Agni TRAVEL - enjoy Greece, Italy, Turkey and Cyprus

From a distance, San Gimignano looks like something out of a fairytale. Set on a hilltop, its fourteen tall towers of pale, weathered stone stand out in sharp relief against a backdrop of green mountains. It is surrounded by vineyards, source of the grapes from which one of Italy's most famous wines has been produced for centuries. With magnificent buildings and streets lined with shops and cafes, a day in this lovely town will appeal to everyone.

San Gimignano is a small hilltop town 56 kms south-west of Florence. Its origins go back to the 3rd century AD and Etruscan times, but in the Middle Ages it grew in importance as one of the towns that provided hospitality to pilgrims travelling the Via Francigena en route to Rome from Canterbury in England.
The development of agriculture in the surrounding, highly fertile area, caused the town to become wealthy, and it was in its heyday in the 12th and 13th centuries, when it was one of central Tuscany's most important trading centres. It was also the major Italian producer of saffron at the time, exporting all over the known world. Highly-prized and highly-priced, saffron contributed significantly to the growing wealth of the merchants of San Gimignano.

Within the encircling walls of the town space was at a premium, and the wealthy inhabitants brought in architects to build their houses in the great architectural styles of Siena-Gothic, Pisan Romanesque and Florentine Early Renaissance. In a constant effort to impress their neighbours, the inhabitants built tall towers and at one time there were 72 towers in the small town. Today 14 remain. The decline of San Gimignano began in 1348 when 75% of the population died of the Black Death.
At first sight the town is quite astonishing, the stark towers rising in complete contrast to the terracotta-tiled, ochre-tinted walls of the old buildings. The tallest tower is 200 feet high. The effect is not unlike that of a modern city where the centre thrusts upwards in a group of brash skyscrapers. But there is nothing brash about lovely San Gimignano, where, since the nineteenth century, visitors have flocked to admire the architecture and see the great works of art it possesses.

The surrounding countryside still resembles that of a 14th century painting, with fields, hills and forests dotted with towers and towns, castles and churches.
The towers of San Gimignano have inspired several modern architects (University of Essex) and have provided the background to numerous films, such as 'Tea with Mussolini', as well as playing a role in John Grisham's recent novel, 'The Broker'.
San Gimignano is tiny and its few streets narrow. Visitors arriving by car or bus must alight outside the town and enter it on foot, or by using the public shuttle bus. For lunch, why not buy the makings of a picnic and walk up to the fortress where benches are provided and the views are wonderful.

It is only to be expected that shopping opportunities mainly cater for the very many visitors that gather here. Nevertheless, there are some attractive purchases to be made - hand-painted pottery and all kinds of regional food specialities. Those in the know recommend Via San Matteo as being less of a tourist trap.
The town produces its own white wine, highly thought-of and winner of several prestigious awards, called 'Vernaccia di San Gimignano'. It was the first Italian wine to be awarded DOC status in 1966.
Thursday is market day, at the Piazza del Duomo.