ExCelle San Gimignano: The major urban and cultural regeneration project that is transforming the former prison of San Gimignano into a new museum, tourist and contemporary center.
In the historic center of San Gimignano, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and international symbol of Tuscany, one of the most ambitious urban and cultural regeneration projects in Italy is taking shape. It is called ExCelle San Gimignano and is the new name accompanying the rebirth of the former convent and prison of San Domenico, a monumental complex covering over 13,000 square meters, equal to about 10% of the entire historic center of the city of towers.
ExCelle is not just an architectural restoration, but a strategic intervention that redefines the concept of enhancing UNESCO heritage in a contemporary key. Culture, hospitality, digital art, food and wine, and public spaces coexist in a project that aims to become a new benchmark for cultural tourism in Tuscany.
Urban regeneration in Tuscany: an innovative model of public-private partnership
The ExCelle San Gimignano project is led and financed by Opera Laboratori, in collaboration with the Tuscany Region and the Municipality of San Gimignano, owners of the complex. With a total investment of €25 million and a 69-year concession, it is the first example of project financing in the cultural sector in Italy.
Work officially began on January 29, 2024, and the reopening is scheduled for spring 2027. The goal is not simply to restore a historic building, but to create a new cultural hub capable of symbolically expanding the historic center of San Gimignano and strengthening its international appeal.
ExCelle is thus one of the most significant urban regeneration projects in Tuscany, demonstrating how historical heritage can become a lever for economic, cultural, and social development.
From medieval convent to prison: the history of the San Domenico complex
If there is one place that tells the story of San Gimignano’s historical stratification, it is the San Domenico complex. The first settlements on the hill date back to the Etruscan age; in the Middle Ages, the area was home to the church of Santo Stefano in Canova and a fortified residence. After its submission to Florence in 1353, the Dominican convent was founded, which between the 14th and 16th centuries developed around a large cloister, enriched with works from the Sienese and Florentine schools of painting.
In 1787, the convent was suppressed and, from 1833, the complex became a prison, a function it maintained until 1995. The monastic cells were transformed into detention spaces, and the walkway took on a control function. Then silence. For almost thirty years, the complex remained closed, suspended between memory and abandonment.
With ExCelle San Gimignano, this symbolic place finally returns to being a public, cultural, and productive space.
ExCelle: the meaning of a name that tells the story of transformation
The new name ExCelle embodies the identity and evolution of the complex. ‘Ex’ refers to the former convent and former prison, the past and memory; ‘Celle’ evokes the monastic and prison cells, now reinterpreted as places of welcome and experience. At the same time, the sound evokes excellence, experience, and international openness.
ExCelle does not replace the historic name of San Domenico, but complements it and projects it into a global dimension. It is an identity designed to engage with the international tourism that experiences Tuscany every day, transforming a former closed place into a contemporary cultural hub.
The architectural project: museum, digital art, and experiential hospitality
The architectural project, curated by the ArDeMo studio and carried out by Setten Genesio, is based on a search for authenticity and simplicity. Materials such as lime, cocciopesto, ancient oak, resin, sisal, and corten interact with the historic structure, enhancing light, silence, and emptiness as central elements of the experience.
The spaces will be used for different but coherent functions. There are plans to create museum areas and an underground Digital Art Museum with temporary immersive installations, capable of attracting a contemporary and international audience. The former exercise yard will be transformed into an outdoor event area with a capacity of up to 2,000 people, ideal for concerts, festivals, and cultural events.
The former cells of the convent will house an experiential accommodation facility with around 70 beds, while a period residence will offer suites dedicated to high-quality cultural tourism. There will also be spaces for conferences and exhibitions, craft shops, a bookshop, and areas dedicated to AgriFood and catering with short supply chain products.
A new cultural district in the UNESCO historic center
ExCelle San Gimignano is a truly new cultural district within the medieval walls. It does not merely restore a monumental complex, but expands the historic center as a space for interaction, encounter, and cultural production.
In a context such as San Gimignano, where tourism is strongly linked to historical and landscape identity, ExCelle introduces a contemporary dimension that enriches the visitor experience without distorting the UNESCO heritage.
The regeneration of the former convent of San Domenico thus becomes a virtuous model for the enhancement of cultural heritage in Italy: a project that combines memory and innovation, spirituality and digital art, hospitality and territory.
ExCelle San Gimignano is not just the reopening of a historic complex. It is proof that culture, when supported by a long-term vision, can transform the past into the future and restore a new centrality to a place that is symbolic of Tuscany.
