The very high Cugnanesi Tower is another of the 14 survivors in San Gimignano. It stands in a picturesque little piazza near the walls, at the intersection of Via di San Giovanni and Via del Quercecchio.
The tower dates from the 13th century and is one of the tallest in the city. Together with the massive Cugnanesi Palazzo, it comprises part of the structure created to defend the nearby Becci Arch. The arch is the town's gateway to the south and leads to the political and religious centre of the town square, communicating between this little piazza and the Piazza della Cisterna.
Palazzo Cugnanesi was built around the same time as the tower. Like many medieval buildings, it had a wooden gallery at the first floor that ran around the entire building. All that remains are the brackets that supported it, clearly visible on the upper level.
Atop this strong frame is another palazzo with a very strange shape: it looks like a bastion. In actuality, it was a part of the oldest walls of the city.