L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2022 www.italoamericano.org 10 L'Italo-Americano W h e n y o u t h i n k o f i t , t h e s m a l l t o w n o f S a n G i m i g n a n o , i n t h e Siena province of Tuscany, has all the characteristics of a dream: it isn't only beauti- ful, but it is also suspended in a sort of timeless atmos- phere, one where you are sure it's all real, yet the sur- real is just around the next corner. You may even start to doubt your senses, in San Gimignano. With its 7, 500 citizens, it is far from being a large set- tlement, yet, San Gimignano holds, within its relatively small size, more history and art than many international metropolises, the reason for which its historic center is p a r t o f t h e U N E S C O World Heritage. W h a t y o u s e e i n S a n G i m i g n a n o t o d a y i s v e r y m u c h w h a t p e o p l e i n t h e 1 3 t h c e n t u r y w o u l d h a v e seen. There are many beau- tiful things to enjoy in San Gimignano, but what we all remember it for are its tow- ers: once upon a time, there were almost 100 of them in the whole town - 72 to be more precise - 14 of which are still standing, timeless a n d m a j e s t i c , t o d a y . T h e ubiquitous presence of tow- e r s i s l i n k e d t o S a n Gimignano's history and the times of its splendor, the 13th century. Back then, S a n G i m i g n a n o w a s a n important commercial hub thanks to the Via Franci- gena, which facilitated agri- cultural trade. Moreover, the hills and fields around town hosted - and still do today - large cultivations of saffron, a spice as precious in the Middle Ages as it is in 2022. Trade made the town wealthy and many families competed for the top spot: the quickest way to show how much money you had? Building the tallest tower. Of the 14 towers still extant t o d a y , t h e h i g h e s t i s t h e Torre Grossa, also known as the Torre del Podestà, or the Rognosa, which literally translates with "mangy" but i n I t a l i a n i s a l s o u s e d t o i n d i c a t e s o m e o n e w h o i s particularly difficult, or hard t o h a n d l e . L a R o g n o s a r e a c h e s a h e i g h t o f 5 2 meters and was built in 1311 next to the Palazzo Comu- n a l e , i n P i a z z a D u o m o . Back then, no other tower could be higher than her by law: in the end, it represent- ed the greatest institution of S a n G i m i g n a n o , t h e comune. B u t d r a m a w a s j u s t around the corner because the A r d i n g h e l l i f a m i l y had the cheek to build not one, but two towers larger t h a n L a R o g n o s a o n t h e corner of Piazza della Cister- n a w i t h P i a z z a D u o m o . However, the Ardinghellis were forced to reduce their h e i g h t c o n s i d e r a b l y , a n d that's how we still see them, shorter and humbled, today. Last but not certainly least, we should mention also the Campatelli tower, which is open to the public. Towers, yes: to the point that Italian tourism's official portal, www.italia.it, dubbed San Gimignano "the Man- hattan of the 13th century," thinking of the many sky- scrapers in the most popular part of New York City. But not only towers. San G i m i g n a n o h a s m o r e t o offer to the art and architec- ture lover: for instance, its t h r e e - n a v e c a t h e d r a l , t h e C o l l e g i a t a d i S a n t a Maria Assunta, also known a s t h e S a n G i m i g n a n o Duomo, has beautiful blue cross-vaulted ceilings and f r e s c o e s b y a r t i s t s o f t h e r e n o w n e d 1 4 t h c e n t u r y Senese school. The already- mentioned Palazzo Comu- nale is not only home to the local Civic Museums, but a l s o t o S a n G i m i g n a n o ' s famous Pinacoteca, which hosts masterpieces of great artists from the Senese and Florentine schools, from the 1 3 t h t o t h e 1 5 t h c e n t u r y , including works by Filippino L i p p i , P i n t u r i c c h i o , Benedetto da Maiano and Benozzo Gozzoli. Last, but not least, its Council Cham- ber is dedicated to Dante Alighieri, who visited the town in 1299. Another interesting place in town is the Santa Chiara c o n s e r v a t o r y c o m p l e x , w h e r e w e c a n f i n d t h e Speziera di Santa Fina, a m u s e u m d e d i c a t e d S a n Gimignano's apothecary tra- dition with an extensive col- lection of apothecary vases f r o m t h e m e d i e v a l S a n Gimignano hospital, found- ed in 1253. Always in the conservatory, we find the A r c h a e o l o g i c a l M u s e - u m , t h e p e r f e c t s t o p f o r those interested in ancient and classical archaeology, as w e l l a s t h e R a f f a e l e d e Grada Gallery of Mod- ern and Contemporary Art. A f t e r a l l t h i s w a l k i n g around and overwhelming beauty, it's time to sit down to eat! We are in Tuscany, so we can rest assured that g o o d f o o d a n d w i n e a r e available in San Gimignano, t o o . A c c o r d i n g t o S a r a Daniele of the Emotionally blog (www.emotionally.eu), the most important of all i n g r e d i e n t s i n S a n Gimignano is saffron: she mentions a delicious risotto with saffron, mascarpone and artichokes that I'd cer- tainly love to try. Another important local production - and ingredient - is that of extra virgin olive oil. If you love cold cuts, then you should try traditional Tuscan delicacies such as f i n o c c h i o n a s a l a m e , soppressata, and pro- sciutto crudo Toscano, all served on Tuscan salt- free bread, known as pane sciocco, or "silly bread." Just like in other parts of t h e T u s c a n c o u n t r y s i d e , meat, and game in particu- lar, plays a huge part in San Gimignano's cuisine, espe- cially combined with saffron - think of pork with saffron or rabbit with saffron - or with local wines, like Ver- naccia, a white also used to cook wild boar. The medieval dream of San Gimignano CHIARA D'ALESSIO San Gimignano is known as the town of towers (Photo: Laraslk/Dreamstime) ALL AROUND ITALY TRAVEL TIPS DESTINATIONS ACTIVITIES

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