San Gimignano: Piazza della Cisterna, a photo from Siena, Tuscany

Photographer's Note

Piazza della Cisterna and the towers of Torre Grossa and Torri degli Ardinghelli, San Gimignano, Tuscany.

The day had started damp and foggy. I persevered, taking some dim, but hopefully atmospheric shots around the town; then towards midday, the fog lifted, the sun burst through, and we were treated to this amazing light.

San Gimignano is so famous, it barely needs describing; however I assume not everyone has been there, so...

San Gimignano is a small walled medieval hill town in the province of Siena, Tuscany, north-central Italy. It is mainly famous for its medieval architecture, especially its towers, which may be seen from several kilometres outside the town. San Gimignano was founded as a small village in the 3rd century BC by the Etruscans. Historical records begin in the 10th century, when it adopted the name of the bishop Saint Geminianus, who had defended it from Attila's Huns.

In the Middle Ages and Renaissance era, it was a stopping point for Catholic pilgrims on their way to Rome and the Vatican, as it sits on the medieval Via Francigena. The city's development also was improved by the trade of agricultural products from the fertile neighbouring hills.

In 1199, during the period of its highest splendour, the city made itself independent from the bishops of Volterra. Divisions between Guelphs and Ghibellines troubled the inner life of the commune, which nonetheless, still managed to embellish itself with artworks and architectures.

Saint Fina, known also as Seraphina and Serafina, was a 13th century Italian saint born in San Gimignano during 1238. Since Saint Fina died on March 12, 1253 her feast day became March 12. Her major shrine is in San Gimignano and the house said to be her home still stands in the town.

On May 8, 1300, San Gimignano hosted Dante Alighieri in his role of ambassador of the Guelph League in Tuscany.

The city flourished until 1348, when the Black Death that affected all of Europe compelled it to submit to Florence. San Gimignano became a secondary centre until the 19th century, when its status as a touristic and artistic resort began to be recognised.

While in other cities, such as Bologna or Florence, most or all of their towers have been brought down due to wars, catastrophes, or urban renewal, San Gimignano has managed to conserve fourteen towers of varying height which have become its international symbol.

There are many churches in the town: the two main ones are the Collegiata, formerly a cathedral, and Sant'Agostino, housing a wide representation of artworks from some of the main Italian renaissance artists.

The Communal Palace, once seat of the podestŕ, is currently home of the town gallery, with works by Pinturicchio, Benozzo Gozzoli, Filippino Lippi, Domenico di Michelino, Pier Francesco Fiorentino and others. From Dante's Hall in the palace, access may be made to a Majesty fresco by Lippo Memmi, as well as the Torre del Podestŕ or Torre Grossa, 1311, which stands fifty-four metres high.

The heart of the town contains the four squares, the Piazza della Cisterna, the Piazza Duomo where the Collegiata is located, the Piazza Pecori and the Piazza delle Erbe. The main streets are Via San Matteo and Via San Giovanni, which cross the city from north to south. (Wikipedia)

daddo, madredeus, timecapturer, dta, asajernigan, vasilpro, bukitgolfb301, tyro, jhm, PecoBud, bayno oznaczył to zdjęcie jeko użyteczne

Critiques | Translate

altay1364 (0) 2012-06-15 3:05

Selam
Gercekteb cok iyi bir foto,yapi mukemel duruyor ve gezginlerin huzuru ayri guzellik katiyor.cok begendim.tebrikler

daddo (28748) 2012-06-15 3:17

Hi Will. Well, well, well, I happened to be there in mid September and most of the days were sunny, minus the early fog.I suppose you would have taken some lovely shots of the surrounding countryside in the morning foggy atmosphere. When we were there we saw many exhibitions of both paintings and photos. Great place, great food (including wild boar). Your photo has a lovely atmosphere with the towering architecture and even more imposing clouds. Beautiful light which is just right so that all the details are preserved and even accentuated. Regards. Klaudio.

JFS (32459) 2012-06-15 3:24

Wow, impressive shot my friend! You managed the light masterly! The scenery is wonderful too, i like the stormy BG as well. Good work!!!
Cheers,
Juan

madredeus (494) 2012-06-15 3:32

Hi

I was in San Gimignano 3 years ago and the city is really really great. But I would like to add something to your note: you forgot to write, that in San Gimignano, you can buy the best ice creams in the whole world :D

Your picture is interesting, the clouds seems to be very havy.

regards
E.

timecapturer (49288) 2012-06-15 3:34

Hi Will
like your POV and composition here. It makes the building so imposing and impressive and gives a really great sense of scale. Superb light management and clarity make this a really attractive and captivating image. Bravo!

Have an enjoyable weekend - Brian.

dta (98848) 2012-06-15 3:52

Hello Will ,
An excellent view of this famous square . Despite of the difficult conditions , you've verywell managed the light . The sky is impressive and beautiful .
Regards

asajernigan (21427) 2012-06-15 3:59

Hello Will,
This is a nicely composed shot using the vertical format to emphasize the height of the scene. The lighting is great with the areas of sun and shadow. The photo has fine sharpness and detail.
TFS,
Asa

CanmoreKevin (2111) 2012-06-15 5:20

Will,
I like that this has shape crisp details all the way to the top of the tower. Nice use of light.
Kevin

vasilpro (41801) 2012-06-15 8:25

Hello Will,
Wonderful composition, beautiful towers, interesting architecture, excellent POV and perspective, lovely light and colors, very good clarity and sharpness, TfS!
Have a nice weekend, Vasilis.

gezimania (6288) 2012-06-15 9:53

Hi Will,

San Gimignano is one of the places i wanna visit at Tuscany very much.. And you've obtained a great compo to tell the typical architecture of the town to the watchers :)

regards

Selnur

chrislo (4099) 2012-06-15 14:53

Hello Will,
A nice architectural shot that takes us back to the Medieval times. Well chosen POV showing some of the famous towers of the city and revealing the textures of the brick walls. There's a lively atmosphere on the square with all the people strolling by. The cloudy sky adds to the beauty of the picture and gives great opportunity for splendid contrasts.
Kind regards,
Christian

npecanhuk (79329) 2012-06-15 18:53

Hello Will!
Beautiful ancient buildings!
Attractive picture!
Sharpness, exposure, colors, chosen pov, vertical format and composition really pleased me!
TFS - congrats,
Cheers,
Neyvan

bukitgolfb301 (54014) 2012-06-16 1:16

Hi dear Will, how are you?

This is another fantastic and also impressive shot.
Widefocus appraoch makes good result.
Marvelous and wonderful sharpness and clearness in the so detail, that is very very marvelous and comfortable too. Thanks for your sharing, and have a good Sat. evening!
Best regards,

Takero from rainy Tokyo

siudzi (34141) 2012-06-17 1:33

Hi Will,

Wow! What a superb image of this impressive old square! Very well presented view with great light management so all details and textures are well shown here. Beautiful work. Bravo!

Warm regards,
Malgorzata

tyro (30513) 2012-06-17 4:22

Hello Will,

A fascinating note you have given us and a very fine picture to illustrate it.

Fabulous lighting with wonderful areas of light and shade, those two tall towers stand out beautifully against a very characterful sky. The composition is excellent and the foreground people are an added feauture, giving interest and scale to the picture.

Gorgeous colours, perfect exposure and stunning details and sharpness.

Beautiful!

Kind Regards,

John.

jhm (211736) 2012-06-18 5:32

Hello Will,

Not easy picture through the shadows and light on the facades.
You did excellent, with high quality taken
Excellent composition, nice depth and perspective.
Very well done, TFS.

Have a nice day,
John

PecoBud (3824) 2012-06-20 16:23

First thank you for the workshop photo, it looks like you lighten up his face a bit more, great job.

Beautiful Daily Life, Architecture presentation with fine details and superb clarity. Excellent color and light management showing off your wonderful POV here. Fantastic Job Will!!

TFS.........Your Friend from California........Buddy

emka (158204) 2012-06-21 2:26

Hi Will, i was in San Gimignano but it was veeery long time ago. I like this composition very much, the towers looks very impressive although in fact they are not so tall. The clouds are marvelous and enhance the beauty of the composition. it seems it is very hot, the people gather in the shadow and even use the umbrella, in northern countries used only in the rain.
have a nice meeting with TE friends tomorrow

MAlgo

bayno (18348) 2012-06-21 20:57

Ciao Will,
great shot, I know the place and know it's not easy to framing all the towers because the square is not large, the light is great and I really like the contrast between the towers and the sky partly cloudy, high quality and perfect exposure...
have a good day...
Valter

mauro61 (53429) 2012-06-28 14:19

ciao Will,
una cittadina che adoro e che tu rendi bene in questa tua bella immagine.
Perfetto il dosaggio della luce.
saluti
maurizio

agjika (3177) 2012-06-28 15:47

Hi Will,
You have captured this tower house in all its glory. I like how the grandeur of this structure is emphasised by not straightening the verticals. The highlights have been kept well under control and there is detail everywhere. Pin sharp and the atmosphere well captured.

Nice camera and lens! For some reason I cannot believe you fitted it all in at 34mm.

Thanks for sharing

Aleks

kiks (12805) 2012-08-25 12:27

The majesctic clouds behind this wonderful buildings create a very beautiful image. I also like the crispy look of the buildings. A place that i would like to visit.
Best regards
KIKs

omid266 (6816) 2013-03-06 21:02

Hi Will ,

a very very nice foto !!

Thank you very much