The city of San Gimignano is known for its 14 medieval towers that still stand of about 60 that stood up to the middle of the 14th century. Aristocrats would build them to protect themselves from rival cities and rival families within the same town. When a family lost its fortune the tower would be leveled to a normal city building level and used for other purposes. In 1348 the Black Plague hit Italy and wiped out between 1/3 and 1/2 of the population of most cities. San Gimignano went from 12,000 to 4,000 people and then when the Italy recuperated, Florence directed the trade route away from the town and it still stands as perfectly preserved medieval town.
We climbed the tallest tower to get a better view of the city.
And we also had our lunch on the path that goes around the old city walls.
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