Known around the world for its iconic skyline and the beauty it preserves, the historic center of San Gimignano has been on the World Heritage List since 1990: it was, in fact, one of the first sites in Italy to receive this recognition from UNESCO. The nomination is due to some peculiar characteristics of San Gimignano, such as its great historical-artistic heritage and the exceptional value of a perfectly preserved medieval old town: it is precisely these uniquenesses that make the city an ideal place to walk, on the trail of the "heritage criteria."

The historic center and the Unesco criteria
There are three criteria that characterize and make the historic center of San Gimignano unique in the world:

Criterion (I):

The city's historic center preserves a number of masterpieces of 14th- and 15th-century Italian art in their original architectural context. In the Collegiate Church, in particular, are Taddeo di Bartolo's fresco of the Last Judgment (1393), Benozzo Gozzoli's Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian (1465), and, above all, Domenico Ghirlandaio's magnificent frescoes (the Santa Fina cycle, 1475) and the Annunciation in the Baptistery (1482). Other works of exceptional value are the large frescoes by Benozzo Gozzoli depicting Saint Sebastian and Saint Augustine.

Criterion (III):

San Gimignano is an exceptional testimony to medieval civilization because it encloses, within a limited area, all the typical structures of urban life: squares and streets, houses and palaces, wells and fountains. Memmo di Filippuccio's frescoes, commissioned by the City in 1303 to decorate the rooms of the Podestà in the Palazzo del Popolo, are among the documents most frequently used to illustrate, right down to the details of domestic space, everyday life in the 14th century.

Criterion (IV):

While the urban landscape of Florence, dominated by the towers of its public palaces (Palazzo del Podestà and Palazzo della Signoria) shows how public institutions prevailed over personal power-the height of the noble house-towers was periodically reduced after 1250-in San Gimignano, whose encastellation dates back to 998, the 14 towers proudly raised above its palaces preserve the appearance of a Tuscan feudal city, controlled by rival factions always ready for conflict. They show a significant moment in history that cannot be documented in cities like Florence, Siena, Bologna, despite their extraordinary monuments.

The Heritage Walk: exploring the historic center on foot, on the trail of UNESCO criteria

Stage 1

The medieval walls and the Cistern Square

To better understand the criteria when visiting the historic center, one can start by walking along the ancient city walls, starting from Porta San Giovanni. The route allows one to admire the Tuscan countryside surrounding San Gimignano as if in an embrace, and to feel strongly the presence and consistency of the city walls. You will then be able to enter the historic center by crossing the Piazza della Cisterna: at its center is a well built in 1273 to serve the entire population, a sign of the great attention that, even in the Middle Ages, the city had towards the entire population and democracy. From the Piazza della Cisterna you can see the Arco dei Becci e Cugnanesi, one of the gates of San Gimignano's first circle of walls. Continuing to the Piazza del Duomo we are about to begin the second stage of the walk: here, in fact, are the Palazzo del Podestà, the Collegiata and other important buildings.

One already begins from these first steps to understand how the historic center preserves not only some significant works, but how, as a whole, it has preserved the complex system of medieval cities made up of streets, squares, city walls, palaces, but also an articulated water system.

Stage 2

The Collegiate Church and the Town Hall

From the Piazza del Duomo you can access the Collegiata and the Palazzo Comunale, which, like the other churches in the historic center, preserve a wealth of works by artists important to the history of Italian art.It is by visiting these places and breathing in their immortal charm that what UNESCO identifies as masterpiece of man's creative genius. The main gem of the Palazzo Comunale is the Sala di Dante, dedicated to the Supreme Poet: it was here that Dante Alighieri delivered a famous political harangue in 1300 in favor of the Guelph League.

The beautifully frescoed room preserves some important evidence of inscriptions that bring us back to the theme of democracy and thus the third UNESCO criterion: it is an invocation to respect justice and equality, considering all men equal before the law, something not taken for granted in the 14th century and a sign of great civilization. Also in the Palazzo Comunale, one can visit the Camera del Podestà, which preserves an important cycle of frescoes documenting the life of the couple in the Middle Ages and is a unique testimony of its kind. Going up the Torre Grossa will allow you to discover the context in which the historic center is immersed, made up of a dialogue between the Tuscan countryside and ancient paths such as the Via Francigena, still traveled by pilgrims today.

Stage 3

The Fortress of Montestaffoli and medieval sources.

The itinerary in the historic center proceeds in the direction of the Rocca di Montestaffoli, one of the oldest places in San Gimignano; from its panoramic terrace it is possible to admire the countryside and the many towers of the city and, for fans of the famous local white wine, enjoy an excellent tasting at La Rocca - Vernaccia Wine Experience, the center dedicated to Vernaccia DOCG wine that has its headquarters right in the Rocca. The walk then continues towards the Fonti Medievali Monumentali (Monumental Medieval Sources), which gently lead towards the exit from the city walls, a prelude to the countryside: it is precisely by leaving the historic center and slightly penetrating into the surrounding nature that it is possible to admire the profile of the city, scouting out some panoramic viewpoints where to stop and contemplate its profile in its magnificent entirety.