Piazza del Duomo (Cathedral Square), San Gimignano (must see)

In the center of San Gimignano, at the intersection of the north-south Francigena Street and the east-west Pisa-Siena Road, is Cathedral Square (Piazza del Duomo). Travelers entering this slanted, irregular, brick-paved space suddenly find themselves in 11th-century Italy. Imposing medieval towers and palaces crowd the edges, all unchanged since the medieval time.

The 11th-century Collegiate Church of St. Mary of the Assumption (Collegiata di Santa Maria Assunta), or Cathedral (Duomo) dominates the square atop a flight of steps. On the north side of the square are Salvucci Twin Towers (Torri Gemelle Dei Salvucci). They are the twin towers of the noble Salvucci family.

Opposite the Cathedral is the Old Mayor's Palace (Palazzo Vecchio del Podesta). In 1500, the Mayor moved to the New Palace (Palazzo Nuovo), and the Old Palace became a theatre. Its facade has an arch topped with "Guelf" battlements. Inside is a painting of Madonna with Child by Mannerist painter Giovanni Antonio Bazzi, also known as "Il Sodoma."

Mangy Tower (Torre Rognosa) is 168 feet high, and has 17 floors. It is second in height only to the better-known of San Gimignano's towers, the 177-foot-high Big Tower of the Town Hall.