Porta San Giovanni (Saint John's Gate), San Gimignano

Saint John's Gate (Porta San Giovanni) grants access to the city from the south, along the old pilgrims' route from Siena. Within the city walls, that part of the Siena-Rome-Paris road is called la Francigena Street. Just inside the gate is the Court of the Martyrs of Montemaggio, the former site of the old Convent of Saint Francis.

Saint John's Gate was built in 1262. It has a tall Sienese arch with a sentry station at the top that rests on a row of hanging corbel arches. The sentry was taken in 1922 from the church of Madonna dei Lumi, built in 1601 and demolished to widen the road. The church's small bell tower still can be seen from outside the gate.

From Saint John's Gate one can access the walkway of the perimeter of the second circle of the city walls. There are scenic views from the walls of the surrounding hills and the Elsa Valley below. There are 15th and 16th-century dungeons attributed to the Medici family to be seen along the way.

Other access gates to the town beside Saint John's Gate at the south end include Quercecchio Gate (west end), San Matteo Gate (north), San Jacabo Gate , and Fonti Gate in the east.