Torre Campatelli - San Gimignano - Tuscany

Torre Campatellis is located at 15 Via San Giovanni in San Gimignano.

Sandwiched between 18th-century mansions, this 13th-century tower is the only one in the city to have retained its original layout and hollowed-out interior.

Best of all is the impressive audiovisual presentation, the Thousand Years of San Gimignano, which traces the history of the city (presented in English and Italian). The presentation reveals how the medieval skyscrapers had the civilizing effect of urban life, with the signori (feudal lords) being encouraged to give up their castles for urban life.

Willem Vandenameele