Here, in the Piazza del Duomo, after viewing the austere facade of the Collegiate Church of San Gimignano, you will be left open-mouthed at the explosion of colors found inside. The church was first built in the 11th century, and after a serious of enlargements and restorations is now one of the most incredible churches in the entire province of Siena, and you will find it difficult to locate a square inch of wall which doesn’t contain a fresco. Start from the wall on the left, where you can find paintings telling the Stories of the Old Testament, while the Stories of the New Testament are on the right. You should remember that fresco cycles should be viewed following an S-shaped path, beginning from the right towards the top left, then following on the middle level from the left to the right and then again from the right to the left on the lower level. Next, make your way to the Santa Fina Chapel, dedicated to the patron saint of the city, Saint Fina, who was struck by a terrible disease as a young girl, forcing her to remain lying down on a wooden pallet. On this pallet, where her body rotted away in tremendous pain, yellow violets bloomed. Her legend is told by a cycle of frescos by Ghirlandaio in the highest expression of Renaissance art to be found in the city.
