Piazza Della Cisterna

"UNESCO World Heritage Visitors to San Gimignano may get the feeling that time has stood still. This enchanting medieval town contains a number of masterpieces of fourteenth- and fifteenth-century Italian art, perfectly preserved in their original architectural settings. The entire town of San Gimignano is protected by UNESCO because of the testimony it bears to medieval civilization. One of the most important monuments is the Palazzo del Popolo. Completed in 1288, it was probably planned by the great architect Arnolfo di Cambio. It was here that the city council would meet and the podestà (chief magistrate) would administer the law. Coats of arms belonging to council officers from different periods are displayed on the walls of the internal courtyard (part of the extension works of 1323). Next to the palace is the imposing Loggia del Popolo, which was built in 1347, where the podestà would take the oath of allegiance in front of the townspeople. The Torre Grossa (Big Tower) was constructed next to the palace a few years later. At 177 feet (54 m) high, it is the tallest tower in San Gimignano, whose importance stemmed from its location on the Via Francigena-the traditional pilgrimage route to and from Rome. During the Renaissance, the town boasted around seventy-two tower-houses, which symbolized the power, prestige, and wealth of the families who ruled San Gimignano; only fourteen tower-houses survive today. The Torre Grossa is open to the public and visitors can enjoy a wonderful panoramic view of the town from the top. Today the Palazzo del Popolo hosts the Musei Civic and the Pinacoteca (picture gallery), which displays works of Florentine and Sienese painters of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, such as Domenico Michelino, Pinturricchio, Filippino Lippi, and Coppo di Marcovaldo."