Torre Grossa
At 54 metres, Torre Grossa is the tallest thing standing in San Gimignano — and the only one of the town's fourteen surviving medieval towers you can actually climb. It rises from Piazza del Duomo beside the Palazzo Comunale, its two-metre-thick brick walls built to outlast the rivalries that raised towers all around it.
The 218-step ascent is steep and unrelenting, but the summit opens onto something specific: the other towers close by, the terracotta rooftops below, Piazza della Cisterna directly underfoot, and beyond all of it, the hills rolling outward toward vineyards and lines of cypress.
💛 What travellers fall for
People who've done the climb before tend to go early — doors open at 10:00 in high season and the staircase gets narrow when tour groups arrive mid-morning. The combined ticket with the Museo Civico costs around €9 and covers both; the museum is worth the extra few minutes before or after the climb.
The story behind Torre Grossa
Construction began on 21 August 1300 — four months after Dante Alighieri passed through San Gimignano — and the tower was completed around 1310 or 1311. The municipal authorities commissioned it to serve two functions simultaneously: a watchtower for the city's defence and a civic bell tower, an expression of the commune's authority in stone.
In 1632 a lightning strike partially collapsed the southwest facade. The tower survived, though its internal staircase eventually required full reconstruction, which was carried out in the 1980s. At the time of its construction, San Gimignano held 73 towers; today 14 remain, and Torre Grossa is one of only two open to the public.
Good to know
Tickets (around €9 adult, €6 reduced) cover both the tower and the Museo Civico next door. The climb has no lift and 218 steep steps — skip it if you have mobility issues or vertigo. Last entry is 30 minutes before closing. Closed Christmas Day.
May and June offer the most comfortable conditions for the climb — warm without the intensity of July and August, when the exposed summit sits under direct sun and daytime temperatures can reach 31°C. Winter visits are quieter and cooler (around 10°C in January), but the low-season hours are shorter, with the tower closing at 17:30.
Where is Torre Grossa?
More tickets & tours for Torre Grossa
Book directly at the provider
What travellers say about Torre Grossa
San Gimignano rises above the Tuscan hills like a medieval skyline frozen in time. Once a prosperous stop along the Via Francigena, it flourished in the 12th and 13th centuries, when powerful families built towering stone houses as symbols of wealth and rivalry. Today, fourteen of those towers still stand, watching over vineyards and quiet piazzas. San Gimignano is not just a postcard village, it is a reminder of ambition, resilience, and the enduring silhouette of history against an open sky.
Great place to visit when in San Gimignano. We went in when it opened at 10am so it wasn’t busy. They have redone the stairs so it’s quite an easy walk up - if you are tall you will need to duck your head at the end. The views are breathtaking! You then get to descend and walk into a great little museum. Would greatly recommend when visiting San Gimignano.
We didn’t get inside, but even the courtyard and the view were pretty good!
A great place with a great view of the city. I definitely want to mention the very kind and helpful man at the ticket office. I have poor eyesight and my English isn't very good, but he patiently explained everything! Thank you, this is exactly what helps you develop a wonderful attitude towards the country! The people in Tuscany are incredible!
Lovely place. A must see when in San Gimignano! I suggest you get the San Gimignano pass, since it does save you money if you visit more than two attractions
More of San Gimignano
Discover where to stay, what to do and the best deals for your trip.
Explore San Gimignano →More attractions in San Gimignano
All of San Gimignano →
Background adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA) · map data © OpenStreetMap contributors · ratings & place photos via Google · other photos with per-image credit. Ticket links may earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.