Historic Centre of San Gimignano
'San Gimignano delle belle Torri' is in Tuscany, 56 km south of Florence. It served as an important relay point for pilgrims travelling to or from Rome on the Via Francigena. The patrician families who controlled the town built around 72 tower-houses (some as high as 50 m) as symbols of their wealth and power. Although only 14 have survived, San Gimignano has retained its feudal atmosphere and appearance. The town also has several masterpieces of 14th- and 15th-century Italian art.
http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/550
The Historic Centre of San Gimignano is known for its medieval tower houses and works of art. The towers date from the 12th and 13th centuries, when there were 72 of them (now only 14 are left).
The two main churches in town are the Collegiata, formerly a cathedral, and Sant'Agostino. Both house a wide representation of artworks from some of the main Italian renaissance artists.
The Communal Palace, once seat of the podestá, is currently home of the Town Gallery, with works by Pinturicchio, Benozzo Gozzoli, Filippino Lippi, Domenico di Michelino, Pier Francesco Fiorentino, and others. From Dante's Hall in the palace, access may be made to a Majesty fresco by Lippo Memmi, as well as the Torre Grossa which stands fifty-four meters high.
http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/sangimignano.html
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