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Siena · Tuscany
Things to see in San Gimignano
In San Gimignano the atlas lists 49 historic places: 13 museums, 12 castles, 8 fortresses and towers, 7 historic villas and palaces, 6 abbeys and monasteries, 2 archaeological sites and 1 historic theatre.
Of these, 4 list opening hours and 1 has free entry.
Don’t miss: SanGimignano1300 (2010), art museum.
By date of construction, the most common period is the Modern era (67% of dated places) and the Middle Ages (33% of dated places).
- 49historic places
- 7,480inhabitants
- 324 maltitude
The town
San Gimignano is a pretty medieval walled city in Tuscany, Italy, famous for its historic centre with beautiful towers (inscribed on UNESCO World Heritage List) and great art. It is small enough to be effectively visited as a day trip from nearby cities like Siena and Florence, but it has a different, more peaceful atmosphere at night that many travelers find it worthwhile to experience.
Text from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA, abridged · Wikivoyage
49 places
Museums 13
Castles 12
Fortresses and towers 8
Villas and palaces 7
Abbeys and monasteries 6
Archaeological sites 2
Historic theatres 1
Getting there
By bus: Buses leave from Florence's bus station (next to the train station) hourly, and take 1.25 - 2 hr including a change in Poggibonsi, costing €6. From Siena take bus #130, which takes 1 hr and costs €5.20, operated by Tiemme SpA. Volterra has 4 buses to San Gimignano every day, that take 2 hours and change in Colle di Val d'Elsa. Sunday buses are fewer and more crowded.
Buses leaving San Gimignano depart from Porta San Giovanni, with tickets sold at the bar just inside the gate or at the Tourist Info.
By car: You may also arrive by car. You can't drive inside the town walls, but there are several pay parking lots just outside the town walls, with free places further away. The handiest lot, Parcheggio Montemaggio, outside Porta San Giovanni, fills quickly, but they let 1 car in for every one that leaves, so you can wait (€2/hour). There is free parking on the side of the road going down from the turnabout.
By train: The historical town of San Gimignano on the hill has no train station, but you can easily reach San Gimignano by taking a train to Poggibonsi (labelled "Poggibonsi-S.G.") and then a bus from the Poggibonsi train station to San Gimignano. These buses cost €3.60 (2007) each way, leave every 30-40 minutes, and you can inquire for information, schedules, and tickets at the tourist information office which is located ahead toward the right as you walk out of the train station.
Text from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA, abridged · Wikivoyage
What to see, according to Wikivoyage
The Piazza del Duomo, the town church's square, is surrounded by thousand-year-old towers. The town's 14 towers are all that remain of the original 72, which were owned by the rich to stay safe when the town was sacked. After Florence took control of San Gimignano, most of them were torn down. The Piazza della Cisterna is a beautiful piazza with an old stone well (no longer used) in the middle. This is where a Thursday market gathers.
SanGimignano1300. The visit to the museum is an ideal opportunity to learn about the architectural, social, and historical aspects of the Middle Ages in Tuscany. The museum has a massive reconstruction of the city of San Gimignano dated between the 13th and 14th century. Audioguides available. Collegiata di Santa Maria Assunta. The nearest to a duomo (cathedral) in this small city. Museo Civico and Torre Grossa. The Museo Civico (civic painting gallery/museum) in the Palazzo Pubblico is small but has beautiful art inside. Includes Torre Grossa, which is the tallest tower in the city at 60 m (200 feet). Porta San Giovanni. A gate at the southern end of the town's 13th-century walls. Sant'Agostino.
Text from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA, abridged · Wikivoyage · Underlined names link to our own pages.