Apparently, rich families many towns in medieval Italy became obsessed at one time with displaying their wealth conspicuously by building tall towers on their properties. In most towns, few remain (Lucca has two), but San Gimignano has held on to 14 out of the original 70. This, together with the fact that it has its city wall intact, has made it a favourite with film-makers. Tea With Mussolini (Maggie Smith, Judi Dench) was made there.
We were fortunate to end up with a fantastic flat in the centre owned by a charming guy, Claudio, who met us and showed us the ropes - in these places, this mainly means how to manage the underground car parking!
It was Claudio who told us the story, perhaps apocryphal, that the Torri Gemelle of San Gimignano inspired an American architect to conceive of the twin towers in New York. The last photo shows what he means.
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| The unmistakeable skyline of San Gimignano |
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| View from our flat |
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| Towers in the main square |
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| ...and from the town wall path |
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| Tuscan view from the town wall path |
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| Le Torri Gemelle - the twin towers of San Gimignano |
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