was Michelangelo.

Art in Tuscany | Domenico Ghirlandaioore
  

Colleggiata, Obsequies of St Fina (detail), by Domenico Ghirlandaio