Tuscany - Italy - page 163

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her, and finally in bed with her. She's turned away from him in full “I have a
headache” mode while he sulks on the other edge of bed, still wearing his red hat.
You'll want to visit the amazing frescoes of The Collegiata

55

(Piazza Duomo;
% 0577-940316; € 3.50; Apr-Oct 9:30am-7:10pm, in winter closes 4:40pm, Sun
and holidays opens 12:30pm) as early or as late in the day as possible because the
combination of surly guards, mobs of visitors, and a general carnival sideshow
atmosphere can make the experience less than enjoyable if you hit it at the wrong
time. (I never thought I'd visit a church with automated turnstiles and magnetic
tickets!) The church itself (formerly a cathedral, but no bishop resides here now)
was begun in the 11th century, and took its present form in the 15th century.
Among the many great masters who added frescoes to its densely decorated walls
were Lippo Memmi (the 22 New Testament scenes along the right wall, includ-
ing the moving crucifixion); Taddeo Di Bartolo, who added the frightening Last
Judgment (look for the gluttons and the lustful suffering diabolical tortures); and
Bartolo di Freddi (the 26 Old Testament scenes). Pop

1 into the AV kiosk
toward the entrance to hear a decent summary of the scenes depicted on the pan-
els. Best of all is the elaborate Cappella di Santa Fina (at the far end of the right
aisle) with exquisite frescoes from Renaissance superstar Domenico Ghirlandiao.
He tells the story of Santa Fina, San Gimignano's other patron saint, a young
13th-century woman who lay for 6 years on a plank in one position to better
understand the sufferings of Jesus. St. Gregory eventually came to claim her and
bring her to heaven, and as she died the plank filled with flowers (a yearly festival
for the saint takes place here on Mar 12, a time when the towers of San
Gimignano are blooming with pansies).
The serene, undervisited Sant'Agostino Church

€

5

(free admission; 7am-noon
and 3-7pm, Jan-Mar closes 6pm), at the north edge of San Gimignano, has a
spare exterior but an elaborate interior combining over-the-top 18th-century
rococo decor with a series of 15th-century frescoes. The best of the bunch is near
the high altar. Benozzo Gozzoli painted this 17-panel depiction of the life of St.
Augustine in the 1460s. Note the panel toward the lower left, which shows the
4th-century saint having a bad day at school and getting whacked by the teacher.
The background in most of the scenes vividly illustrates typical daily life and city
scenes in Renaissance Tuscany. Also check out the Chapel of San Bartolo near the
side door of the church. The chapel contains the remains of this 13th-century
saint. Reliefs on the altar depict the miracles of his life, including the re-attaching
of his toes, which had fallen off as a result of the leprosy he contracted while min-
istering to the poor.
Privately run museums in town include a Leonardo Museum

9

(Mostre di
Leonardo, Via Quercecchio, 26; % 0577-907015; www.mostredileonardo.com; € 6;
11am-7pm), which is identical to the one in Florence (p. 128) with models of da
Vinci's inventions. It's a much more worthwhile stop than the repugnant Torture
Museum on the Piazza della Cisterna, which (like the Leonardo museums) has
lately been franchised into most tourist cities in Tuscany. While the display of
exotic torture devices does make an important point about the savagery of
medieval and Renaissance rulers, the displays are designed more to titillate than
to educate, and are about as classy as porno movies at a memorial to rape victims.