e quella faccia
di là da lui più
che l'altre trapunta
ebbe la Santa
Chiesa in le sue braccia:
dal Torso fu, e purga per digiuno
l'anguille di Bolsena e la vernaccia
- Purgatorio
(XXIV), Dante Alighieri
and that
face
Beyond him, more
puckered than the rest,
Is that of a man
who had the Church in his arms:
He was from
Tours, and now fasts to purge himself
Of the Bolsena
eels and the sweet wine.
- Translated by
Charles Sisson
San Gimignano, seen from Certaldo
The man to whom
Dante refers in this canto is Pope Martin IV, who reigned from 1281
to 1285, and who was infamous for his gluttony and therefore set to
purge his body of his favourite delicacies in the company of other
gluttons on the Sixth Cornice. The eels for which he had such an
appetite in his mortal days were steeped in la vernaccia, a
wine native of San Gimignano, a Tuscan city Dante once visited on a
diplomatic mission, and which can be seen across the river valleys
from the city of Certaldo, as seen in the picture above.
Porta San Giovanni
When I visited
Tuscany for the conference in Certaldo this summer, I had left one
day open in my itinerary for exploring. Certaldo is situated in close
proximity to several historical centres, such as Pisa, Florence and
Siena, but I was first of all attracted by the small hill town of San
Gimignano, known as the city of a hundred towers, some distance south
of Certaldo. In the end I decided to spend my day off here rather
than Florence, because I thought to myself I would certainly visit
Florence some other time, while I might not have the same opportunity
to see San Gimignano for the foreseeable future. However, having
visited the city of a hundred towers - or twenty-one, as I've heard
is the correct number - I now realise I have to return to that city
for a more thorough investigation.
Facade of the Franciscan convent, later Templar mansion and, after 1308, a house of the Maltese Order
Agnus Dei
A splendid torchholder
The city of San
Gimignano has an old history reaching back to Etruscan times.
According to legend it was founded by two Roman brothers who ran away
from Rome in the aftermath of the Catiline conspiracy and named
Citadel of Selva after one of them. Later it received its current
name from Bishop Geminianus, a 4th-century bishop-saint from Modena who was venerated in the
city and, according to legend, was counted as its saviour, though I'm
not sure on what grounds. Devotion towards Geminianus became
significant in the 12th century following a translation of the
bishop-saint's relic in 1106. Towards the end of that same century,
San Gimignano received its municipal independence from the bishops of
Volterra, to whom it had been assigned by King Hugh in 929,
apparently the first document to refer to the city.
Situated on the Via
Francigena, the pilgrimage route to Rome from France, San Gimignano
grew to a rich and formidable hill-town throughout the 13th century
thanks to pilgrims, its export of wine and its varied manufacture
(including glass and cloth). Its economic prosperity attracted rich
families who in their turn gave rise to the town's characteristic
towers, a symbol of power and wealth, and though only 21 of them
remain today, it is said that as many as 76 towers once stood in the
city. In addition, there grew up convents for Franciscans, Dominicans
and Augustinians, and even the Templars set their mark upon the
cityscape.
Torre Rognosa
Torre del Diavolo
Piazza della Cisterna
Like so many other
Italian city-states, San Gimignano had a volatile political history,
siding variously with the Ghibellines and the Guelphs. It was for
this reason Dante visited the city in 1300, acting as an ambassador
for the union of Guelph cities in Tuscany. Whether it was during this
stay that the Florentine poet learned of Pope Martin's love of
vernaccia-marinated eels I don't know, but I assume Dante himself had
opportunity enough to acquaint himself with the sweet wine during his
stay.
The wealth of San
Gimignano resulted in much beautiful architecture and wonderful
artistic expressions, and even following the plague's decimation of
the populace the 14th century saw many spectacular artistic projects.
The walls of San Gimignano's duomo are partcularly rich in
this legacy, and the Sienese painter Bartolo di Fredi (c.1330-1410)
painted a series of scenes from the Old Testament, which is facing a
series of scenes from the New Testament of uncertain provenance. Both
these series were completely breathtaking in all their horror and
delight, and I could but admire and adore the faith, the talent and
the dedication that went into making these frescoes. There is also a
beautiful depiction of Saint Sebastian's martyrdom executed by
Benozzo Gozzoli (ca.1420-1497) who also painted a frescoe on the same
theme in the chiesetta in Certaldo.
The city's medieval
architecture is well-preserved and it really would feel like stepping
back in time once you enter the Porta San Giovanni, were it not for
the ubiquitous and occasionally boisterous tourists who swarm the
streets in the summer. However, San Gimignano is so labyrinthine that
it is easy to get away from the masses and explore the various
arches, tunnels, alleys and walls undisturbed by the vulgar noises.
There are also a number of fascinating and interesting sights, from
the lowly, intimate churches to the soaring towers, and from the top
of the Torre Grossa, reaching 54 meters and constructed in 1311, you
have a magnificient view of the Tuscan landscape, and as you stand
there and see the distant mountains, the vineyards and the green and
luscious valleys it is almost as if you begin to doubt the existence
of a world beyond the horizon.
Chiesa di San Bartolo, built in 1173
The Chancery Arch
Chiesa di San Agostino, consecrated in 1298
Courtyard of the late-13th-century town hall
View from Torre Grossa
Piazza del Duomo
With its richness of
sights and nooks I didn't have the chance to fully explore San
Gimignano the short afternoon I spent there, and I already look
forward to revisit the city and see more of its fascinating history.
Piazza della Cisterna dalla Torre Grossa
