Rolling Tuscan hills

In its heyday San Gimignano boasted 70 towers. But as the warring families conquered each other, they demolished the losers' towers and now 14 towers remain. The 1348 Black Plague devastated the town and it lay dormant for many centuries. It is only in the last century or so that the town has slowly revitalised. San Gimignano is also the only region to produce white Chianti wine, called Vernaccia.