Colle di Val d'Elsa

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 Etruscan-Roman origins and it is divided in two parts: Colle Alta (Upper Colle) or "Borgo", surrounded by fortification walls of the 12th century, and Colle Bassa (Lower Colle) or "Piano", the more modern and industrialised part.
Colle boasts the title of town ever since 1592, when it became a seat of bishopric; during the Middle Ages it was an important centre for the production of wool, paper and glass.
Glass is now produced in very small quantities as production focuses on a prestigious crystal still worked by some with artisanal methods (i.e. mouth-blown and cut by hand), but mainly produced on industrial scale to meet world demands.
The architect Arnolfo di Cambio and the painter Cennino Cennini were born here. Works by Cieco da Gambassi, the school of Duccio di Buoninsegna, Gianbologna and Segna di Bonaventura are kept in this town.
Colle has approximately 18,000 inhabitants and it is surrounded by the typical and unmistakable Senese countryside with its farm holiday estates.