14 Fab Things to Do in San Gimignano, Italy

1 month ago 9

Adventurous Kate contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, I will earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks!

San Gimignano is a tiny Tuscan hill town just an hour outside of Florence. People come to San Gimignano to enjoy its stone architecture and medieval towers; its museums and views — oh yes, and one particular gelato shop.

San Gimignano is as touristy as Tuscany gets — but it’s still a fun place to visit.

Before you plan your visit to San Gimignano, you should know what it is: a small town (population: 7,000) with an even smaller walled medieval city. That’s the part you’ll visit, and this town caters almost entirely to tourists.

What does that mean? To compare it to nearby Siena, Siena is still a city where regular Tuscan folks live and work. San Gimignano has one industry: tourism. In the walled city of San Gimignano, I didn’t see a hardware store, a dry cleaner, a flea market — anything that caters primarily to locals.

All the being said — I still think San Gimignano is worth visiting. One of the best reasons to visit San Gimignano is for the photography. The walled town is incredibly photogenic, the views over the landscape are grand, and the 14 stone towers make up a “Medieval Manhattan” that is unique in Tuscany.

It’s a bit hairy to get to San Gimignano from Florence by public transit. When I visited, I went with Walks on their Tuscany tour through San Gimignano, Siena and the Chianti wine region (they let me join the tour for free, and I loved it anyway). It was an easy and fun way to see all three places in a single day without worrying about transit connections!

Let’s take a look at the best things to do in San Gimignano. I think you’ll enjoy this town!

This post was published in November 2024 and was co-written by Adventurous Kate and Riana Ang-Canning.

A view from above of a small Tuscan town with lots of hill towers, and the bright green, misty Tuscan countryside surrounding it.

Things to Do in San Gimignano

Climb Torre Grossa for spectacular views

If you’re looking for those quintessential Tuscany views — a medieval town surrounded by lush, green rolling hills as far as the eye can see — you’ll love climbing the Torre Grossa in San Gimignano!

Torre Grossa, also known as the Great Tower, was built in the 14th century. Today, at just 53 meters (177 feet), it’s the tallest tower in San Gimignano. To get to the epic view at the top, you’ll need to climb 218 steps.

Your ticket to the tower costs 9 EUR ($10) and also grants you entrance to the museum and gallery in the building below.

Climbing Torre Grossa is a great thing to do when you first arrive in San Gimignano as it’ll give you an overview of the city and appreciation for where you are in Tuscany.

And don’t be put off if the weather isn’t cooperating! It was gray and drizzly during my visit, and I still love how my photos came out.

A piazza in a small medievan Tuscan town.

Explore the medieval town center

The historic center of San Gimignano is a UNESCO World Heritage Site for two major reasons. First, it was an important stop for pilgrims traveling to Rome during the Middle Ages, and second, it was recognized for its impressive towers — though sadly, only 14 of the original 72 towers survive today.

Start your exploration at Palazzo Comunale, also known as Palazzo del Popolo, in San Gimignano’s main square, Piazza del Duomo. This municipal palace is the seat of local government in town and also houses a museum and art gallery. It’s also the building beneath Torre Grossa, so you can combine a visit to both the palace and tower.

Stroll from Piazza del Duomo to the connected Piazza della Cisterna where you’ll find more medieval towers, an ancient city gate, an ancient cistern and some world-class gelato (more on that later!).

A simple, nondescript stone church next to a stone tower.

Appreciate the stunning churches

Like most medieval European cities, San Gimignano has its fair share of beautiful churches to visit.

Start with the main church in town, Collegiata di Santa Maria Assunta, also known as the Duomo of San Gimignano. This church was built in the 12th Century and had many important frescoes added to it throughout the Renaissance period. The exterior is simple, but inside you’ll see lots of architectural details and colorful artwork.

Two other churches worth visiting in San Gimignano are Chiesa di Sant’Agostino and Chiesa di San Lorenzo in Ponte. Chiesa di Sant’Agostino is the second largest church after the Collegiata and also houses some impressive frescoes. Chiesa di San Lorenzo in Ponte is one of the oldest churches in San Gimignano and famous for its art piece, Madonna with Child in Glory.

Famous Italian painters Lippo Memmi and Benozzo Gozzoli both contributed frescoes to the Church of Sant’Agostino, Palazzo del Popolo and Collegiate Church of Santa Maria Assunta.

A small museum with Renaissance paintings on the walls.

Visit the museums & galleries

If you’d like to learn more about the culture and history of San Gimignano, you can visit one of the town’s museums or galleries. Start with Museo Civico (Civic Museum), located in the town hall of Palazzo Comunale, where you’ll learn about San Gimignano’s interesting history, governance, and art scene. (Your ticket to the Torre Grossa gets you in here.)

The Museo Archeologico displays art and artifacts from the Etruscan, Roman, and Medieval periods found in the area around San Gimignano. The Herbarium of Santa Fina (or Spezieria di Santa Fina) is set up like an ancient pharmacy, displaying vessels from the 15-18th Centuries.

Galleria d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea is a museum to visit for 20th Century paintings.

San Gimignano also has a number of modern art galleries you can explore, which makes a lovely contrast to the ancient feeling of the town. Check out Galleria Gagliardi or iSculpture for contemporary sculptures, Galleria Continua for large-scale contemporary art, and Nous Art Gallery for nature-inspired art.

A big table set in a wine cellar with lots of wine glasses for each person.

Go wine tasting

You never have to go far to find good wine in Italy — and that’s doubly true in Tuscany, which is home to some of the most robust reds in the country. The hills surrounding San Gimignano are home to some lovely vineyards you can visit.

On this 2-Hour Wine & Gourmet Tasting, you’ll join an expert sommelier at a Tuscan winery near San Gimignano as they lead you through a wine tasting. You’ll learn about the different varieties produced in this winemaking region of Italy and pair your wine tasting with snacks or lunch.

Another option is a wine and food tasting at a family-run, organic farm and winery just outside of San Gimignano. Your visit will include a tour around the garden, orchard, vineyard, olive grove, wine cellar and aging room. You’ll then pair eight of the winery’s reds, whites and rosés with farm-grown snacks, such as olive oil and local cheeses.

A medieval tower set among the stone buildings on a piazza in Italy.

Tour Torre e Casa Campatelli or Torre Salvucci Maggiore

Torre Grassa isn’t the only tower in town, and so many of the towers here today exemplify San Gimignano’s historic importance. While only 14 towers remain, San Gimignano is still nicknamed the “Manhattan of Tuscany,” “Manhattan of the Middle Ages,” or “Medieval Manhattan,” thanks to its famous skyline of medieval skyscrapers.

Torre e Casa Campatelli (Campatelli Tower House) is a 12th Century tower that stands almost 100 feet tall. Today, you can tour the tower house, where the Campatelli family used to live, and see authentic 18th century furnishings throughout the floors.

Or if you want an even more immersive experience, check out Torre Salvucci Maggiore, which stands about 140 feet high. This tower is set up as a vertical apartment across 11 floors and is available for guests to stay in overnight. As long as you don’t mind stairs, this would be an incredible place to stay!

People walking down the stone streets of San Gimignano.

Learn about the town history at San Gimignano 1300

Get ready to time travel back to 14th Century Tuscany at San Gimignano 1300. This engaging art and history museum recreates San Gimignano as it was in the 1300’s.

Inside you’ll find a miniature clay reconstruction of the entire town in the 14th Century, as well as separate dioramas showing off city life and the building of the towers.

Tour guides are available to explain the city’s history and answer the question of what happened to all of San Gimignano’s towers. Next door you’ll also find a contemporary art gallery and gift shop.

A gallery in San Gimignano with several paintings on display outside its stone door.

Check out the local artisans and their stores

All along the squares and streets of San Gimignano, you’ll find local artisans selling food items, crafts, jewelry, clothing, and more. In between touring the towers and churches, take a break to do a little shopping.

My favorite shop in San Gimignano was Balducci Ceramica. Here you can watch husband and wife team Franco Balducci and Esther Vogeli craft their handmade pottery and ceramics, as well as purchase a piece of art to take home. You’ll also see some of Franco’s work around San Gimignano.

Other highly rated shops include Le Torri or Marri e Rossi for leather goods, Pantani Arte for paintings and crafts, La Buca di Montauto for gourmet food, and Macallè for jewelry.

Is it worth shopping in San Gimignano? As an Italy travel expert who LOVES to shop, I would shop for high-quality, artisanal items in San Gimignano at one of the stores listed above. I would NOT shop for cheap, mass-market produced souvenirs here, as those will be much cheaper at markets in Florence.

A large crowd of people waiting outside a gelato shop.

Grab a gelato at Gelateria Dondoli

I love tracking down the best gelato shop in Italian towns I visit, and in San Gimignano, that’s Gelateria Dondoli! This gelato shop is hugely popular and has won lots of awards. It’s also conveniently located, right on Piazza della Cisterna.

Gelateria Dondoli is best known for their handmade gelato using rich, local ingredients. This has resulted in some unique flavors such as Crema di Santa Fina (with saffron and pine nuts), Champelmo (pink grapefruit with sparkling wine), and combinations like cheese and olive, chestnut and rosemary, and pumpkin and chocolate.

If you’re a really big fan, you can even take a gelato class with Sergio Dondoli himself!

I warn you, though — this place is BUSY and you can expect long lines, even on drizzly days like the day I visited. If you have limited free time on your day trip to San Gimignano, give yourselves 15 minutes or so to wait in line here. Perhaps longer in the summer.

Want gelato, but don’t have enough time to wait? There are a few other cafes on Piazza della Cisterna that serve average gelato.

A view fro the tower I San Gimignano, overlooking smaller towers and the green hills of Tuscany on a foggy gray day.

Visit Parco della Rocca & Citadel at sunset

If you’re looking for the perfect spot to catch a sunset in San Gimignano, head to Parco della Rocca, just near Piazza Duomo. This park is named for Rocca di Montestaffoli, a 14th Century fortress on the city walls of San Gimignano. Today, only ruins of the walls of the fortress remain.

Besides being a great place to watch the sun go down over the wide fields of Tuscany, Parco della Rocca is often used for shows and events in the summer.

The park hosts Giostra dei Bastioni, a jousting competition between medieval knights, and the Vernaccia di San Gimignano Wine Experience La Rocca for wine enthusiasts.

An Italian man showing a traveler how to stuff a sausage.

Enjoy a dinner with locals

One of the best ways to discover the delicious food and wonderful hospitality of Tuscany is by dining with a local. With these experiences, you can enjoy a great meal with good company and even try your hand at making an Italian dish.

On this Dining Experience at a Local’s Home you’ll be invited into a local’s home for a private meal. You’ll enjoy a show as your hosts prepare family recipes right in front of you. Once the cooking is finished, you’ll enjoy a four-course meal paired with local wines, and take home a souvenir apron.

Chef's hands sculpting tortelli -- large tortellini. His hands surround the cheese stuffing and push down.

Learn to make pizza or pasta

If you’re going to learn how to make pizza or pasta, Italy is the place to learn! While pizza isn’t a typical Tuscan dish, if you’re not visiting Naples on your trip, Tuscany will do just fine.

In this 2-Hour Pizza Class & Wine Tasting, you’ll head to Tenuta Torciano Winery just outside of San Gimignano to learn to make pizza the old-fashioned way. The focus will be on fresh, local ingredients and learning from an expert pizza chef. After your cooking class, you’ll enjoy the fruits of your labor alongside more Tuscan specialties and a wine tasting.

Or check out this private pasta-making class at a local’s home in San Gimignano. It doesn’t get more authentic than making handmade pasta in a local Italian home! You and your host will prepare three types of pasta and enjoy eating them paired with sauces and local wines.

A man holding a truffle, crouched next to a medium-sized black dog in the forest.

Go truffle hunting

One of the most iconic experiences you can have in Tuscany is going out on a truffle hunt. Tuscany is one of the more reliable regions in Italy for truffle-hunting. It’s hard not to get excited as your expert truffle-hunting dog sniffs their way to underground gold!

On this Truffle Hunting with Lunch & Wine Tasting Tour, you’ll join a professional guide and trained dog as they hunt for truffles in a forest near San Gimignano. Your guide will explain how truffles are grown and found in Tuscany and — if you’re lucky — your dog will hit the jackpot!

After your hunt, you’ll relax back at a local winery where you’ll enjoy a delicious Tuscan lunch, olive oil tasting, and wine tasting led by a sommelier.

A bowl of thick-cut pappardelle noodles and pieces of wild boar.

Sample the local cuisine

You can eat well anywhere in Italy, and that’s especially true in San Gimignano! If you have time for a meal here, be sure to sample some specialties unique to Tuscany and San Gimignano itself.

This part of Tuscany is big on cinghiale (CHEEN-ghee-AH-lay) — wild boar. While you can find it all over Tuscany, it’s one of the local specialties of San Gimignano.

My favorite go-to wild boar dish is pappardelle al cinghiale, which is thick-cut pasta in a wild boar meat sauce. It’s the kind of dish that sticks to your ribs, in a good way!

You an also try wild boar sausage as part of a salume platter (a big plate of cured meats served before a meal), and wild boar stew is another option.

Le Vecchie Mura, in the center of San Gimignano, is a nice spot if you have time for a leisurely lunch.

Other Tuscan specialities include ribollita (a stew of bread, beans and vegetables), papa al pomodoro (a bread, bean, and tomato soup), bistecca fiorentina (an enormous steak done rare), and of course, plenty of deep, robust Tuscan red wines.

A room in a museum with frescoed walls and lot of clear plastic chairs.

How Much Time to Spend in San Gimignano, Italy

San Gimignano is a REALLY small town, and these days, it caters primarily to tourists’ needs. For that reason, I think you only need to spend a few hours in San Gimignano.

Just a morning or an afternoon should be enough time to explore San Gimignano; you could stretch it to a full day if you booked a cooking class or wine tasting trip or did some serious gallery-hopping.

Because you only need half a day to enjoy San Gimignano, it pairs perfectly with another Tuscan town as the perfect day trip from Florence. I think that Siena and San Gimignano make a perfect pair, as they’re close to each other and have easy transit connections between them.

And once again — I really enjoyed my day trip from Florence to Siena and San Gimignano, which was easy, well-paced, and left me feeling like I had experienced both places quite nicely.

People walking down the stone-walled street in San Gimignano.

How to Get to San Gimignano, Italy

Most people visit San Gimignano on a day trip from Florence or as part of a longer road trip around Tuscany.

If you’re planning a longer Tuscany road trip, you’ll definitely want to rent your own car. Many of the small little towns and wineries have limited public transport connections, and San Gimignano is no exception.

From Florence, it’s an hourlong drive to San Gimignano, or you can take a bus to the town of Poggibonsi (50 minutes), then change to a bus to San Gimignano (20 minutes).

From Siena, it’s a 55-minute drive to San Gimignano, or you can take a bus directly to San Gimignano (1 hour and 5 minutes).

If you’re only visiting San Gimignano on a day trip from Florence, I strongly recommend booking the Siena and San Gimignano Day Trip from Florence that I took with Walks. It was a really great day and SO much easier than navigating the public transport.

A tall stone arch at the entrance to the walled city of San Gimignano.

Where to Stay in San Gimignano, Italy

If you do decide to stay overnight in San Gimignano, here are some of the best places to stay:

Top-rated budget hotel in San Gimignano: La Fornace Di Racciano is a family-run B&B on a rustic property just outside of San Gimignano. Enjoy swimming in the outdoor pool and admiring the wood beam ceilings.
Top-rated mid-range hotel in San Gimignano: La Locanda di Quercecchio is located within San Gimignano and offers lots of authentic Tuscan charm. Another great option for a mid-range budget is Leon Bianco, located on the main square in San Gimignano and mixing the modern with the traditional.
Top-rated luxury hotel in San Gimignano: Hotel Bel Soggiorno is centrally located in San Gimignano and offers beautiful views of the town and Tuscan countryside from its terraces and on-site restaurant.

Find deals on places to stay in San Gimignano here.

Foggy green hills on a gray day in Tuscany.

Best Time to Visit San Gimignano, Italy

You can visit San Gimignano year-round — and plenty of people do — but expect bigger crowds during high season, from late spring to early fall. These days, it seems like high season in Tuscany keeps getting longer and longer. There were wall-to-wall crowds in Florence in March!

But if you’re looking for the optimal time to visit Tuscany, I personally love visiting in the fall, especially mid-to-late October. It’s a bit less crowded, the temperatures are more reasonable, you get to see some changing leaves, and it’s time for the harvest.

While some people visit San Gimignano in the winter, you should know that some of the businesses in town close during the winter months. You can still enjoy your trip — just know that it will be much quieter than usual.

Kate taking a smiling selfie from the tower, overlooking the medieval stone town and green hills below.

Is San Gimignano Worth It?

Absolutely, San Gimignano is worth visiting. It’s a charming small town with enough to do, see, and eat to entertain you for a few hours.

But — and this is a big but — I wouldn’t recommend building your whole trip around San Gimignano, or even spending a full day here. It’s best paired with a second destination, like my tour from Florence to Siena and San Gimignano.

Make your trip to San Gimignano really worth it by pairing it with a nearby Tuscan city, like Siena, to make the most of your day trip!

More on Florence and Tuscany:

Planning a Trip to Italy:

Cool Places in Northern Italy: