Ancient Etruscan city, Casole d’Elsa is a charming village built on the plateau of a hill, near the high Valley of Elsa. The surrounding hills are cultivated with vineyards, olive trees and cereals. There is also wood.
It was a fief of the bishops of Volterra in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, before coming under the power of Siena in 1260. The latter fortified it to protect its territory, with its enclosure, of which two circular towers remain.
Things to see in Casole d’Elsa and surroundings
The walls are one of the most interesting things to see in Casole, with an elliptical shape, with two circular towers from the late 15th century and the Rocca from the 14th century.
The latter is now the seat of the town hall. It was modified over time, large rectangular mass.
It is home to the Pinacoteca Arte Viva with a beautiful collection of drawings and paintings by children from all over the province. The atrium hosts exhibitions of contemporary paintings.
The Collegiate Church of Santa Maria Assunta was built in the 12th century in a Romanesque-Gothic style, and houses fine works of art, including 16th-century baptismal fonts and 14th-century tombs.
The adjacent Presbytery is now the seat of the Archaeological and Sacred Art Museum of the Collegiate Church, dedicated to the history of Casole and its surroundings, since the Etruscan period with finds from the surrounding necropolises, to the paintings of the Sienese school from the thirteenth to the sixteenth century and sculptures.
Outside the town on a small hill, San Niccolò dates back to at least the 14th century, with frescoes by Vincenzo and Francesco Rustici and a 14th-century Mary.
In the surroundings, between Casole and Chiusdino, lies the Parco Selva di Sogno in the woods, decorated with sculptures and wall paintings, an original and enchanting place.
Gallery
Where is Casole d’Elsa, map
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Links and sources
- Tourist portals: valdelsavaldicecina.it, www.facebook.com/TurismoCasole
- General informations: en.wikipedia.org
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