San Gimignano - Citizendia

Comune di San Gimignano

Municipal coat of arms
Location of San Gimignano in Italy
Country	Italy
Region	Tuscany
Province	Siena (SI)
Mayor	Marco Lisi (since June 2004)

Elevation	324 m (1,063 ft)
Area	138 km² (53 sq mi)
Population (as of December 31, 2005)
- Total	7,105
- Density	51/km² (132/sq mi)
Time zone	CET, UTC+1
Coordinates	43°28′N, 11°03′E
Gentilic	Sangimignanesi
Dialing code	0577
Postal code	53037

Patron	St. Geminianus
- Day	January 31
Website: www.comune.sangimignano.si.it

Historic Centre of San Gimignano*
UNESCO World Heritage Site

State Party	Italy
Type	Cultural
Criteria	i, iii, iv
Reference	550
Region†	Europe and North America
Inscription history
Inscription	1990 (14th Session)
* Name as inscribed on World Heritage List. † Region as classified by UNESCO.

San Gimignano is a small walled medieval hill town in the province of Siena, Tuscany, central Italy. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest Tuscany (Toscana is a region in Italy. It has an area of 22990 km² and a population of about 3 In Italy, a Province (in Italian provincia) is an administrative division of intermediate level between Municipality ( Comune The Province of Siena (Provincia di Siena is a province in the Tuscany region of Italy. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " Events 406 – Vandals, Alans and Suebians cross the Rhine, beginning an invasion of Gallia. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Central European Time ( CET) is one of the names of the Time zone that is 1 hour ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. UTC+1 is used in the following locations Central European Time West Africa Time Western European Summer Time A geographic coordinate system enables every location on the Earth to be specified in three coordinates using mainly a spherical coordinate system. A demonym or gentilic is a word that denotes the members of a People or the inhabitants of a place Here are a list of area codes in Italy. All numbers here begin with the country code (0039 Saint Geminianus (also known as Saint Geminian, or Saint Gimignano) was a fourth century Deacon, and later Bishop of Modena. Events 1504 - France cedes Naples to Aragon. 1606 - Gunpowder Plot: Guy Fawkes A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site (such as a Forest, Mountain, Lake, Desert, Monument, Building, complex As of 2008 there are a total of 878 World Heritage Sites located in 145 "State Parties" Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site (such as a Forest, Mountain, Lake, Desert, Monument, Building, complex This is a list of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Europe. Asia Minor, Cyprus, all of the Aegean Islands, the Canaries A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site (such as a Forest, Mountain, Lake, Desert, Monument, Building, complex See also List of cities with defensive walls A defensive wall is a Fortification used to defend a city or settlement from potential aggressors Hill town is the term used to describe Citadel towns built upon hills to ward off invaders The Province of Siena (Provincia di Siena is a province in the Tuscany region of Italy. Tuscany (Toscana is a region in Italy. It has an area of 22990 km² and a population of about 3 Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest It is mainly famous for its medieval architecture, especially its towers, which may be seen from several kilometers outside the town. The term architecture (from Greek αρχιτεκτονικήarchitektoniki) can be used to mean a process a profession or documentation Towers are tall human-made Structures that are always taller than they are wide usually by a significant Margin.

The town also is known for the white wine, Vernaccia di San Gimignano, grown in the area. Wine is an Alcoholic beverage made from the fermentation of Grape juice Vernaccia is a white Italian wine, made from the Vernaccia grape produced in and around the Italian hill town of San Gimignano in Tuscany

1 History
2 Main sights
3 Culture
4 Gallery
5 External links

History

San Gimignano was founded as a small village in the 3rd century BC by the Etruscans. The 3rd century BC started the first day of 300 BC and ended the last day of 201 BC Etruscan civilization is the modern English name given to the culture and way of life of a people of ancient Italy Historical records begin in the 10th century, when it adopted the name of the bishop Saint Geminianus, who had defended it from Attila's Huns. A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight Saint Geminianus (also known as Saint Geminian, or Saint Gimignano) was a fourth century Deacon, and later Bishop of Modena. The Huns were an early confederation of Central Asian equestrian nomads or semi-nomads with a Turkic core of aristocracy

In the Middle Ages and Renaissance era, it was a stopping point for Catholic pilgrims on their way to Rome and the Vatican, as it sits on the medieval Via Francigena. The Renaissance (from French Renaissance, meaning "rebirth" Italian: Rinascimento, from re- "again" and nascere A pilgrim is one who undertakes a Pilgrimage, literally 'far afield' Rome ( Roma ˈroma Roma is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city with more than 2 The Via Francigena is an ancient road between Rome and Canterbury, passing through England, France, Switzerland and Italy The city's development also was improved by the trade of agricultural products from the fertile neighbouring hills.

In 1199, during the period of its highest splendour, the city made itself independent from the bishops of Volterra. Volterra is a town in the Tuscany region of Italy. History The town was a Neolithic settlement and an important Etruscan center with an Divisions between Guelphs and Ghibellines troubled the inner life of the commune, which nonetheless, still managed to embellish itself with artworks and architectures. The Guelphs and Ghibellines were factions supporting respectively the Papacy and the Holy Roman Empire in central and northern Italy Communes in Europe in the Middle Ages were sworn allegiances of mutual defense (both physical defense and of traditional freedoms among community members of a town or city

Saint Fina, known also as Seraphina and Serafina, was a thirteenth century Italian saint born in San Gimignano during 1238. Saint Fina (1238-1253 is a blessed who is venerated in the Tuscan town of San Gimignano. A saint (from the Latin sanctus) is a human being to whom has been attributed (and who has generally demonstrated a high level of Holiness and Sanctity Since Saint Fina died on March 12, 1253 her feast day became March 12. Events 538 - Witiges, king of the Ostrogoths ends his siege of Rome and retreats to Ravenna, leaving Her major shrine is in San Gimignano and the house said to be her home still stands in the town.

On May 8, 1300, San Gimignano hosted Dante Alighieri in his role of ambassador of the Guelph League in Tuscany. Events 589 - Reccared summons the Third Council of Toledo 1450 - Jack Cade's Rebellion: Kentishmen

The city flourished until 1348, when the plague that affected all of Europe, compelled it to submit to Florence. The Black Death, or the Black Plague, was one of the deadliest Pandemics in human history widely thought to have been caused by a bacterium named Yersinia Florence ( Italian: Firenze Florentia and Fiorenza) is the Capital City of the Italian region of Tuscany San Gimignano became a secondary centre until the nineteenth century, when its status as a touristic and artistic resort began to be recognized.

Main sights

While in other cities, such as Bologna or Florence, most or all of their towers have been brought down due to wars, catastrophes, or urban renewal, San Gimignano has managed to conserve fourteen towers of varying height which have become its international symbol. Bologna (boloɲa from Latin Bononia, Bulåggna in Bolognese dialect is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna in northern Italy Florence ( Italian: Firenze Florentia and Fiorenza) is the Capital City of the Italian region of Tuscany

There are many churches in the town: the two main ones are the Collegiata, formerly a cathedral, and Sant'Agostino, housing a wide representation of artworks from some of the main Italian renaissance artists. The Collegiata is the main church of San Gimignano, Tuscany, situated in the Piazza del Duomo at the town's heart The chiesa di Sant'Agostino (Church of St Augustine) is the second largest church in San Gimignano, Italy, after the Collegiata.

The Communal Palace, once seat of the podestà, is currently home of the Town Gallery, with works by Pinturicchio, Benozzo Gozzoli, Filippino Lippi, Domenico di Michelino, Pier Francesco Fiorentino, and others. For information on the phantom island of the same name see Podesta (island. Bernardino di Betto, called Pintoricchio or Pinturicchio (1454 &ndash 1513 was an Italian painter of the Renaissance Benozzo Gozzoli (c 1421 &ndash 1497 was an Italian Renaissance painter from Florence Filippo Lippi (c 1457 &ndash April 1504 was a well-known painter working during the High Renaissance in Florence, Italy. Domenico di Michelino (1417 &ndash 1491 was an Italian painter of the Florentine school and a follower of the style of Fra Angelico. From Dante's Hall in the palace, access may be made to a Majesty fresco by Lippo Memmi, as well as the Torre del Podestà or Torre Grossa, 1311, which stands fifty-four meters high. Lippo Memmi (c 1291 &ndash 1356 was an Italian painter from Siena.

The heart of the town contains the four squares, Piazza della Cisterna, Piazza Duomo where the Collegiata is located, Piazza Pecori, and Piazza delle Erbe. The main streets are Via San Matteo and Via San Giovanni, which cross the city from north to south.

Culture

San Gimignano is the birthplace of the poet Folgore da San Gimignano (1270-1332). Folgóre da San Gimignano, pseudonym of Giacomo di Michele or Jacopo di Michele (c

A fictionalised version of San Gimignano is featured in E.M. Forster's 1905 novel, Where Angels Fear to Tread as Monteriano. Edward Morgan Forster OM, CH (1 January 1879–7 June 1970 was an English novelist Short story writer Essayist, and Librettist Where Angels Fear to Tread (1905 is a novel by E M Forster, originally entitled Monteriano. Monteriano is a fictional Tuscan hill town It was the original title and is the principal locale of E

It is thought that the towers are the inspiration for the design of the campus of the University of Essex and of the residential colleges of Ezra Stiles and Morse at Yale University. The University of Essex is a British Campus university located near the town of Colchester, England

M. C. Escher's 1923 woodcut, San Gimignano, [1] depicts the celebrated towers. Maurits Cornelis Escher (17 June 1898 – 27 March 1972 usually referred to as M

Tea with Mussolini, a 1999 drama about the plight of English and American expatriate women in Italy during World War II, was filmed in part at San Gimignano. Tea with Mussolini ( 1999) is a semi-autobiographical Film directed by Franco Zeffirelli, telling the story of young Italian boy World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The frescoes that the women save are inside the Duomo, the town's main church.

In the fictional novel The Broker by John Grisham, Joel Backman takes his second of three wives on vacation in Italy to keep her from divorcing him. The Broker is a Suspense novel written by American author John Grisham published in the United States on January 11 2005. They rent a fourteenth-century monastery near San Gimignano for a month.

Gallery

View of San Gimignano against a stormy sky	The countryside from one of the tallest towers	The square of the fountain - Piazza del Cisterna	Two towers
The Portal of San Matteo	Medieval fountains	A bastion in the defensive walls	A tower house
The Romanesque Pieve di Cèllole	Hand-painted ceramics are a product of the town	The Collegiate Church is famous for its frescos	A fresco of Saint Fina in the church