San Gimignano is located in the province of Siena and is one of the towns that has been declared in 1990 as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. This beautiful town is also known as the Manhattan of the Middle Ages.
This name was attributed to the town of San Gimignano for its famous towers that were reminiscent of the famous skyscrapers of the most modern cities in the world. The town had 72 towers that existed since the Middle Ages, in 1580 there were only 25 of them and today only 14. One of the oldest towers that is still present today, is the Rognosa tower that was built in the 14th century.
In recent years, San Gimignano has become a popular tourist destination for those in Florence or Siena, even for those in Rome. You can visit San Gimignano in just one day on one of our Day trips from Rome.
The construction of the towers began in 1200 at the request of the richest and most powerful families in the area. The development of the urbanization was so much that the construction of towers became a competition of whoever built the tallest tower. So much was the rivalry between families that the city council decided to stop this race and in 1255 with a regulation they set a maximum height limit, the towers built could not be higher than the Rognosa tower.
To demonstrate its importance, the Salvucci family built the most famous towers called twin towers, as tall as the Rognosa tower. Years later in 1311, only one tower was built that would be taller and is called Torre Grossa, this tower is 54 meters high.
Today only one tower can be visited and this is the Grossa tower, from there you can enjoy a wonderful view of the entire city.
