San Gimignano is an ancient town with evidence of Etruscan, Greek, and Roman settlements, before finally becoming a more developed and prosperous settlement in the Middle Ages. Know for its medieval architectural style, the town featured towers built by wealthy families, mostly to compete with each other for the largest/tallest tower (a true keep UP with the Jones!). At one time, there were 72 towers.
Today, only 13 towers remain (according to the town Website).
The structure and architecture of many buildings is now protected by town and national law. San Gimignano is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
We learned that at one point in history, the town built a tower for the municipal building and then decreed that none could build a higher tower. That started a competition for the best windows.
San Gimignano had other features to enjoy, including how to supply a mountain town with water. Some cisterns and wells were in the town, as the one in the top two photos located in the municipal building, and a second one in the lower photo in the main piazza.
However, the main supply during the Middle Ages was a fountain built on a natural spring at the BOTTOM of the hill. Would you like to carry heavy water up the steep hill?
They still use the water today, although I was a bit afraid to drink it seeing the moss in the pipe. We took a path that went around the town walls and down the hill to find the fountain. That walk was a treat, as again, the scenic countryside and plant life was wonderful.
Being able to see the cultivation of the fields below in the early growth of April brought out the camera again.
Up close to the trail around the walls were these wild (?) fig trees.
You know, of course, that I am going to take pictures of the flowers on the trail
and interesting leaves.
With a triumph, as I was taking a picture of a flower, I also caught a butterfly in my shot.
But there were other features of note in San Gimignano…which will take another post! For this post, I’ll end with a panoramic shot of the main piazza.
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