World Heritage Photos

Historic Centre of San Gimignano: San Gimignano is a small walled medieval town in Tuscany, Italy, about 50 km from Florence and 40 km from Siena. San Gimignano was a relay point for pilgrims travelling to or from Rome and Vatican City. San Gimignano became an important medieval city due to its location along this ancient route, the Via Francigena. San Gimignano is famous for its medieval towers. Patrician families built around 72 tower-houses as symbols of their wealth and power. Only 14 towers have survived. The Great Tower (Torre Grossa) is the tallest tower of San Gimignano. Wealthy merchants of Regensburg with trade connections all over Europe saw the towers of San Gimignano and imitated them at home. The Collegiate Church of San Gimignano was built in the 11th century. The church is adorned with frescoes. The Historic Centre of San Gimignano gained status as a UNESCO World Heritage in 1990.

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   San Gimignano is a small walled medieval hill town in Italy, surrounded by the breathtaking landscape of Tuscany. San Gimignano became an important medieval town due to its location along the Via Francigena, an ancient pilgrims' route. San Gimignano is famous for its medieval towers. The historic centre of San Gimignano was declared a UNESCO World Heritage in 1990.

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   Historic Centre of San Gimignano: In the 12th and 13th centuries, San Gimignano became a very wealthy town because of its location along a major trading route. Wealthy patrician families built around 72 tower-houses, some as high as 54 metres, as the symbols of their wealth and power. Nowadays, only 14 towers have survived.

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   Historic Centre of San Gimignano: The oldest tower of the town is the Torre Rognosa, the tower is 51 metres high. Over the centuries, several towers of San Gimignano were demolished, but the most of them were destroyed by the German army during WW II. Nowadays, San Gimignano is a tourist town, but not as crowded as Florence and Siena.

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   Historic Centre of San Gimignano: The Rognosa Tower and the Twin Towers of San Gimignano viewed from the Great Tower, the Torre Grossa. The tower was built in 1311 and has a height of 54 metres, it is the tallest tower of San Gimignano. The Torre Grossa has even a bell. The Torre Grossa is a landmark in the surrounding area of San Gimignano.

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   Historic Centre of San Gimignano: The walls and fortified houses viewed from the Torre Grossa. The huge tower is situated next to the Palazzo Comunale, also known as the Palazzo del Popolo, the Peoples' Palace. The Sala di Dante in this palace is named after the philosopher and writer Dante Alighieri who visited San Gimignano in 1300 as an ambassador of the Florentine Republic.

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   Historic Centre of San Gimignano: The Collegiate Church was consecrated in 1148 and dedicated to St. Geminianus or St. Gimignano, the patron saint of San Gimignano, his relics of the saint are housed in the church. The façade dates from 1239, it is remarkable plain, but the church interior is lavishly adorned with frescoes, most of them dating back to the 14th century.

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   Historic Centre of San Gimignano: The Torre dei Becci and Torre dei Cugnanesi are two of the remaining medieval towers of San Gimignano. Nowadays, only 14 towers remain of the original 72 medieval towers that once dominated the historic centre of San Gimignano. The town was a relay point for pilgrims travelling on the Via Francigena, an important ancient pilgrimage route that connected Canterbury in England to Rome in Italy.

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   Historic Centre of San Gimignano: The triangular shaped Piazza della Cisterna, the town square of San Gimignano, viewed from the Torre Grossa, the Great Tower. In the middle of the Piazza della Cisterna stands an octagonal shaped fountain basin, it was built of travertine in 1346. The historic centre of San Gimignano gained the status as a UNESCO World Heritage in 1990.

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   Historic Centre of San Gimignano: The Salvucci Towers or the Torri Gemelle, the Twin Towers of San Gimignano. The towers belonged to one of the wealthiest families in the town. The towers were built to show their superiority. In the Middle Ages, San Gimignano was dominated by two powerful families, the Salvucci family and their rivals the Ardinghelli family.

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    San Gimignano rises on top of a hill, 334 metres above sea level. The 14 medieval towers of San Gimignano are clearly visible from a distance. The town is also called 'San Gimignano delle belle Torri' and also 'La città delle belle torri', the city of the beautiful towers. The historic centre of San Gimignano was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1990.