To see what Tuscany looked like in the Middle Ages, choose the almost pristine medieval town of San Gimignano.
It was a stop on the Via Francigena, the main route to Rome for pilgrims and tradespeople, and when that route declined in the late Middle Ages, new building stopped and this hilltop town was left to itself.
When UNESCO began promoting its restoration, it still retained 13 of its original 70 towers, giving San Gimignano its unmistakable skyline.
Even though building stopped before the Renaissance, artists from this period came to decorate the interiors of San Gimignano's churches, so you'll discover works by Domenico Ghirlandaio, Benozzo Gozzoli, and Benedetto da Maiano.
