San Gimignano is a Tuscan town, that has been preserved with a picturesque Medieval appearance.
it flowered in the Middle Ages as an important passageway along Via Francigena, a pilgrim route from Canterbury, UK to Rome. When the route lost its importance, San Gimignano was less prosperous, and its buildings remained with a Medieval appearance.
Bad for the town and its inhabitants in the past, very good now for the local tourist activities.