Torre Grossa (Big Tower), San Gimignano (must see)

And the prize for the tallest tower goes to...Big Tower (Torre Grossa)! Built in 1311 and measuring 177 feet in height, it is one of Tuscany's most famous medieval towers. It is the only one of two of the existing 14 towers of the town that is open to the public. The walls of the tower enclose a belfry with a walkway to the top and the best views in town.

Construction began on August 21, 1300, four months after a visit to the city by the great Italian poet Dante Alighieri. The tower is square, with walls seven feet thick made of stone bricks. The towers of the town were built originally as defensive lookout towers. Attacks from other towns and even nearby families were not unusual.

Noble families came to value the towers as status symbols. Having the biggest tower in town was a great way to show up one's neighbors. Big Tower was the envy of the city. The adjoining Town Hall (Palazzo Comunale) is also open to the public. There are 218 steps and a ten-foot ladder to the top of the tower and the best views in Tuscany.

The tower competition among the families building their tower houses resulted in taller and taller residences. By the end of the medieval period there were towers measuring as high as 230 feet above the street. Finally the council ruled no tower could be taller than that of the Town Hall, which happened to be Big Tower.

The city with its towers flourished until 1349. The Black Death had arrived in Europe. San Gimignano lost half its population. The city was submitted to the rule of Florence. The era of higher and higher tower building was over. San Gimignano kept its Medieval appearance until the age of tourism. In a strange way, the plague was a mixed blessing.