san gimignano excursion

san gimignano excursion

San Gimignano rises on a hill (334 m), dominating the Elsa valley with its towers. Seat of a small Etruscan village of the Hellenistic period (the 3rd and the 2nd century b.c.), its history started around the 10th century and the town takes its name from St. Gimignano, Bishop of Modena, who is said to have saved the village from hordes of barbarians. It developed greatly during the Middle Ages thanks to the "Via Francigena" a route that crossed it. Such development led to the flourishing of works of art that adorned the churches and monasteries. In 1199 it became a free Municipality, fighting against the Bishops of Volterra and against the surrounding municipalities. It suffered from internal struggles dividing itself into two factions headed by the Ardinghelli family (Guelphs) and the Salvucci family (Ghibellines). On 8th May 1300, Dante Alighieri came to San Gimignano as the Ambassador of the Guelph League in Tuscany. The terrible Black Death in 1348 and the following depopulation of San Gimignano led to a serious crisis and therefore it was forced to submit to Florence. San Gimignano managed to overcome its degradation and isolation in the following centuries when its beauty and cultural importance together with its original agricultural identity, were rediscovered.

san gimignano excursion

san gimignano

san gimignano tuscany

tuscany san gimignano excursion

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