San Gimignano - The city of towers (Italian Torre) - the Manhattan skyline of the Medieval. No one knows for sure why these towers were built. There were many more but only a few survive now. One theory is that it was built by the aristocrats to show off their wealth. Another theory is that unwanted people - like business rivals - were tortured and murdered in these towers.

They even have a museum of torture in San Gimignano to help us imagine the creative ways of torture that the medieval people employed.  

This one is called the heretic's fork. The description reads:

"With 4 sharp points rammed deep into the flesh under the chin and into the bone of the sternum, the fork prevents all movement of the head and allows the victim only to murmur, in barely audible voice 'abiuro' ('I recant'). If instead, (s)he still refused, and if the Inquisition was a Spanish one, (s)he was held to be an 'impertinent heretic' and dressed in characteristic costume, was led to the stake, but with the consolation of the sacrament of extreme unction; if instead it was a Roman one, (s)he was hanged or burnt, without the benefit of a pretty costume but still with that of proper Christian rites"

Any wonder those times were called the dark ages by Petrarch. And some of the customs - receded but actually lasted till the the 20th century. 

But the ice cream in San Gimignano of the present age is featured in the top food destinations by Lonely Planet. 

And importantly, the Ice cream passed our tasting test!!

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