San Gimignano, Siena, Italy Jul 30, 2024

San Gimignano, Siena, Italy

These medieval towers stand tall over San Gimignano, a small town near Siena in north central Italy. In the Middle Ages, a town grew up around a church dedicated to Saint Geminianus—San Gimignano in Italian. As well as being a popular stop for pilgrims on their way to Rome, the town prospered thanks to its trade in local Vernaccia wine and in saffron, which is grown in the nearby hills. However, when the Black Death struck in 1348, half the population was lost, slowing the town"s development and preserving its medieval character to this day.

© MNStudio/Shutterstock

palette

Today in History

Perfect, pastoral Palouse
The ‘eighth wonder’?
Jul 30, 2025Agra Fort, Agra, Uttar Pradesh

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Masterpiece of acoustic science
This island is more than a mile high
Where are these magnificent cliffs?
Jan 12, 2025Crescent-tail bigeye fish, Great Barrier Reef, Australia
Mar 2, 2025Megalong Valley, Blue Mountains National Park, NSW, Australia
A different kind of toucan
A bridge that holds up history
Why are blackbirds tied to winter?
The ‘eighth wonder’?
Mar 8, 2025International Womens Day
Nov 3, 2024International Day for Biosphere Reserves
Mar 5, 2025Khao Sok National Park in Thailand
Jun 3, 2024Jaswant Thada and Mehrangarh Fort, Jodhpur, Rajasthan
Nature, art, and...math?
Desert daggers?
May 21, 2025International Tea Day
May 4, 2025Mysuru Palace, Mysuru, Karnataka
Mar 4, 2024Arenal Volcano, Costa Rica
‘Only one Earth’
Aug 23, 2025St. Barbaras Cathedral, Kutná Hora, Czechia
40 years of recovery
Jan 26, 2025Republic Day
Nature’s own canvas
Nov 10, 2025Black-tailed prairie dogs in Badlands National Park, United States
Rocky Mountain runoff
Jan 6, 2024A male chaffinch in a crab apple tree
May 26, 2025Agrasen Ki Baoli, Connaught Place, New Delhi
Oct 3, 2025Glen Brittle, Isle of Skye, Scotland
Mar 23, 2025World Meteorological Day
Dad on duty