a.k.a THE ANCIENT TOWERS CAPITAL

Where all it's started!

http://www.volpon.com/blogimages/2003-06-22-16-25-34.JPG

http://www.volpon.com/blogimages/2003-06-22-16-18-16.JPG

http://www.volpon.com/blogimages/2003-06-22-15-13-48.JPG

http://www.fabio-apartment-sangimignano.com/ingrandimenti/contessa8.jpg

http://www.fabio-apartment-sangimignano.com/ingrandimenti/sangi1.jpg

http://www.fabio-apartment-sangimignano.com/ingrandimenti/sangi3.jpg

http://www.fabio-apartment-sangimignano.com/ingrandimenti/contessa1.jpg

http://www.castellitoscani.com/photos/sgimi_tito01big.jpg

http://www.sangimignanonet.com/foto/126sangimignano.JPG

http://www.sangimignanonet.com/foto/13sangimignano.JPG

THE DEVIL'S TOWER!
http://www.sangimignanonet.com/foto/18sangimignano.JPG

http://www.sangimignanonet.com/foto/64sangimignano.JPG

The New York of the past....
http://www.sangimignanonet.com/foto/138sangimignano.JPG

http://www.tuscany-photo.com/SAN%20GIMIGNANO/images/prevs/prev3.jpg

http://www.tuscany-photo.com/SAN%20GIMIGNANO/images/prevs/prev4.jpg

http://www.tuscany-photo.com/SAN%20GIMIGNANO/images/prevs/prev2.jpg

http://www.tuscany-photo.com/SAN%20GIMIGNANO/images/prevs/prev5.jpg

http://www.tuscany-photo.com/SAN%20GIMIGNANO/images/prevs/prev9.jpg

http://www.tuscany-photo.com/SAN%20GIMIGNANO/images/prevs/prev8.jpg

I've visited San Gimignano with my girlfriend 3 years ago
..............
................WONDERFUL!!!!:cool:

10/10

amazing towers especially THE DEVIL TOWER!!!:devil: :devil:

Only a 10 counts here :)

Once again a 10, simply beau-ti-ful!!!

In the past San Gimignano had 75 TOWERS!!!!

I must place it at a 10 as well.

Imagine seeing a city like that back then?
It would just be like seeing New York today.

whats so special except that they dont have spires because of the local architectural style????
sorry but the minarets in afghanistan are much better.

How dare you to give a 4, be very ashamed of yourself :bleep:

Originally posted by gothicform

whats so special except that they dont have spires because of the local architectural style????
sorry but the minarets in afghanistan are much better.

You're an idiot.

The thing is they aren't religious buildings. They aren't also city wall towers or parts of a castle.
They are private residences!


11/10

AMAZING PLACE!!!!!!

10/10

This place rules. I was just there around 4 months ago. I climbed the top of the tallest remaining tower and its pretty heigh up. Also the gelato is great!!
This place is approx 800 years old. In its hey day it had 75 towers which was already mentioned. Two rival families built them even with a height limit to stop them. All they did was *bend* the height limit by building towers under the height limit but then stacking them ontop of each other!!! (sneaky ;)
anyways this place is great and judging by its age, tuscan backdrop and history i give it a 10!! The ancient NY.

If these towers were skyscrapers, we'd all be complainding about how bad the blank walls look. As a skyline, it does not deserve even close to a ten due to the fact that it severely lacks in density and height.

I just think that this does not deserved to be rated 9th best skyline in the world according to the Rate Our Skylines poll.

This is not Rate Our Architecture. I believe that saying "but these towers were built so long ago" is not a justification to rate this a 10.

The towers themselves are not architecturally stunning either. They may be 800 years old, but face it, it's just a boring blank wall with windows down the side. There are no ornamentations at all.

If the towers were skyscrapers, I'd give it a 4. Since there is no redeeming feature apart from the fact that it's so old, I'll give it a 4.

nice

10/10

these tower were a real old skyscrapers!!!!

Beautiful

10/10

old scrapers
But till not really modern or huge or soem thing I see a real skyline WOuld be be good in foregound of the city thats about all

It is great, nice historic site, but skyline :? pls

Gimme a break, old crumbling church towers, or whatever they are, in my mind do not constitute a skyline. :? less than 3

Curious. Maybe 10/10 if we were in the Middle Age, but in the XXI century...

0/10

umm.. i dont know what you people see but I don't see any skyscrapers...

Amazing, but I won't rate it :D

9/10, because it is so old and they were not able to use steelframes.

I like the last pic. It fits really well into my definition of a skyline.

Perfect skyline.Tasteful. Exceptional in Europe, Unique in the worl. no artifical skylines in Africa or Asia or wherever can compete with a skylines Europe is bequeathed. 10 points. You wont build a skyline like that no matter how much money you invest. Treasure and pearl of european architecture.

it does not have to be modern to be a skyline, san gimignano towers are amazing, something unique ! 10/10

The city were skyscrapers were born needs more attention! 9.5/10

Really unique place and unique skyline.
As a historic skyline it deserves 10/10 but generally only 7,5/10

I love San Gimmy :)

9

3/10

now 8/10 past 10/10

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a197/MVBergy24/Jer-Italy090.jpg






I shot this on my trip to Italy last year

10.

Once again a 10/10, simply beautiful!!!

10

I've been there two times and I can say that it is a really impressive sight. The city is situated very lovely within the Tuscan hills and the skyline can be seen from a wide area. It's almost unbelievable that this is a medieval city. It's so far ahead of its time. 8/10 (on today's scale)

10/10 bcos its such a beautiful village and i loved watching people having breakfast on the roof balconies of the towers when i was there. But it is definitely inacurate to say that towers in Italy started here... it was common in all major tuscan towns for families to build towers -there were supposedly over 15,000 in Florence until by law they were all pulled down and only that of the Palazzo Vechio left standing- and San Giminignano is only the best preserved. Siena, Lucca and Florence all had far far more towers...

in the past also Bologna, northern Italy, had many high towers built in the early XII century..

today the only towers remained are the Torre degli Asinelli (97mt.) and Torre Garisenda (48mt.)

http://www.cs.wisc.edu/~suan/gallery/verona/878-due-torre.jpg
http://jim.rees.org/ca09/2650.jpg

8/10

4/10

no skyline.

no skyline.
are you blind?

6/10

3.5/10

Nice and a little romantic...
7/10

3/10

This was probably the first skyline in history! Also known as "manhattan of the middle ages", this tiny city has its unique look because of a few competing families that all wanted to build the highest tower in town. The 13 main towers date back to the 12th and 13th century.
http://intranet.arc.miami.edu/rjohn/images/MedievalSecular/San%20Gimignano%20Overal%20view.jpg
http://www.sights-and-culture.com/Italy/San-Gimignano-6471.jpg
http://www.paradoxplace.com/Perspectives/Italian%20Images/images/Other%20Tuscan%20Towns/San%20Giminignano/San%20Gimignano%20BR.jpg
http://ddlecs1.free.fr/Images/site%20italie/san%20gimignano%202.jpg

The best historical sky-line!!! I've visited the city 2 years ago. I love it!!!

10/10 :cheers:

All the Italian cities were like San Gimignano, with a lot of towers. But during the time, many of them were demolished. For example, cities like Milan or Bologna, were full of towers over 100 metres. A single tower was a simple of the power of a family who lived into that tower. More was high, more the family was rich and powerful.

With the wars and the reconstructions, a lot of towers were demolished.
San Gimignano is unique for this!

6/10

9/10

very cool, you probably don't see many cities that are still in tact with this type of quality skyline dating back from such a long time ago.

This is beautiful! Thanks for starting this poll, Taboe

http://img251.imageshack.us/img251/7940/s1mq5.jpg

http://img106.imageshack.us/img106/7165/s2wf7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img520.imageshack.us/img520/2917/s3an8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img106.imageshack.us/img106/6830/s5ws1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img106.imageshack.us/img106/3562/s6ig9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img118.imageshack.us/img118/1984/s4zt9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

It's the original. It predates and predicts all the status and power that skyscrapers indicate. Guelf V ghibelline then, Woolworth and Chrysler in NY in the inter war and Chinese and Arab aggrandisement today.

It's impossible to rate it since it would be like rating a trireme against an aircraft carrrier but surely the original has to be a 10. San gemignano, the original skyline is a 10.

6.5/10

8.5/10, beautiful

10/10 how could someone rate it less than ten ?????

8/10 - Very beautiful city, no skyline though.

Unique, 10/10

3/10

Beautiful!!! 10/10!!! :yes:

7/10

5/10

7/10

1/10

3/10

This was probably the first skyline in history! Also known as "manhattan of the middle ages", this tiny city has its unique look because of a few competing families that all wanted to build the highest tower in town. The 13 main towers date back to the 12th and 13th century.
http://intranet.arc.miami.edu/rjohn/images/MedievalSecular/San%20Gimignano%20Overal%20view.jpg
WoW 10/10

They should chage the name New York to New Gimignano :D

7.5/10

4/10

5/10

8.5/10

Easy 10. Beautiful does not do it justice. It is beyond me how someone could give this a three. Skylines are not just about tall towers and glass boxes. The setting and town are exquisite.

that's it

skyline: 9/10 (one point less than the optimmum because it does not really fulfill one crucial factor about being a perfect skyline: height)
setting: 10/10
atmosphere: 10/10

9. Very good. Regards.

3/10

5/10

5/10

that's it

skyline: 9/10 (one point less than the optimmum because it does not really fulfill one crucial factor about being a perfect skyline: height)
setting: 10/10
atmosphere: 10/10

Essentially I agree 10% with you.

8/10 unique

10/10

http://www.discovertuscany.com/img/blog/san-gimignano2.jpg

http://www.margotsnow.com/assets/Farmhouse/san-gimignano.jpg

Beautiful...........10/10

9/10 NICE!

Beautiful city but skyline is average 5/10