San Gimignano, Italy
Above Image: San Gimignano, Siena, Italy. © Giorgio Galeotti / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0
The design process is a dialogue among nature, culture, the past, and the present.
— Steve Chambers, A.I.A.
By Stephanie M. Chambers
A few years ago, we revisited the enchanting San Gimignano, a small walled medieval hill town in the province of Sienna, Tuscany. It was founded as a small village in Third Century B.C. by the Etruscans and developed by serving as a stopping point for pilgrims traveling to or from Rome and the Vatican.
What is most striking about this village is its towers, which may be seen for miles outside the city. The patrician families who controlled the village in the 13th Century built 72 tower-homes (some 15 stories tall) as symbols of their wealth and power. The “Manhattan of Italy,” unlike many of our modern cities, demonstrates Etruscan design sensibilities, balancing the scale of ‘skyscrapers’ with the urban fabric and achieves an integration which pleases without overwhelming. In other cities, such as Bologna or Florence, most of the towers have been brought down by war, catastrophe, or urban renewal. In contrast, San Gimignano preserved fourteen towers of varying height that have become its international identity.
Perpetuating an ancient tradition, Tuscany continues to apply the Etruscan design elements of light, stone, wood, earth, and water in a way that lends an identifiable texture and character to the region. Thick stone walls, porticos and loggias, terra cotta roofs, tile floors, exposed wood beams, sun-hued stucco, courtyard gardens, pools, wells, and fountains are details that give Tuscan houses their powerful allure. Architecture and landscape mirror a similar aesthetic and demonstrate the region’s ancient roots.
