Saffron and San Gimignano Towers

It was thanks to the cultivation and trade of the Saffron that the city was able to amass the wealth and fame that allowed it to build up its towers and palaces.

The saffron particular to San Gimignano produces an unusual bright red color instead of the usual yellow.

The economic power which derived from the crocus sativus allowed the city to fight wars and even to offer the precious pistils to the Vatican's emissaries in order to corrupt them.