My Italian whirlwind trip ended in Rome. But to make sure all of us Rick Steves travelers had the energy for it, a few days were spent in quiet, slow-paced Assisi, with a stop in San Gimignano for a few hours on the way there (pronounced jim-een- YANo). These towns were a breath of fresh air.
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| click on the photo for the source of this beautiful pic |
San Gimignano was a stop we made en-route to Assisi. While we were only there for a few hours, it was a pleasant day-trip stop. Most people there seemed to be day trippers as well, and what I think makes this town a draw is that a) it's in Tuscany, b) it is a Medieval town that is extremely well-preserved with its walls and especially its towers still intact, and c) it makes a great getaway from any city. The city has a riches to rags story, as most preserved Medieval cities do, that started before Christ. It saw its peak between the 1100's and 1300's. Powerful families would build towers to show off the wealth and control that they had - at one point there were 72 towers! If a family lost that standing, the tower would be cut (Florence and other towns did the same thing). The population peaked at 13,000 until the plague hit in 1348, killing 2/3 of its population and never really recovering after that. Florence took over, most of the towers were taken down, the remaining inhabitants were too poor to change anything, so it remained locked away in time until tourism set it.
While there are lots of people there during the day, I bet it is awesome at night. So what does one do for a few hours in a Medieval town besides eat? Well, you climb one of the towers, of course! Let me just say that I know this is an awful lot of pictures to show from a town I only spent a few hours in, but the views were breathtaking. Pictures can't do it justice - life is an unending panorama of no boarders - but I still feel the need to try.
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| the outer wall |
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| the cathedral and the historical town hall, which includes Torre Grossa, the tallest tower in town, was built in 1298, has 218 steps to the top, and I was about to master it |
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| the piazza in front of the cathedral; one of two main piazzas in town |
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| 2/3 of the way there |
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| the reward |
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| the two main piazzas in town |
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How wild snapdragons came to be growing out of the crevices at the top of the tower
is a mystery that I am content not knowing the answer to. |
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| the well dating back to around 900 |
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| just a few of what's left |
2 comments:
that place looks awesome. Just another one to add to my list! Was it akin to Rothenburg, or even lest touristy than that? It looks so peaceful, and you are right, the views are simply beautiful.
It's hard to compare with Rothenburg - completely different architecture so totally different feel. This felt more like Spain or Carcasonne, France. Since I was in Rothenburg during winter I don't know which one is more touristy, but I don't think Germany has quite as many medieval towns as Italy does. I really wanted to go to Siena, but that one is, from what I've read, waaaaaaay more touristy than San G. and in the same area. There are other Tuscan hill towns that are even quieter than this one.
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