Description of the attraction
San Miniato is a small town along the Via Francigena that connected Rome with Europe in the Middle Ages. The city's favorable geographical position in the very center of the Arno Valley at the intersection of the highways leading to Florence, Pisa, Lucca and Siena has always attracted those in power. Emperor Frederick II of Swabia and the Pope Gregory V and Eugene IV loved to visit here. Here, in 1533, the great Michelangelo met Pope Clement VII, who commissioned the artist to work on the Sistine Chapel.
According to archaeologists, in ancient times, the territory of the present San Miniato was inhabited by the Etruscans, and later by the Romans, as evidenced by the discovered ruins of a necropolis of the 3rd century BC. in the town of Fontevivo and the ruins of a Roman villa in Antonini. Artifacts from these ruins are on display in the City Museum today.
San Miniato began to play an important role during the reign of Emperor Frederick II Barbarossa, when this town was the seat of the imperial delegates in Tuscany. In the Middle Ages, it was even called San Miniato al Tedesco - the German San Miniato. Later, it was here that the diocese was located. The construction of the Seminary, which stands out for its frescoed façade, and the restoration of the Episcopal Palace, located on Cathedral Square, were also carried out during this period.
Centuries of history have left in San Miniato numerous artistic and architectural treasures that tourists admire today. Raised above the city is the charming Prato del Duomo, flanked by some of San Miniato's oldest and most famous buildings, including the Palazzo Comunale, the Episcopal Palace, the 14th century Palazzo dei Vicari and the Cathedral.
In the historic center of the city, there is an interesting Museum complex, consisting of eight exhibition centers, which can be visited with a single ticket. Rocca Federiciana is also worth a visit - a tower built in 1217-1223 and named after Emperor Frederick II. It stands at the top of a hill and is part of the ancient fortress of San Miniato. From there, a beautiful view opens up of the city, the valley of the Arno River, the hills of Volterra, and on clear days, the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea.
Other attractions in the city include the Loretino Oratorio, the Bishop's Museum of Religious Art and the Archaeological Museum.
