Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
GALLERIA CONTINUA
It may seem strange that we're highlighting a showcase of contemporary art in this medieval time cap-
sule of a town, but we do so for good reason.
Galleria Continua
MAP
tel, info
0577 94 31 34;
www.galleriacontinua.com
; Via del Castello 11; 2-7pm Tue-Sat) is one of
the best commercial art galleries in Europe, showing the work of its stable of 40 big-name artists, in-
cluding Ai Weiwei, Daniel Buren, Carlos Garaicoa, Moataz Nasr, Kendell Geers, Liu Jianhua and
Sophie Whettnall. Spread over three venues (an old cinema, a medieval tower and a medieval vaulted
cellar), the gallery is one of San Gimignano's most compelling attractions.
Museo Civico
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MUSEUM
GOOGLE MAP
(Piazza del Duomo 2; adult/reduced €5/4; 9.30am-7pm Apr-Sep, 11am-5.30pm Oct-Mar)
The 12th-
century
Palazzo Civico
has always been the centre of local government; its
Sala di Dante
is
where the great poet addressed the town's council in 1299, urging it to support the Guelph
cause, and its
pinacoteca
has a charming collection of paintings from the Sienese and
Florentine schools of the 12th to 15th centuries.
The Sala di Dante (also known as the Sala del Consiglio) is home to Lippo Memmi's
early-14th-century
Maestà
, which portrays the enthroned Virgin and Child surrounded by
angels, saints and local dignitaries - the kneeling noble in red-and-black stripes was the
podestà
(chief magistrate) of the time. Other frescoes in the room portray jousts, hunting
scenes, castles and other medieval goings-on.
On the floor above the Sala di Dante is the small but charming pinacoteca. Highlights
of its collection are two large
Annunciation
panels (1482) by Filippino Lippi,
Madonna of
Humility Worshipped by Two Saints
(1466) and
Madonna and Child with Saints
(1466) by
Benozzo Gozzoli and an altarpiece by Taddeo di Bartolo (1401) illustrating the life of St
Gimignano.
In the
Camera del Podestà
, at the top of the stairs, is a meticulously restored cycle of fres-
cos by Memmo di Filippuccio illustrating a moral history - the rewards of marriage are
shown in the scenes of the husband and wife naked in the bath and in bed.
While here, be sure to climb the 154 steps of the
palazzo
's
Torre Grossa
for a spectacu-
lar view over the town and surrounding countryside.
Chiesa di Sant'Agostino
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CHURCH
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