San Miniato

German Emperor Otto I fortified the village and gave it the walls that may still be seen today. In the 11th century the town had its own courthouse, vicarship and centre for the collection of taxes for the Holy Roman Empire. Its central position between the cities of Pisa, Lucca and Florence ensured that the German Emperors saw San Miniato as a key centre of power for the control of all of Tuscany.

Emperor Frederick I, also known as Barbarossa, went to San Miniato in person in 1178 and again in 1185. The 12th century also saw the construction of the Tower of Matilde, so named because legend has it that Matilde di Canossa was born in the adjacent Palazzo dei Vicari of the cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta e San Genesio.
Other medieval monuments still testify to the days of the town’s splendour, which may still be experienced while strolling through its cobblestone streets in the timeless atmosphere that still fascinates visitors today.

National exhibition of the white truffle of the San Miniato hills

The national exhibition of the white truffle of the San Miniato hills takes place in the streets and squares of the town on the second, third and fourth weekends of November, and is one of the key events in Italy for the promotion of the famous white truffle as well as a festival of local gastronomic delights. The town is transformed for the occasion into a huge open-air laboratory of taste, crowned by the white truffle, exhibited in the historic square in front of the cathedral at the foot of the fortress, with markets in the other squares of the town serving specialities from all over Italy.