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All 31 San Gimignano Attractions »

Medieval Criminal and Torture Museum (Museo della Tortura e di Criminologia Medievale)

Porta San Giovanni, 123, 53073, Italy
39 0577 940526
Ranked #16 of 24 attractions in San Gimignano
4.0 of 5 stars 26 Reviews
Type: Speciality Museums, History Museums
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26 reviews from our community

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Date Rating
Rapid City, South Dakota
Top Contributor
55 reviews 55 reviews
Reviews in 26 cities Reviews in 26 cities
22 helpful votes 22 helpful votes
3 of 5 stars Reviewed 16 May 2012

Interesting and gross at the same time. Definitely educational but make sure you eat AFTERWARDs as my wife and I couldn't believe some of the displays and pictures. More

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Los Angeles, California
Senior Contributor
30 reviews 30 reviews
Reviews in 12 cities Reviews in 12 cities
9 helpful votes 9 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 6 May 2012

To say I liked certain torture devices may sound creepy, no? More

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See 4 more reviews by MsLydia for San Gimignano
Split, Croatia
Contributor
14 reviews 14 reviews
Reviews in 7 cities Reviews in 7 cities
2 helpful votes 2 helpful votes
3 of 5 stars Reviewed 15 April 2012

If you want to entertain your 10 year old son, or a teenager,go there. The price of the ticket is not so cheap, i think we payed 35 euros for 2 adults and a child of 11. More

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See 3 more reviews by Ines R for San Gimignano
Edam, The Netherlands
Top Contributor
71 reviews 71 reviews
Reviews in 40 cities Reviews in 40 cities
44 helpful votes 44 helpful votes
3 of 5 stars Reviewed 17 February 2012

As a matter of fact I don't like this kind of exhibitions, but someone told me that I should see this. Well I did. The museum gives you a clear impression about the way alleged criminals were punished through the different centuries. They show you different tools that were used to hurt people in the most disgusting and barbaristic ways.... More

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See 4 more reviews by Kaashoofd for San Gimignano
Florence
Senior Contributor
35 reviews 35 reviews
Reviews in 6 cities Reviews in 6 cities
16 helpful votes 16 helpful votes
2 of 5 stars Reviewed 9 February 2012
1
person found this review helpful

This is a tourist trap, for-profit rip-off, posing as a "museum". It was sensationally successful at appealing to our two sons and their like-minded friends when they were very little. If you or yours are part of that market, go for it, otherwise find a sidewalk cafe nearby and wait while the little ones amuse their little minds. More

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Nice, France
Reviewer
4 reviews 4 reviews
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 6 January 2012

We managed to see the whole Museum, but there was some pretty disturbing stuff. Our 11 and 9 year olds were a bit freaked out but also amazed at how cruel people can be. Worth a visit just to refect on that. More

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See 3 more reviews by Flyingkiwis2012 for San Gimignano
NSW Australia
Contributor
11 reviews 11 reviews
Reviews in 7 cities Reviews in 7 cities
2 helpful votes 2 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 25 October 2011

Well worth a visit if you are interested in man's inhumanity to man. From medieval times to present day. A real eyeopener. Take your time and listen to and watch the videos. We did this one first and then took a break of 4 hours before we visited it's sister museum down the road. More

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See 2 more reviews by cajunnsw for San Gimignano
Monza, Italy
Reviewer
4 reviews 4 reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
2 helpful votes 2 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 28 August 2011

We visited the torture museum and found it very very interesting and well as disgusting - the fact that people actually used these devices to cause agonising pain and public humiliation is shocking. The way the devices work are described in many different languages and include some modern day devices like the electric chair too. Make sure you put this... More

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1 review
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 1 July 2011

Many objects are shown from XVI and XVII centry. Interesting even but entry price is a bit high for the value. More

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Macau, China
Top Contributor
95 reviews 95 reviews
Reviews in 33 cities Reviews in 33 cities
85 helpful votes 85 helpful votes
1 of 5 stars Reviewed 30 July 2008
4
people found this review helpful

There are actually 2 Museums of Torture in this tiny city, and apparently a torture museum in every town in Europe we visited. It's a small, clean museum with many antiseptic devices and a long description of how the devise was used next to it. I didn't find this a pleasurable, or particularly illuminating experience. I found the descriptions long... More

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