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San Gimignano is a highly attractive municipality in the Province of Siena; it lies on top of a high hill and offers splendid views of the surrounding Tuscan countryside.

As is clear from a large number of historical finds, present-day San Gimignano has been inhabited from the Etruscan period onwards, probably because of its dominant position, which allowed for the underlying valley to be kept under control and for the town’s population to remain protected.

According to legend, in the year 63 B.C., the brothers Muzio and Silvio, young patricians fleeing from Rome because they were fellow-conspirators of Catiline, sought refuge in the Elsa Valley, where they built two castles, one of which is San Gimignano’s old town center of today.

The town probably takes its name from the Bishop of Modena. In fact, in this case too, it is legend that narrates that this saint saved San Gimignano from the barbarian invaders by appearing on the town walls.

However, it was in the Middle Ages that this Tuscan town enjoyed its greatest period of prosperity, as it was crossed by the ViaFrancigena, one of the principal communication routes at that time. In those days, the town was an important point of reference for the many merchants and especially for the large number of pilgrims making their way to Rome, who required accommodation and assistance. The 13th was the century of greatest economic growth for San Gimignano, due in large part to trade in local products: these were mainly agricultural, such as saffron and wines, the principal one of which was the white Vernaccia.

In this period the town was adorned with no less than seventy towers, which were built by a similar number of local families in order to show off their wealth and power. Of those seventy, 14 still remain today, rendering the town center unique and making its skyline unmistakable. In the year 1300 the little alleyways of San Gimignano welcomedDante Alighieri, who came here as an ambassador for the League of the Guelphs. And it was here, at that same time, that the Olivetan monks chose a hill on which to build their Abbey. As expert connoisseurs of wine and of vine-growing, the monks identified that part of the hill with the best exposure to sunlight as the one that would probably be most suited to the cultivation of Vernaccia.

Notwithstanding the passing of the centuries, San Gimignano has succeeded in preserving its medieval appearance and its timeless charm. In 1990, its old town center became part of UNESCO’s World Heritage List, with the following justification:“it is a remarkable testimony to medieval civilization because it includes, within a limited area, all of the typical structures of urban life at that time: piazzas and streets, houses and official buildings, wells and fountains”. It is no accident that this little medieval town is, even today, still unquestionably one of the major treasures of Tuscany. For the reasons outlined above – and for many more, which are just waiting for you to discover them – we invite you to come and share this beautiful area of Tuscany and its delicious products with us.