San Gimignano, Italy.

San Gimignano, a small, walled medieval hill town in Tuscany, is famous for its medieval towers, which can be seen from several miles away. It is called "the medieval Manhattan".

The towers (the town once had over 20) were part of the private houses of wealthy citizens, and were built mainly as status symbols. "Keeping up with the Jones's" necessitated having a tower at least as tall as theirs.