Used as bargaining chip, as curative ingredient, as natural food coloring and as spice: these are just some of the usages that the ancient Crocus – better known as Saffron – had during the centuries.
While in Europe the circulation of the saffron started after the Renaissance, in San Gimignano the cultivation of saffron was already attested during the Middle-Ages, and starting from 1200 it played an important role in the economic and commercial life of the Tuscan village. Its cultivation and commercialization continued throughout the centuries until today, when it’s a product acknowledged with the denomination DOP.