Tuscany - Italy - page 160

As with many Italian hill towns, warring factions within San Gimignano bat-
tled each other through the 12th and 13th centuries in continuous power strug-
gles. The towers served not only as defense fortifications but as symbols of
prestige—and even as a means for drying the dyed textiles from which many of the
families built their wealth. The Black Death of 1348 not only cut the town's pop-
ulation in half, but it also wiped out the pilgrim and merchant trade from which
San Gimignano made much of its money. Florence conquered the weakened city
in 1353 so easily that the conquerors didn't bother destroying the defensive towers
as they did in many other cities. A couple of more visits by the Black Death, in
1464 and 1631, ensured that San Gimignano never quite got on its feet again, leav-
ing it a backwater city of crumbling towers and poor villagers for hundreds of
years.
It wasn't until the mid-20th century that tourism revitalized the town. Today,
San Gimignano has leveraged its lively tourist trade into a city filled with sight-
seeing, dining, and festivals throughout the year. It's definitely worth at least an
afternoon visit to walk the winding medieval streets under the watch of the last of
the towers.
LAY OF THE LAND
Probably the easiest way to reach San Gimignano is by an organized tour from
Florence or Siena. You won't have to deal with parking (which is impossible), and
you can drink as much as you want with your meals. Virtually every tour opera-
tor in Florence has some kind of San Gimignano trip, and you should be able to
easily book one at your hotel or a travel agency near your hotel.
If you decide to drive here for an overnight visit (highly recommended), you'll
find San Gimignano is just 13km (8 miles) from the Poggibonsi exit on the
autostrada/SS2 between Florence and Siena, about 48km (30 miles) from
Florence, 32km (20 miles) from Siena. Parking is not allowed within San
Gimignano's city walls, but if you have a hotel in town, you can drive your car to
the door (very carefully—the city has some of the narrowest streets in Tuscany) to
unload your luggage. Parking is available at a number of pay lots outside of town,
or for free along the roads approaching the walls.
While San Gimignano isn't on a train line, many buses make the 10-minute
trip from the station in Poggibonsi into town. Trains take from 30 to 45 minutes
from Siena, and about an hour from Florence.
San Gimignano has an extremely helpful tourist office (Piazza Duomo, 1;
% 0577-940008; www.sangimignano.com; Mar-Oct 9am-1pm and 3-7pm,
Nov-Feb 9am-1pm and 2-6pm), which carries lists of local apartment rentals,
wine tours, and events. It also offers a worthwhile audioguide city tour for 5.

The self-paced program gives visitors an extensive historical and architectural
guide of the city from more than 40 viewpoints, covering everything from the
usual tourist spots to deserted alleyways. The whole program takes about 2 hours.
ACCOMMODATIONS, BOTH STANDARD & NOT
€€ - €€€€

€

Renting an apartment gives you a terrific base from which to
explore both the town and the surrounding countryside. Apartment rentals, some
weekly, are available at the tourist information center, or you can book one of the