Archive for 'Localities'

Well known as a tourist attraction in and of itself, San Gimignano attracts a multitude of visitors each and every year. Some decide to stay in and around the town, looking for that small town appeal, while others make a day trip of it from one of the larger towns such as Florence and Siena. No matter what way you decide to visit, San Gimignano is a beautiful site to see. Its many towers seem to rise majestically from the landscape as you approach it.

San Gimignano is a small medieval town about 60km southwest of Florence, 70km to the western coast of Italy, and 40km from Siena. Founded by the Etruscans in the third century B.C., the town has gone from a small hamlet to a major stopping point for traders to a small tourist town well known for the wine that is grown in its region. In the middle ages the town suddenly found itself on the Via Francigena, a main road running to Rome from France and much of Europe.

In Florence, it can be difficult to not accidentally bump into some grand piece of history. The city is nothing if not living, breathing history: a museum that people live their day to day lives in. One such piece of history lies right across the Arno from the Palazzo Vecchio and the Uffizi Gallery, the Palazzo Pitti.

The Palazzo Pitti was originally constructed by Luca Pitti who gained his wealth as a banker in Florence.

According to legend, Siena was founded by the sons of the fabled founders of Rome, Romulus and Remus. One rode a black horse and the other a white horse, giving the city its symbolic colors that continue today in the symbol of the commune on its coat of arms. The city's colors and legends also live on in one of the most memorable sites the city has to offer: the Duomo di Siena. The Duomo di Siena was built with striped white and black marble, echoing the city's colors all the way up to the bell tower.

The impressive cathedral was built in many different spurts of construction, with additions after the departure of a former architect or artisan, as well as, when the church simply needed an expansion. One massive expansion was planned in the fourteenth century that would have doubled the size of the church as it is today, but unfortunately was not completed as the Black Death had finally visited fair Siena.

The tradition of the Palio dates back to medieval times, when most of the communities throughout Italy would have a local athletic competition between the contrades, or districts, of the town. Less populated areas would have the hamlets of a commune compete against one another. The traditions were typically a commemoration of an event that varied from town to town, some had jousts, archery tournaments, horse races, and even bull fights right in the city. Other cities have changed the traditions to slightly safer contests, much like Montepulciano's Bravio delle Botti.

Most, if not all, of Tuscany's cities, towns and villages have roots well beyond the medieval age. Many have been able to retain their historic centers within the ancient city walls.
These walls, which protected the city and its residents for centuries, still protect the city to this day: acting as a barrier to keep urbanization and modernization out of their historic town centers.

Lucca is a prime example of this; its city walls keep out the modern world and allow for a deeper immersion into the culture and history of the city for visitors and residents alike. Imagine how much more you might appreciate parts of your home town if you had to walk through them each day and you had the time to see the little things we rocket past in our normal, day-to-day, rushing lifestyle. But Lucca has taken their city walls to a step beyond that of most...