Photo spot in San Gimignano
Piazza della Cisterna
A sloping triangle of herringbone brick around a thirteenth-century well, walled in on all sides by tower houses.
About Piazza della Cisterna
Get directionsThe Cisterna is the town's living room: a slanting triangular square paved in brick, with the old public well at the centre and tower houses in five different shades of stone closing every side. There is no gap in the walls, so the square reads as an interior.
The slope is what makes it work photographically. Shooting from the low corner upward puts the well and the towers in the same frame; shooting from the top down uses the brick as a warm floor and keeps the sky out.
Light arrives late here — the towers keep the square in shade until mid-morning and put it back in shade early — so the flattering hours are around eight in the morning and after six, when the upper facades glow and the square below is even.
This is the busiest square in town between ten and five from April to October, with gelato queues at two corners. Before nine it is genuinely empty, which is when the well is worth photographing at all.
Best time to shoot
Before nine in the morning, or after six when the tops of the towers light up
Tips
Sit or kneel to use the slope — standing eye level flattens the square. The well kerb is stone and slippery when wet, so it is somewhere to lean, not climb.
Photographers who shoot at Piazza della Cisterna
Hand-picked professionals working in San Gimignano
Real reviews from San Gimignano photoshoots
Ann-Marie T.
My husband Ted and I started planning our elopement at the end of 2020. Planning a wedding, no matter how big or how small, still requires a lot of decisions and meticulous organisation. In our case it also took complete trust in our…
Stefano C.
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Martina E.
A heartfelt thank you for capturing our Venice dream. I can't believe it was August 21st and here we are still floating on air, and much of that magic is because of you. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for being a part of our…
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Other spots in San Gimignano
Rocca di Montestaffoli
A ruined fourteenth-century fortress at the top of the town with a free public terrace over the roofs, the towers and the Val d'Elsa.
Piazza del Duomo and the Torre Grossa
The upper square, ringed by seven towers, with the tallest of them climbable for the view straight down onto the roofs.
Via San Giovanni and the vineyard approach
The town's main street running down to Porta San Giovanni, and the road beyond it where all fourteen towers line up at once.
Ready to book?
Our concierge team will hand-pick 2-3 photographers who know Piazza della Cisterna — free of charge.
