Connect 2 Italy

The countryside near Colle is very rich in places with landmarks of great interest. On the road to Siena we come across the Convent of the Capuchin Friars and the Villa Belvedere, now a hotel, where the Tuscan Grand Dukes used to stay. On the Maremmana Road we can see the bridge of S.Marziale and the house of Mino Maccari. Nearby stands the Church of S.Marziale, decorated with frescoes attributed to Vecchietta, and the industrial area of Gracciano, the original nucleus of Colle, stretches out in the outskirts of town. Gracciano was once a hamlet full of paper-mills, and still preserves its original Etruscan-Roman thermal baths, known as Le Caldane.
The residential area of Le Grazie is on the road to Volterra. It is noteworthy for the Santuario di S.Maria alle Grazie with the remains of two cloisters of the convent. The roads to Casole d'Elsa and to San Gimignano start here; the nearby Abbazia di Conèo is one of the purest examples of the Tuscan-Romanesque style. Along the road to Volterra we reach Campiglia and two striking Romanesque parish churches - SS.Ippolito e Cassiano and S.Giovanni at Montegabbro, near a picturesque group of houses that are the last remnants of a late medieval convent.
Colle, a town that rises in a central position with respect to Siena and Florence, along the layout of the Frankish Road, is located at a distance of only 12 Km. from San Gimignano; it is better known as "the town of crystal."
Colle has approximately 18,000 inhabitants and it is surrounded by the typical and unmistakable Senese countryside with its farm holiday estates.
This Etruscan settlement, situated between Siena and Florence, suffered military aggression from both sides. It was involved in the battle of Monteaperti, allied with Florence, and suffered heavy defeat. Nine years later the Florentines won a battle fought in the territory of Colle Val d'Elsa. Provenzan Salvani, among the characters Dante meets in Purgatory, was killed in this battle.
Elsa Valley
Colle di val d'Elsa is famous for its crystal but is also an important tourist destination. The old part of the town is made up of narrow alleys, steps, and hills. It is possible to visit the Palazzo Vescovile, the museum of sacred art, and the characteristic Via delle Volte. Without a doubt, the most important town of the Val d'Elsa is San Gimignano, a town of many towers, built at one of the most important points of the Via Francigena.