| « Previous | Home | Next » | san gimignano vi 03 July, 2007 |
 photo: david lindley once upon a time in san gimignano there were 72 towers of the kind seen here; it must have been a sight to see. today, and impressive enough, there are 14. the pre-eminant theory about their evolution is that of prestige: wealthy merchants displaying their wealth in a competition to see who can build higher. it's also suggested that the holes seen in the towers were supports for external walkways that would have linked towers from allied families so that they could meet easily and safely in time of strife. i'm not sure i like that theory; to me the towers are just too plain...if i wanted to outshine my neighbour i think i'd want decoration as well as height to dazzle the competition. i prefer the second theory. the town was small and land prices high so the merchants decided to build upwards and store their high-value product safely and securely (and relatively cheaply) high above the ground. at the time san gimignano was a major textile centre and held the secret of dying linen using saffron dyes; the crocus stamen the dye came from being highly valuable and light sensitive these towers would have been ideal places to store and dye the garmets out of the sunlight (you will notice the lack of windows in the towers here). the holes in the towers? this time the theory has them as supports for external staircases to maximise the storage space internally. this shot was taken from the base of the torre grossa, which you can see on the right, looking across the piazza del duomo towards two of the remaining towers. | |
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Posted by davidlindley Archived under: most commented, tuscany |
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