San Gimignano

Italy is teeming with historic villages set on hilltops and surrounded by forests or vineyards. San Gimignano is one of the best-preserved medieval towns in the world. The key feature that distinguishes San Gimignano from the other towns on this list is its abundance of rival Medieval watchtowers. These skyscraping structures transform San Gimignano into a Medieval Manhattan. San Gimignano is known as the Town of Fine Towers because of its medieval architecture, particularly the preservation of its 14 intact tower residences, which were formerly a sign of the town's prosperity.

The buildings within the town walls are a great example of medieval architecture with influences of Florentine, Sienese, and Pisan styles from the 12th to the 14th century, with notable examples of both Romanesque and Gothic architecture. There are still 15 well-preserved tower houses in San Gimignano which seems like a lot, but at its peak, the tiny village had 72 of them. The city’s most powerful families each had their own tower with the height indicating their owner’s influence. Most of the cities in the region, including Florence, were actually filled with house towers like this, but most were brought down due to wars, catastrophes, and expansions. It is amazing that over a dozen of these original skyscrapers still exists today in one Medieval village.

Country: Italy