San Gimignano

Italian comune

San Gimignano is a small hill town in the province of Siena, Tuscany, Italy. San Gimignano is famous for the medieval towers, and for the wine, called "Vernaccia di San Gimignano".

San Gimignano
Comune di San Gimignano
View of the town from the south
View of the town from the south
Location of San Gimignano
Map
San Gimignano is located in Italy
San Gimignano
San Gimignano
Location of San Gimignano in Italy
San Gimignano is located in Tuscany
San Gimignano
San Gimignano
San Gimignano (Tuscany)
Coordinates: 43°28′05″N 11°02′31″E / 43.468°N 11.042°E / 43.468; 11.042
CountryItaly
RegionTuscany
ProvinceSiena (SI)
Government
 • MayorAndrea Marrucci (PD)
Area
 • Total138 km2 (53 sq mi)
Elevation
324 m (1,063 ft)
Population
 (31 December 2016)[2]
 • Total7,780
 • Density56/km2 (150/sq mi)
DemonymSangimignanesi
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
53037
Dialing code0577
Patron saintSt. Geminianus Saint Fina
WebsiteOfficial website
Historic Centre of San Gimignano
UNESCO World Heritage Site
CriteriaCultural: i, iii, iv
Reference550
Inscription1990 (14th Session)
Area13.88 ha

History

change

San Gimignano was founded as a small village in about 1300 BC by the Etruscans. The city is named after Saint Geminianus, who defended it from Attila the Hun in the mid 5th century.

In medieval and Renaissance times, it was a stopping point for pilgrims on their way to Rome and the Vatican as it sits on the medieval via Francigena.

In 1199, during the period of its highest splendour, the city made itself independent from Volterra.

Important places

change

There are many churches in the town: the two main ones are the Collegiata, a cathedral, and Sant'Agostino.

The Communal Palace is now the home of San Gimignano Gallery. Hhere there are works by Pinturicchio, Benozzo Gozzoli, Filippino Lippi, Domenico di Michelino, Pier Francesco Fiorentino, and others.

The heart of the town contains the four squares, "Piazza della Cisterna", "Piazza Duomo", "Piazza Pecori", and "Piazza delle Erbe".

Culture

change

San Gimignano is the birthplace of the poet Folgore da San Gimignano (1270-1332).

Tea with Mussolini, a 1999 drama about English and American women in Italy during World War II, was filmed in part at San Gimignano.

Images

change
 
The Piazza della Cisterna

References

change
  1. "Superficie di Comuni Province e Regioni italiane al 9 ottobre 2011". Italian National Institute of Statistics. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  2. "Popolazione Residente al 1° Gennaio 2018". Italian National Institute of Statistics. Retrieved 16 March 2019.