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Home > Travel Italy > Italy Destinations > San Miniato
San Miniato
Italy, officially the Italian Republic or Repubblica Italiana, is a Southern European country comprising of the Po River valley, the Italian Peninsula and the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. It is shaped like a boot and for this reason Italians commonly call it lo Stivale, the boot or, due to its prevalent peninsular geographical nature, la Penisola, the Peninsula.
San Miniato is a city and community in the province of Pisa, in the region of Tuscany, Italy. The population of the city is 26,353. In medieval times, San Miniato was on the Francigena, which was the main connecting route between northern Europe and Rome. It also sits at the intersection of the Florence-Pisa road and the Lucca-Sienna road. Over the centuries San Miniato was therefore exposed to a constant flow of friendly and hostile armies, traders in all manner of goods and services, and other travelers from near and far.
The first walls, with defensive towers, were thrown up in the 12th century during the time that Italy was dominated by Frederick Barbarossa. Under his grandson, Frederick II, the town was further equipped with expanded walls and other defensive works, including the Rocca and its tower.
During the later years of the 13th century and the entire 14th century, San Miniato was drawn into the ongoing conflict between the Ghibelline and Guelph forces. Originally Ghibelline, it had become a Guelph city by 1291, allied with Florence and, in 1307, fought with other members of the Guelph league against the Ghibelline Arezzo. It was still part of the Grand Duchy of Florence when the Duchy was absorbed into the newly-formed Kingdom of Italy in 1860. The main sights are Tower of Frederick, Duomo, Diocesan Museum Palazzo dei Vicari and Convent of San Francesco etc. San Miniato is an attractive city with natural beauty and historical places, while traveling in Italy.
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