San Gimignano

San Gimignano is famous mainly for its medieval towers that still stand out on its landscape, and which have given it the nickname of Manhattan of the Middle Ages. Among the 72 towers and tower houses existing in the golden age of the Municipality, only twenty-five of them remained in 1580 and today there are only sixteen, with some others still present in the urban fabric. The most ancient one is the Rognosa tower, 51 meters high, while the tallest is the Torre del Podestà, also known as the Torre Grossa, 54 meters high. A regulation of 1255 forbade private citizens to build towers taller than that of Rognosa (which at the time was the tallest one), although the two most influent families, Ardinghelli and Salvucci, built two towers almost of equal size, to demonstrate their power.