Torre Grossa

We picked up a rental car and drove out of Siena to visit San Gimignano and Monteriggioni, two walled cities dating from the 13th century.

San Gimignano is a UNESCO World Heritage site and is known for its fortified towers. The families who controlled the town built 70 or so tower-houses (some as high as 150 feet) as symbols of their wealth and power. Only 14 towers are still standing.

Monteriggioni is also a fortified village surrounded by towers, although smaller than those in San Gimignano.

The Via Francigena passes through both of these towns. It is an ancient pilgrimage route starting in Canterbury in England, through France and Switzerland, to Rome. Thanks to the description of his journey home to Canterbury from Rome made by an archbishop in AD 994, it has been possible to reconstruct the route precisely. Many people use these routes for trekking (and pilgrimages).Read more