Piazza della Cisterna - San Gimignano - Tuscany

It Piazza della Cisterna is a medieval place. This charming, triangular square contains a 13th-century well, after which the square is named. The square is now just a casual photo spot, but it once marked the junction between the Via Francigena pilgrimage route and the road that runs from Pisa to Siena. This is still the prettiest square in town, paved with herringbone bricks and flanked by medieval mansions and tower houses dating back to the 13th century. To one side stands the so-called 'devil's tower' and the twin towers that mark the residence of the Ardinghelli, the city's principal Guelph family.

The square rises slightly and is connected to another square in the town called Piazza del Duomo by an open passageway.

The Piazza owes its name to an underground water basin that was built here in 1287. On top of this is an octagonal plinth that was added later in 1346.

Willem Vandenameele