Colle Val d’Elsa in Tuscany

Colle Val d’Elsa is a small town with about 20,000 inhabitants in the heart of Tuscany, between Siena and Florence, along the Val d’Elsa, and on the Via Francigena and among beautiful hills.
It is located in the triangle made of Siena 30 km, Volterra 35 km, and Florence 50 km. It lends itself to the role of base to explore this region. Moreover, it is not overrun by tourism, although it has many charms.
The modern city is dominated by a hill where the old town and its beautiful historic center are located, preserving interesting monuments and museums, and the tradition of centuries-old crystal work. A museum testifies to this activity, and moreover it is the birthplace of Arnolfo di Cambio (end of the 13th century), famous sculptor and Tuscan architect.
An open-access funicular connects the upper and lower cities.

Things to do and see in Colle Val d’Elsa and around

Sights in Colle Val d’Elsa

• The historic centre is a beautiful discovery, elongated on a long spur, with particular streets such as the street that connects the upper and lower cities, the Via del Muro Lungo which crosses the latter, and the parallel Via delle Volte with its vaults.
• The Cathedral of Saints Alberto and Marziale is a building with a neoclassical brick façade, which was extensively reworked since its foundation in the Middle Ages and rebuilt in 1592.
• The Palazzo del Podestà or Palazzo Pretorio, dates back to the 14th century and is also located on Piazza Duomo. Recent renovation has revealed Renaissance frescoes. It also houses the Archaeological Museum, including the Etruscan antiquarium.
• The Porta Nova or Volterrana is the western entrance, a Medicean fortification from 1479 and an example of Renaissance military architecture, with its two powerful circular towers
• The Casa Torre di Arnolfo di Cambio is a medieval tower house, one of the few remaining in the center, which would also be the birthplace of Arnolfo di Cambio (1245-1302env), a famous sculptor and architect from Tuscany. Inside the frescoes, scenes of medieval battles are depicted.
• The 13th-century Convent Saint Francis, connected to the village by a bridge in 1338.
• Santa Caterina d’Alessandria church from the 13th century, transformed in the 18th century, of which only a side portal remains of the original Romanesque structure. Preserves a polychrome terracotta sculptural group representing the Regret on the Dead Christ by Zacharie Zachchi, early 16th.
• Piazza Santa Caterina, a relaxing and lively place in the historic centre.
• Palazzo Campana, early 16th century example of Tuscan mannerist architecture, between the Borgo di Santa Caterina and the Castello.
• The Bastion of Sapia is an ancient fortification, reinforced by a tower, with a beautiful view towards Borgo, the convent of San Francesco and the cathedral
• Crypt of Mercy, from the 17th century is located to the right of the cathedral, decorated with frescoes.
• Church of Santa Maria in Canonica dating back to the 12th century, in the historic centre there is a unique hall with its ancient elements from various periods, including the portal, the rose window with a chariot wheel and the tower transformed into a bell tower in the 13th century.
• Piazza Arnolfo di Cambio, the heart of the città bassa, with the arcades of the old station
• San Pietro Civic and Diocesan Museum of Sacred Art, located in the Conservatorio di San Pietro, exhibits paintings from the 17th and 18th centuries, or sacred objects such as the Tesoro di Galognano, which testify to a Christian community of the 6th century AD.
• Crystal Museum
  For centuries, the crystal made Colle Val d’Elsa famous. The museum illustrates this tradition from the 14th century to the 19th century.

Gallery

In the vicinity

• Elsa River Park and Elsa Trail
  This beautiful natural route, which is about 4 km long, begins with the “Steccaia” and the “Callone Reale”, two hydraulic engineering works from the 11th century to channel the water of the river, to feed mills, paper mills, forges, restored during the seventeenth century. It continues by the “Diborrato”, with the waterfall and the small lake, the “Bear Cave”, the “Conchina”, the “White Rock”, the “Niche” and the “Falcon Esplanade”.
  The river is great for swimming, especially in summer.
• Diborrato waterfall (2 km)
  The Diborrato waterfall is a beautiful site in the middle of nature, where the pretty waterfall of almost 15 meters high feeds a large basin of nearly 10 meters deep.
• Rocca di Staggia (5 km)
  Can be visited only with a guided tour to book. It is an imposing medieval defensive bastion dating back more than 1,000 years, the current appearance of which is from the 14th to 15th centuries.
• Etruscan – Roman thermal baths of Caldane (4 km)
  Beautiful basins with their warm mineral waters, free access in the open air. There were ancient baths here that have long since disappeared.
• Santa Maria Assunta in Coneo (7 km)
  Pretty little Romanesque abbey dating back to the 11th century.
• Dometaia Archaeological Park (10 km)
  Etruscan necropolis with 56 tombs, from the mid-6th century BC to the early 2nd century AD.

Where is Colle Val d’Elsa, map

Articles about Val d’Elsa

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• Lower Val d’Elsa, in the Tuscan hills
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Lienks and sources

• Tourist portals : www.visitcolledivaldelsa.com
• General informations : en.wikipedia.org