Surroundings of San Gimignano

Certaldo

Located on a hill, it can be reached by cable railway from the modern part of the city (the Borgo). The particular warm colours of the old city, which is surrounded by walls, is given by the red brick of its medieval buildings. Its origins date back to the Etruscan-Roman period. It was the birthplace of the famous italian poet, Boccaccio, who died there in 1375.

The Palazzo Pretorio or Palazzo del Vicario is the most significant building in the town. It was rebuilt in the XV century, when a portico and coats of arms were added. Along the picturesque road that leads to Porta del Rivellino, one can admire the medieval houses and a small suggestive Romanesque cloister.

Volterra

Gem of Etruscan, Roman, medieval, and Renaissance art, Volterra commands the entire Cecina valley as far as the sea from the hill on which it stands 1800 feet above sea level. It is surrounded by landscapes created by the so-called Balze: chasms caused by landslips and landslide, in the hilly north-western slopes.

In Volterra history has left its uninterrupted mark from the time of the Etruscans to the nineteenth century, with extremely important artistic and monumental forms, which can be admired simply by walking along the streets of the city centre, but also by visiting the city’s three important museums: the Museo Etrusco (Etruscan Museum), the Pinacoteca Civica (Town Art Gallery), and the Museo d'Arte Sacra (Museum of Sacred Art).

Next to these is an uncontaminated landscape, a quality of life that is still at a human pace, and an artistic handicraft unique in the whole world: alabaster.

Colle di val d'Elsa

Colle Val d’Elsa is rich in monuments of great artistic value. Located at the edge of the Piano delle Grazie, near the left bank of the river Elsa, the town is surrounded by the typical mild tuscan hills, rich in olive trees, vineyards, and cypresses.

For the inhabitants of Colle Val d’Elsa, the river has always been an important source of energy for local productive activities. Canalised into a clever system, it has contributed to turn the town into one of the most ancient industrial poles of Tuscany for processing of wool, paper, and glass.

Today Colle Val d’Elsa is famous all over the world for its production of precious crystals, among the most beautiful in Italy. The town is divided into three levels: The Piano in the lower part, i.e. the modern town, the Borgo, which extends towards the road to Volterra, and the Castello, the centre of the ancient city.

This medieval city centre is characterised by narrow paved alleys, tower-houses, mountainsides, small squares, and steps. Piazza del Duomo is the most prestigious monumental place of the city, while Via delle Volte is the most suggestive route.

Monteriggioni

Monteriggioni appears bold and towering on the peak of the hill it stands on like a sentry defending the ancient Republic of Siena. Thanks to its beauty and position it has a natural tourist vocation.

Monteriggioni was an ancient noble Borgo (suburb), founded by the Republic of Siena at the beginning of the XIII century as an outpost against Florence. It was contended over during the centuries-old war for supremacy between the two cities, and finally conquered by the Florentines only in the XVI century. Its thirteenth century walls are fundamental in the history of medieval fortifications.

They form a 1850 feet perimeter, with two gates and 14 quadrilateral towers. Inside the walls is the main square of the Borgo, which maintains an intact medieval aspect. The medieval feast Monteriggioni di torri si corona is held in mid-July every year. It is among the three most important italian medieval feasts and re-enacts the history and traditions of Monteriggioni.

All the inhabitants wear historical costumes for the occasion. Ballad singers, minstrels, musicians, and mountebanks animate the feast, while artisans show ancient trades: the blacksmith, the engraver, the rope maker, the lute maker. Real workshops and laboratories can be admired inside the castle: the coin mint, the water mill, and the shop that used to make paper.