From Bologna to Salerno - San Gimignano (4/9)

From Florence we went on an excursion to San Gimignano, a beautiful medieval village whose historic centre was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1990; it's located between Florence and Sienna.

To get there you need to take a bus from the bus station, just before reaching the Santa Maria Novella train station. But after that you have to take two other buses: the 131 to Poggibonsi and, once you've arrived at this village, catch the 130 that goes to San Gimignano.

The journey is quite long, around 2 hours in total. The first bus on the way there lasts approx. 1h30mins and, although the second bus travels a route of around 15 minutes, you have to take into account the waiting time between the buses. Another possibility to get to this village is by train from Santa Maria Novella.

San Gimignana was founded in 3 BC by the Etruscan civilisation, and it would've had to wait until the 10th Century to be named as it is currently, which is due to the Bishop St. Geminianus, who defended the village from the Hun invasions.

Views of the San Gimignano village

This village has several towers, amongst which stands out the Torre del Podestà or the Torre Grossa, which measures at around 54 metres in height. I also recommend climbing up to the village's medieval walls, as the views from there are absolutely wonderful. There are also many churches, the spotlight being on the Colegiata and St Augustine. Also, you can visit the Municipal Palace, where there's a big gallery exhibiting several artists, such as Benozzo Gozzoli or Pier Francesco Fiorentino, amongst others. You can also find a Museum of Torture in San Gimignano, although it didn't seem to be anything special.

Colegiata

Some towers in San Gimignano

From the top of the walls

On the other hand, in addition to the delight of walking through its streets, in San Gimignano there are four big squares where you have eat or drink something: Piazza della Cisterna, Piazza Duomo, Piazza Pecori and Piazza delle Erbe.

The Cathedral, or Duomo, is the most visited monument in this village. On the inside, the Chapel of Santa Fina is a work of art in itseld and it's dedicated to the most devoted saint of the place, to me, the story they told us was beautiful. It seems that Fina was gravely ill in her youth, and she ended her days kneeling on a piece of wood from which yellow violets sprouted when she died. And this could be why San Gimignano is known as the Tuscan village of violets because, in the midst of March, they blossom in every corner. The entrance to the Cathedral costs €3, the student price, and I think it's worth it.

With regards to the restaurants, there are many, as this village attracts many tourists. We ate lunch in the restaurant Torre Guelfa, where we enjoyed a pesto lasagna and mushroom tagliatella, each dish costing €9.

Delicious mushroom tagliatella, yum!

In this village you can purchase local products, such as cheeses and cold meats; as well as different souvenirs (postcards, toy Vespas, etc. ) There are many shops on Via San Giovanni, the main street which is also very commercial, via which you can access the historic centre.

The busy Via San Giovanni

In conclusion, San Gimignano is a very interesting place and it could be a good example of the structure that any given medieval city follows.

Our next destination is Naples

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