Chigi Tower
Located in the heart of the city, in Piazza del Duomo, Torre Chigi is one of the fourteen historic towers of San Gimignano. Built in 1280 by the Useppi family, one of the most powerful Sienese families, and later owned by the Chigi Saracini family, it is considered one of the most beautiful towers in San Gimignano also because of its wonderful view. The tower is the only one to be entirely covered in stone and brick making it unique and at the same time original. Its peculiarity lies in the position of the entrance door, which is curiously located on the second floor.
The entrance, in fact, was placed at a raised level to allow those who lived there to sleep safely during the night because of the internal struggles among the town's families. During the day, a staircase was used in order to reach the streets, while at night this was withdrawn. The second of the tower's four total floors has a narrow slit like window, with an elongated arch resting on brackets. At the top, two identical single-lancet windows stand out on the first two floors, while rows of four pontaie holes are clearly visible on each floor, suggesting that the tower's surface area was even larger at the time. Surrounded by medieval buildings of equal beauty, Torre Chigi remains an important testimony to the city's history.