luxury hotel tuscany - Hotel in San Gimignano, Italy

SAN GIMIGNANO: MEMORIES OF MEDIEVAL ITALY
What do the historic centres of Florence and San Gimignano have in common? Answer: both have been declared UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Other than that, of course, the two cities – well, city and town, really – also have in common some wonderful architecture, and a rich cultural tradition. As it stands today, San Gimignano is a small, walled, medieval town on a hilltop in Tuscany, about 35 minutes northwest of Siena and southwest of Florence. Famous for its medieval architecture, especially its towers, San Gimignano is also known for its white wine, Vernaccia di San Gimignano.

San Gimignano started life as a small Etruscan village in the third century BC. It took its present name in the 10th century AD, after the bishop Saint Geminianus, who defended it from Attila’s rampaging Huns. In medieval and Renaissance times, it was a stopping point for pilgrims on their way to Rome and the Vatican. The town also began trading in agricultural products from the neighbouring hills.

In 1300, San Gimignano welcomed Dante Alighieri as ambassador of the Guelph League in Tuscany. All went well until 1348, when the Black Death (Europe’s notorious plague epidemic) forced the town to surrender to Florence. Of secondary importance until the 19th century, San Gimignano’s popularity began growing from this time, as its status as a tourist attraction began to be recognised.

Today, San Gimignano is famed for its 13 towers, of varying heights, which the nobility had built in medieval times. In medieval Italy, these towers would serve as lodgings, fortresses, and prestige symbols. While in other Italian cities such as Bologna or Florence, most of the towers have been ruined by wars, catastrophes, and urban development, San Gimignano’s 13 towers have become its international symbol.

San Gimignano is also home to many churches, the two main ones being the Collegiata, formerly a cathedral, and Sant’Agostino, which houses works by famous Italian Renaissance artists. The Communal Palace, currently home of the Town Gallery, has works by Pinturicchio, Benozzo Gozzoli, Filippino Lippi, Domenico di Michelino, Pier Francesco Fiorentino, and others. At the heart of the town are four squares, Piazza della Cisterna, Piazza Duomo, Piazza Pecori, and Piazza delle Erbe. The main streets of the old town centre are Via San Matteo and Via San Giovanni, which cross the city from north to south.

Accommodation in San Gimignano ranges from carefully renovated farmhouses to high-quality hotels, taking in bed & breakfasts, apartments, and town house suites on the way. All of these facilities are on offer for you, as you will realise once you go through our comprehensive selection. We have taken every care to ensure that your stay in San Gimignano is comfortable, safe, and memorable.

HOTELS IN TUSCANY: YOUR GUIDE TO A PERFECT HOLIDAY

Most tourists who visit Tuscany once can’t help coming back for a return visit. Well, the hotels that you stay in while you holiday in Tuscany should have the same quality – once you stay in them, you can’t stay anywhere else. And we can promise you a choice of Tuscany hotels that will leave you yearning to return to this beautiful region of Italy, with its dazzling landscapes, wonderful cuisine, warm locals and celebrated wines.

The hotels on our list rank among the best in Tuscany, and offer you the best value for money in terms of modern comforts, luxury, and elegance. They are located in some of the most picturesque areas of Tuscany, and offer you access to some of its most famous cities, such as Florence, Pisa, and Siena.

The Hotel Residence Toscana Verde, for example, stands in the heart of old Etruria. Originally an old tobacco-working factory where Tuscan cigars were made, the hotel today stands inside a protected nature reserve, that of Ponte a Buriano Penna. All the bedrooms contain air-conditioning units, mini bars, satellite TV, telephones, and safe deposit boxes. The excellent restaurant offers many traditional Tuscan dishes. The complex also features 20 apartments, with kitchens. These can be rented according to the resort formula.

Then there’s the I Cedri, a new three-star hotel that is just a stone’s throw from Florence, a perfect blend of culture and business, ideal for the manager and the businessman who wants to combine business with pleasure, and also for the tourist who can admire both the city and the beautiful hills that surround it. The hotel has 15 double bedrooms, all trendily furnished and equipped with air-conditioning, mini bars, safes, TV sets and telephones. It also has a private car park and a breakfast room where a delicious buffet breakfast is served every morning.

But these are just two examples that give you a taste of the kind of Tuscan hotel accommodation that we can offer. Our hotels have been chosen to suit every budget, and will make you so comfortable that you will feel as though you are at home. We offer direct links to the Tuscany hotel of your choice, and you will never want to stay anywhere else in Tuscany once you have stayed at one of ours. So come and check us out because Tuscany awaits you!

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