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Art and History in San Gimignano

San Gimignano

Art and History in San Gimignano

Brief History about San Gimignano

San Gimignano is a small town in Siena province, Tuscany in Italy. Also called Town of Fine Towers, the town has famous unique tower houses, which it has preserved for years. UNESCO recognized it as a world heritage site in 1990.

Located on the ridge of a hill, the city is surrounded by three walls. The town was used as a stopping point for Catholic pilgrims heading to Vatican and Rome during the renaissance era. It has ruins of a fortress, which was destroyed in the 16th century. The city can be accessed from three entrances. Its main gates are San Matteo, Porta S.Jacopo and Porta San Giovanni. The city has two main streets Via San Giovanni and Via San Matteo, which cuts across from the south to north. San Gimignano has well-constructed Gothic and Romanesque architecture. The city boasts of a number of towers dating from ancient times. They include Torri degli Ardinghelli, Torre dei Becci, Torre Chigi, Torre di Palazzo Pellari, Torre Pettini, Torre del Diavolo, Torre Campatelli, Torre Grossa and many more others. Some of these towers will be explained in details in this article. San’tAgostino and Collegiata serve as the two main places of worship around the area.

How to Arrive in San Gimignano-Tuscany

San Gimignano is well served with superb transportation networks .The town can be accessed through four means of transport. These are by car, plane, train and bus.

Arrival by Plane

Foreign visitors to San Gimignano-Tuscany can book airplanes from various destinations in their countries to Tuscany. Two international airports serve Tuscany. They are Galileo Galilei International airport located in Pisa and Amerigo Vespucci Airport in Florence. The latter is also called Peretola. The Galileo Galilei airport in Pisa is the largest and handles major flights and cargo from European cities. Foreign visitors from these cities can use this airport. Visitor from North America can make stopover routes in Europe before taking Ryan Air flights heading to Pisa. This will be relatively cheap and more affordable than direct flights. If there are no direct flights to the two airports in Tuscany, foreign visitors need to connect different airline that will land them in Tuscany

After landing in Pisa, one can use dual carriageways to exit from the Pisa airport. You choose to use the Genova-RosignanoA12 motorway, Firenze-Pisa-Livorno dual carriageway or Firenze-PisaA11.The Pisa airport terminal is linked to Pisa Central Station where one can take a train service.

Arrival by Coach or Bus

There are different alternatives of arriving in Tuscany by Bus services. Most buses head straight into Florence, Tuscany’s capital city. A number of buses are can be located in Santa Maria Novella, which is the main bus station in Florence. You can make your bookings of the bus tickets through Eurolines. This is an association of coach operators and their offices are widely distributed all over Europe. The ticket office is located at Piazza Adua.

Arrival by Car

Foreign visitors need to know these entry points into Italy;

From France there is Mont Blanc tunnel which leads to A5 for those going to Milan and Turin

Brenner Pass connects from Austria to the A22 to Bologna

Grand St. Bernard tunnel leading to A5

When coming from Pisa, follow the SGC Firenze-Pisa-Livorno direction. Keep driving until you reach Empoli Ovest then exit. Use the Castlefiorentino-Certaldo road signs, which will lead you to Certaldo. From Certaldo use San Gimignano road signs until you arrive at your destination of choice.

Arriving by Train

Tuscany can be reached through Trenitalia railway system, which connects with rest of European railway. Through overnight hauls, visitors can book a couchette on international trains. The main railway route connecting Tuscany through Florence is on Bologna-Rome line. Santa Maria Novella is the main station. It has direct international trains from various European cities. Departure and arrival schedules can be located from the Trenitalia timetable. Travel tickets are bought from train stations and travel agents.

Places and Monuments to See in San Gimignano-Tuscany

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.

Tower of the Devil

It is among the few remaining medieval towers in San Gimignano. 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. The holes supported suspended timbers, which allowed people to walk outside and from one room to another. Holes in the walls served another security function of making it easy to dismantle the wall to deny an enemy access to the premises.

San Gimignano 1300

Any visitor to San Gimignano should never miss this one destination museum. 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.

Cathedral (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.

Palazzo Comunale

Also called the courtyard. 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.

Loggia of the Judge

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. At the back of the courtyard is a well that was used to supply water. 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. Antonio Bazzi made this artistic work in 1500. Leonardo da Vinci School inspired Antonio. A fresco of justice allegory above the stairway shows a judge dismissing a liar.

Loggia of Civic Museum

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.

Ruins of Castlelvecchio

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.

Special calendar events

San Gimignano observes various dates in the calendar year to celebrate and remember the contribution of icon leaders of the town. An example of such event is on every first Sunday of August held by the citizens of San Gimignano for their Patron Saint Fina. The Basilica Santa Maria Assunta with the help of municipal authorities organizes the ceremony. The second one is the San Gimignano Medieval Festival. It is held every month of June for three days. Foreigners touring San Gimignano at this time can reschedule their plans to attend and appreciate such ceremonies.

Museum of Sacred Art and Estruscan Museum

This is another fascinating monument in San Gimignano.It contains the works of famous sculptors like Giuliano da Maiano, Benedetto da Maiano and Bartolommeo di Fredi. It also has several beautiful ceramics and funerary urns made from Etruscan. Foreigners cannot afford to miss visiting this place while in San Gimignano!

San Gimignano in Tuscany is a great place to tour. The area is well served with good transportation network that facilitate visitors movements around the town. The town has numerous monuments and ancient towers that are fascinating to visit. They help one appreciate how the Italian people were living before modernization. Visitor touring San Gimignano should make an effort of visiting at least some of these places if they want to enjoy their tours.

scritto da Bridget Brackett - ultima modifica il 11/08/2019

Travel in Chianti: Gaiole

Gaiole in Chianti

Travel in Chianti: Gaiole

Gaiole is a city in the province of Siena. Its history is closely connected with its role as the centre of trade: in 1086 the inhabitants of the surrounding areas began to gather on the valley floor of the Massellone to exchange the goods.

After the Second World War, its lands were depopulated but by the end of the seventies, the old houses have been renovated and are now home to farms.

Monuments and places of interest

The churches to visit are many: Pieve di San Vincenti; the church of San Bartolomeo a Vertine, from which come two famous masterpieces today housed in the Pinacoteca of Siena: the Madonna of the Recommended by Simone Martini, and the triptych of Bicci by Lorenzo that depicts the Madonna and Child with Saints Bartholomew, John evangelist, Mary Magdalene and Anthony Abbot (1430).

To see is the Chapel of St. giaioin Castle of Brolio with its crypt in which are buried the members of the Ricasoli family, and the Oratory of Panigiani.

On the back wall of the Oratory is painted the Madonna enthroned, surrounded by angels and saints, with the Child in her arms: the Child holds a bird in his left hand and a precious stone in his right hand, a symbol of the Good News. To the right, is the fresco of the Madonna of St. Michael the Archangel trampling the dragon and weighs souls on the other hand, St. Francis with the Rule in his left hand, a crucifix in his right hand and the stigmata on the feet and hands . On the two side walls the figures of Saint Anthony Abbot, represented with pig - Saint Lucia, which is showing the symbols of her martyrdom, St. John the Baptist, with his inscription: Ecce Agnus Dei, St. Peter with a book in a hand, St. Luke the Evangelist, St. Mary Magdalene, dated 1496.

Gaiole is home to many castles. Among them, we recall two: the Castle of Meleto and the Abbey of Coltibuono.

The castle of Meleto has been owned by the Ricasoli family until 1968: Today belongs to the company Viticola Tuscany, with 1,000 hectares of land around. It is a beautiful castle flanked by two round towers and a theater of the eighteenth century.

The Abbey of Coltibuono is surrounded by big forests of fir. The current owners are the family Stucchi Prinetti that have turned it into a farm famous in Italy and abroad.

scritto da Alexandra Evans - ultima modifica il 28/08/2019

Discover Radda in Chianti

Radda in Chianti

Discover Radda in Chianti

Radda was the capital of the League of Chianti, including Radda, Gaiole and Castellina. Since the end of the thirteenth century it became the seat of a mayor appointed by the Florentines and in 1415 was confirmed as the capital of the League. Among the mayors of Radda is to report Francesco Ferrucci.

In the seventeenth century, with the end of the conflict, the castles were transformed into mansions and its owners were engaged in the production of wine. During the 1860 plebiscite for the annexation of Tuscany to Sardinia, Radda voted against. In the fifties, even here there was the phenomenon of depopulation. In the seventies began the rediscovery of these places and all the castles, villas and farmhouses have been restored and are now home to cottages and farms.

Monuments and places of interest:

The Walls

Radda in Chianti, in the fifteenth century, had great strategic importance, and this led the republic of Florence to build defensive structures in masonry. A first set of walls was built in the fourteenth century but it was after the Aragonese wars that the defensive structures were intensfied, especially after 1478, when Radda was conquered and sacked . Of the walls remain today some towers, the best preserved is the one that dominates the public gardens.

Palace of the Podesta

The palace was built in the fifteenth century and was almost completely destroyed in 1478 during the War of Aragon. To the primitive building belongs to the porch of the minor Florentine architecture of the early fifteenth century. The building was enlarged in the XVIII century when a second floor and prisons were built. This building, for four centuries, was the site of the Captain of the League of Chianti. On the main façade are bricked up coats of arms of the podesta that have occurred over the time. The coats of arms are 51. Under the portico is kept the coat of arms of Francesco Ferrucci, podesta in 1527, and a fresco of the Florentine school that dates back to the sixteenth century.

The Grand Duke's Ice house

In Tuscany during the Grand Duchy were built many ice houses. Many had the pyramidal shape, while others, like the one of Radda were made in the shape of a truncated cone and basements. In the Ice house was accumulated the snow of the winter, pressed and turned into blocks of ice. The Ice houses of Radda in Chianti are situated outside the medieval village, close to the communal gardens.

In addition to the numerous chapels and churches, typical of these places, it is worth mentioning the Museum of sacred art of Chianti, which has its headquarters in Radda in Chianti. The main paintings housed in the museum are the Madonna and Child, between St. Lucia, Zenobius, and Mary Magdalene, polyptych attributed to Bernardo Daddi, The Annunciation with Saints Peter and Jerome, attributed to an anonymous Florentine painter of the fifteenth century; Martyrdom of St. Stephen, painting on canvas of a Florentine painter of the early seventeenth century; Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine of Alexandria, by Francesco Curradi on canvas signed by the artist himself.

The museum houses also many sculptures as St. Anthony of Padua, polychrome terracotta of the eighteenth century and Our Lady of Consolation, by an anonymous author, eighteenth century.

The museum also houses vestments and Gold: silver chalices, made between 1700 and 1800, numerous shrines in carved and gilded wood made between the 600 and the 800.

scritto da Bridget Brackett - ultima modifica il 29/11/2019

A trip to Castellina in Chianti

Castellina in Chianti

A trip to Castellina in Chianti

Castellina in Chianti is a town of 2,971 inhabitants in the province of Siena. Its territory is part of the Chianti Classico.

Thanks to the presence of Etruscan tomb mound Montecalvario, which dates back to VII-VI century, it was possible to prove the presence of Etruscan communities. But the first certain documents belong to the medieval period. Castellina in the twelfth century became a dominion of Florence.

In 1203 the act with The Ruling of Poggibonsi, fixed the boundaries between Florence and Siena and Castellina, in fact, became the focal point of communication between the two cities. In 1379 it was plundered by the troops of the Duke of Milan, Gian Galeazzo Visconti but in 1400 it was fortified. In 1400 it saw the second Aragonese invasion and was under the control of the Sienese and Neapolitan troops. At the end of 1400 the domination of Siena ended and Castellina passed under the rule of Florence.

Monuments and places of interest.

There are countless churches dating back to various periods:

The Church of San Salvatore in Castellina is of medieval origin but also shows structures in neo-Romanesque style, the Church of St. Martin in Cispiano, has a beautiful fifteenth-century gilt bronze cross, the Church of San Giorgio alla Piazza is, instead, of Romanesque origin.

The parish Church of St. Agnes in Chianti, from the documents that we have, belongs to the diocese of Siena. It has three naves divided by three square pillars that end with in three apses.

Finally, the rectory of St. Michael in Rencine is located inside the city walls of the castle of Rencine, of which only a few walls and a tower are left.

It is worthwhile to visit the Fortress.

It is a huge building, which dominates the main square with a fourteenth-century crenellated tower from whose top you can enjoy a traditional landscape od chianti region. Since the 2006, it is home to the Archaeological Museum of Chianti.

Walls of Castellina in Chianti

The walls were almost completely destroyed during the various dominations but you can still reconstruct the whole story from their remains and the fifteenth-century fortifications. In the walls, in the past, there were two gates: the gate of Siena and the gate of Florence , the latter demolished after the Second World War.

Montecalvario mound.

It is a famous Etruscan monument, a tomb mound of 50m in diameter, formed by four tombs dating back to VII-VI century BC, located in the arrangement of the cardinal points.

Necropolis of Poggino

Another pride of Castellina is this ancient Etruscan necropolis. Now it contains four tombs and you can visit them walking along a path that winds through the woods.

scritto da Andrew adams - ultima modifica il 20/06/2020