Torri degli Ardinghelli - San Gimignano - Tuscany

The Ardinghelli were the main Ghibelline family of San Gimignano, who fought against the Salvucci of Guelph. They had become rich through trade and finance and had trade relations with Lombardy and the East.

The two towers date from the golden age of construction in San Gimignano, the 13th century. Despite an express ban in 1255, in antiquity these two towers were higher than the almost 52 meters of the Torre Rognosa, the tower of the town hall, in response to the height, also "forbidden", of the nearby twin towers of the Salvucci. For this reason they later became scapitozzate and today they stand about half the height of the original building.

The two towers, both of which have a quadrilateral base, are quite different: the right one is narrower and more medieval in appearance: it is covered with regular visible knobs and has some narrow single-lanceolate windows and a slit.

The left tower, on the other hand, has a larger surface area, with very large arched windows that seem to indicate a structural use of the arches to relieve the weight of the masonry. These openings have now been reduced by the brick filling, but are still clearly visible. There are pump houses at regular heights, while the portal on the ground floor has architravework.

Willem Vandenameele