Tuscany’s famous town of towers
San Gimignano is nicknamed ‘the medieval Manhattan’ for the stone towers that rise from its rooftops, remnants of around 70 that once dominated this Unesco World Heritage Site. San Gimignano holidays are best spent wandering the streets and piazzas of the walled town – it’s like walking into a film set, surrounded by the Tuscan hills.
Over the centuries, the town has weathered Attila the Hun, the bubonic plague and a conquest by the Florentines, flourishing thanks to its position on the Via Francigena pilgrimage and trade route to Rome. Holidays to San Gimignano are enriched by historic buildings such as Chiesa di Sant’Agostino, a 13th-century church with frescoes illustrating the life of St Augustine. It’s also a pleasure to just explore the town with no destination in mind. With its famous towers overlooking a lush blanket of green hills, San Gimignano offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to walk right into the past.
Explore our map of San Gimignano