San Gimignano - Museums Museo d'Arte Sacra It contains the works of famous sculptors like Giuliano da Maiano, Benedetto da Maiano and Bartolommeo di Fredi
San Gimignano - Museums Palazzo Comunale - Pinacoteca - Torre Grossa It was built in the 13th century and became the head office of the comune. It is believed to have been designed by sculptor Arnolfo di Cambio. Sala di Dante where the general council met is one of the famous rooms of Palazzo. It is well decorated with tournaments, allegorical figures and beautiful hunting scenes. Lippo Memmi produced great Virgin and child painting that has made Palazzo del Podesta famous. Sala delle Adunanze Segrete is where the citizen government met. It is from this room that the fascinating climb to Torre Grossa begins.
Volterra - Castles, palaces and mansions Rocca Vecchia The Rocca Vecchia was built in 1292 at the behest of the municipality of Volterra. The building was added to the already existing Bishops' Castle. In the fourteenth century, a pentagonal structure was built that incorporated the thirteenth-century. The Rocca Vecchia is connected to the Rocca Nuova, designed later, with a system of balconies and walls.
Volterra - Museums Pinacoteca di Volterra The Palazzo Minucci Solaini houses the Art Gallery of Volterra. Since 1982, it houses the Pictorial Municipal Gallery ordered by Corrado Ricci in 1905. It has works from different origins. A collection of artworks of the city.
Volterra - Walls, towers and gates Porta di Docciola The Porta di Ducciola was built in the 13th century. It was built to connect the city with the surrounding valley. It is composed of an internal and an external round arch. The water that flowed under it in the past served as a driving force to the medieval mills for the processing of wool.
Volterra - Walls, towers and gates Porta all'Arco The Gate to the Arch was built during the Vlll century BC by the Etruscans as part of the city walls. The Gate was built with tuff blocks and has a vivid shade due to the fact that three types of rock were used. It is made with different architectural elements, to testify to the numerous changes undergone over the years.
Volterra - Walls, towers and gates Torre del Porcellino o Podestà The Porcellino Tower is part of the Palazzo Priori. The tower overlooks the palace and is one of the oldest. It is assumed that the palace and the tower were built in the period of municipalities, around the twelfth century. Nowadays it is among the most beautiful monuments in the area. The property is currently in excellent condition.
Volterra - Castles, palaces and mansions Rocca Nuova The Rocca Nuova of Volterra was built in 1472 by the Medici family. It was designed to be a fortress with a square shape with four towers. It seems an individual complex but it connects to what is called the Rocca Vecchia with a system of balconies and walls creating a unique and particular architecture. The fortress was exploited as a military base and was later used as a prison since the Medici era.
Volterra - Castles, palaces and mansions Castello di Pignano The Castle of Pignano is presumed to date back to the twelfth century. Its structure has been subject to various warfare and war attacks over the centuries. Today we can say that it is in good condition and is accessible to the public. It was used as a stately villa and farm, even though it was originally a rural castle.
Volterra - Castles, palaces and mansions Rocca di Berignone o Torraccia The Fortress of Berignone also known as “La Torraccia” is located in the forest complex of Berignone. After traveling a piece of SS68 it is only reachable on foot. It was used as the residence of the bishops of Volterra. Later it was used as a place of refuge during the war between Guelphs and Ghibellines. Today only part of the tower and fragments of walls remains, while the village disappears inside the surrounding forest.
Montecatini Val di Cecina - Museums Museo delle Miniere The thematic rooms of the Mining Museum are located at the fourteenth-century Palazzo Pretorio. The exhibition focuses on the resources of the subsoil of the Val di Cecina which, during the nineteenth century, saw its copper mine become one of the largest in Europe. The Museum offers on the ground floor a section dedicated to mining and galleries excavated in the mining site.
Pomarance - Archaeological Sites Terme S.Michele alle Formiche The spa of S. Michele alle Formiche dates back to the 16th century, and took its name from the adjacent homonymous monastery. The structure was restored during the 20th century, but has long been disused.
San Gimignano - Streets and Squares Piazza della Cisterna It is regarded as the most famous and beautiful piazza in San Gimignano. Medieval towers and a wall of nobility houses surround it. Bounded by Palazzo dei Cortesi and Torre del Diavolo to the north. It was named after a water cistern located at its Centre. Offers a good view out past the Arco dei Becci passageway. Has a unique layout made in 13th Century.
San Gimignano - Walls, towers and gates Torre del Diavolo The unsettling and mysterious name has legend meanings. The owner of the tower discovered it was taller than it was on a return trip. He attributed the magic to the devil thus deriving the name, "Tower of the Devil". The upper floor of the tower has a number of holes visible from the walls.
San Gimignano - Museums San Gimignano 1300 It is a privately owned museum. It provides an artistic impression of how San Gimignano would have looked back in 1300.It shows how a traveller would have seen it from a hilltop. The reproduction is made purely from clay, baked and painted with natural pigments.
San Gimignano - Castles, palaces and mansions Loggia del Giudice It is the entrance to Palazzo del Comune. It is well decorated with coat of arms representing the number of podesta that assumed leadership positions over the years. Justice was administered in the Loggia del Giudice (Loggia of the Judges).This Loggia has frescoes showing Saint Ivone ,the Lawyers patron overseeing justice to the poor while the rich standing at the door with gifts.
San Gimignano - Museums Museo Civico The Museo Civico is a home of prestigious artworks from Siena and Florence. Most of the work is donated from the religious buildings around the city and from the entire public. It has various crucifixes and biblical scenes. Impressive panel painting done by Taddeo di Bartolo portraying San Gimignano can be found here. The surrounding walls give some brief description of him and how he was like in 1400.
San Gimignano - Churches and places of worship Cattedrale Collegiata It is among the leading landmarks in San Gimignano. It is referred as Collegiata. It is the town’s main church .Has got numerous high quality 14th century paintings. Visitors are required to pay some charges for accessing it although discounts are offered to children.
San Gimignano - Archaeological Sites Rovine di Castelvecchio The ruins can be seen from the south limit of San Gimignano municipal area. It was a very crucial civilian and military settlement in the past. It was formerly known as Castrum Vetus. In 1995, Castlelvecchio was officially recognized as a cultural heritage. Foreign visitors need to tour this place and appreciate how San Gimingnano and Italy at large was operating before modernization.
Casole d'Elsa - Museums Museo Archeologico e della Collegiata The collection exposes to the public both objects of the artistic heritage and the archaeological finds. The exhibition ends with a visit to the Collegiate Church, where they are kept: the masterpiece of the sculptor Marco Romano, the funeral monument to Bishop Tommaso Andrei of Gano di Fazio, the three paintings by Rutilio Manetti and the Majesty. The Archaeological Museum was founded in 1996, and is set up in three rooms, in which the history of the territory in the Etruscan age is represented.
Monteriggioni - Castles, palaces and mansions Borgo Castello di Monteriggioni Just 10 minutes away by freeway from Siena, the Edge of Monteriggioni remains one of the most famous Italian villages, still intact, it is possible to visit it with tourist guides. With walls dotted with 14 towers, it is also remembered in the Divine Comedy.
Poggibonsi - Castles, palaces and mansions Cassero The Cassero, with a pentagonal plan, is a renovated building to date overlooking the surrounding hills. Surrounded by an impressive crown wall. It is possible to visit it from 10 am to 7 pm during weekdays and holidays.
San Gimignano - Churches and places of worship Pieve di Santa Maria Assunta a Cellole The Parish Church already existed in 949. It was rebuilt twice over the years, first in the twelfth and then in the thirteenth century. As a glove it concerns consecration, this occurred in 1238. The building is characterized by a romantic style, and this is also noticeable from the facade. It is currently managed by the Diocese of Volterra.
San Gimignano - Walls, towers and gates Torre Grossa It is the tallest tower in San Gimignano, located in Piazza del Duomo near the Palazzo del Podestà. On the top floor you can enjoy a wonderful view of the town of San Gimignano.
Volterra - Walls, towers and gates Porta San Francesco The Porta San Francesco is one of the main gateway to the city. The structure was built in medieval times during the construction of the new city walls deliberated by the Municipality of Volterra. In the past, the door had a different denomination and was known as Porta Santo Stefano or Pisana. Of all the Volterrane doors, Porta San Francesco is the only one that still preserves traces of frescoes on the internal arch.