Torri dei Salvucci, Medieval tower house in San Gimignano, Italy.
The Torri dei Salvucci are two rectangular stone structures on Piazza delle Erbe featuring small windows and arched stone doorways on the ground level. The larger Torre Salvucci Maggiore rises across eleven floors and dominates the square with its solid presence.
The Salvucci family built these twin towers in the 13th century as a sign of their strength against rival families like the Ardinghelli. The ongoing competition for taller structures shaped medieval San Gimignano for generations.
The towers show how wealthy families in the Middle Ages expressed their power through tall structures and shaped the city's appearance.
The towers stand freely accessible on the square, with the larger one still functioning as a private residence across multiple floors. Interior visits are normally not possible, but the architecture can be well observed from outside.
The towers were originally built much taller, but city authorities cut them down to roughly half their original height. This action shows the conflict between family ambition and municipal control in medieval San Gimignano.
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