Medieval towers, the frescoed Collegiata and views over the Val d'Elsa, then the walled village of Monteriggioni.
San Gimignano, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1990, is the medieval village of towers: in the Middle Ages wealthy families built dozens of them to display their power, and fourteen still remain. Between Piazza della Cisterna and Piazza del Duomo you'll see the Collegiata, entirely frescoed, the Palazzo Comunale with the Torre Grossa and views over the hills of Vernaccia wine country. On the way back, stop at Monteriggioni, the village with its crown of towers mentioned by Dante.
Times are a guide: driving times are worked out without traffic, then come the visits and ten minutes at every stop to park. In summer towards the coast and at rush hour allow extra time.
The triangular square on a gentle slope takes its name from the stone well from 1287 that stands at its centre, the cistern that supplied the town with water. Around it are the tower houses of the wealthiest families: the village grew rich in the Middle Ages through saffron and pilgrims on the Via Francigena, which passed right through here.
Free access.
Outside it's a simple Romanesque church, inside it's entirely painted. On the left wall Bartolo di Fredi frescoed scenes from the Old Testament in 1367, on the right are those of the New Testament by the school of Simone Martini; at the back is the Last Judgement by Taddeo di Bartolo. In the Chapel of Santa Fina, the child saint of San Gimignano, are frescoes by Domenico Ghirlandaio from 1475.
Admission charge.
The Palazzo Comunale houses the Museo Civico, with the Maestà by Lippo Memmi from 1317 in the room where Dante spoke when he came here in 1300 as ambassador of Florence, and a picture gallery with works by Filippino Lippi and Pinturicchio. From the museum you can climb the Torre Grossa, completed in 1311 and 54 metres high: it's the tallest in the town, and from the top you can count the other towers and see the whole Val d'Elsa.
One ticket for the museum and tower.
On the highest part of the village stands what remains of the fortress built by the Florentines in the fourteenth century: today it's a garden with olive trees, and from the small tower you have the finest view of San Gimignano and the vine-covered hills.
Free access.
Siena built it between 1213 and 1219 as an outpost against Florence: an almost circular ring of walls with fourteen towers, still intact, which on its hilltop looks like a crown. Dante saw it and placed it in the Inferno: 'Monteriggion di torri si corona'. Inside there's a square with the Romanesque church and a few houses; from the walkway on the walls you look out over the Via Francigena countryside.
The village is free to enter; the walkway on the walls has an admission charge.
How long it takes from each town, the drive back included. Tap a town to see the plan from there.
Almost every old town has a limited traffic zone (ZTL) with cameras: park outside and walk in. The fine reaches your home, abroad too. ZTL and car parks town by town
Romagna Transfer picks you up at your hotel, drops you in front of every stop and brings you back: no parking, no ZTL, and the wine is yours to enjoy.
The centre on foot in the morning, the sanctuary of San Luca, the Certosa and the Arca di San Domenico in the afternoon
8 h 15 from Bologna Full day
The plan
The Ducati Museum in Borgo Panigale, the Lamborghini Museum in Sant'Agata Bolognese, then Maranello and the Enzo Ferrari Museum in Modena.
9 h 25 from Bologna Full day
The plan
The UNESCO World Heritage Cathedral and Ghirlandina tower, the Albinelli market, a vinegar cellar and the Ferrari Museum in Maranello.
7 h 55 from Bologna Full day
The plan
The Roman Arena, Piazza delle Erbe, Juliet's house and the Scaliger Tombs in the morning, San Zeno and Castelvecchio in the afternoon.
9 h 50 from Bologna Full day
The plan
Mantegna's Camera degli Sposi, the squares and Leon Battista Alberti's Sant'Andrea in the morning, Giulio Romano's Palazzo Te in the afternoon.
8 h 45 from Bologna Full day
The plan
The Pilotta with the Teatro Farnese, the Cathedral with Correggio's dome and the pink Baptistery in the morning, the castle in the prosciutto hills in the afternoon.
8 h 55 from Bologna Full day
The plan
The Duomo with the Piccolomini Library and Duccio's Maestà in the morning, Piazza del Campo, the Palazzo Pubblico and Torre del Mangia in the afternoon.
9 h 20 from Bologna Full day
The plan
The Duomo with the Piccolomini Library and Duccio's Maestà in the morning, Piazza del Campo and the Palazzo Pubblico in the afternoon, and on the way back the walled village of Monteriggioni.
10 h 20 from Bologna Full day
The plan
The Scaliger Castle, a boat trip and the Grotte di Catullo in Sirmione in the morning, the walled village of Lazise on the Verona shore in the afternoon.
9 h 35 from Bologna Full day
The plan
The Rocca Scaligera, a boat trip and the Grotte di Catullo in Sirmione in the morning, Lazise and Bardolino, the wine town, on the Verona shore in the afternoon.
10 h 45 from Bologna Full day
The plan
Piazza dei Miracoli with the Tower, the Cathedral and the Baptistery in the morning, Lucca with its tree-lined walls, Piazza dell'Anfiteatro and Torre Guinigi in the afternoon.
10 h 05 from Bologna Full day
The plan
Piazza dei Miracoli with the Tower, the Cathedral and the Baptistery in the morning, the centre with Piazza dei Cavalieri, Borgo Stretto and Santa Maria della Spina on the Arno in the afternoon.
9 h 15 from Bologna Full day
The plan
The Rocca Sanvitale in its moat with Parmigianino's little room, the fortress of the Meli Lupi princes, then the lands of Giuseppe Verdi.
10 h 00 from Bologna Full day
The plan
The medieval village with the Rocca Viscontea, the walled town among the vineyards, then the fairytale village built by the Visconti di Modrone
9 h 55 from Bologna Full day
The plan
The Torrazzo, the Cathedral and the Violin Museum in Cremona in the morning, the Gonzaga ideal city of Sabbioneta in the afternoon.
9 h 40 from Bologna Full day
The plan
The Teatro Olimpico and Basilica Palladiana in Vicenza in the morning, Palladio's wooden bridge and grappa in Bassano in the afternoon.
9 h 35 from Bologna Full day
The plan
Take the funicular to the old town: Piazza Vecchia, Santa Maria Maggiore, the Colleoni Chapel and the walls, then the Accademia Carrara
10 h 30 from Bologna Full day
The plan
The Legend of the True Cross and Piazza Grande in Arezzo in the morning, Cortona on the hill above the Val di Chiana in the afternoon.
10 h 50 from Bologna Full day
The plan
The castle where the emperor begged the pope's forgiveness, the red fortress of Rossena, then the mountain mentioned by Dante.
9 h 15 from Bologna Full day
The plan
Colourful seaside villages in Liguria, one after another by train: the view of Manarola, the harbour of Vernazza, the beach of Monterosso.
10 h 30 from Bologna Full day
The planTrips written by our editors from the facts of our monument pages and the official sites. Opening days and hours change: the note under every place tells you what to check before you leave. No prices: you find them on the museums' sites.
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