Val d'Elsa
The territories of Tuscany
Crossed by the Via Francigena, the ancient road used by pilgrims to reach Rome, the Val d’Elsa has been a cultural crossroad for centuries.
The countryside is interspersed by woodland, vineyards, olive groves and arable land. The valleys and new town often house a myriad of small businesses and artisanal factories, which carry out the area’s medieval vocation as a centre of trade and manufacturing.
The best known among the cities is San Gimignano, with its world famous towers.
Walking inside the city, one can still see a thirteen-century Tuscan town, untouched by time. San Gimignano is one of Tuscany’s jewels and attracts tourists from all over the world.
Monteriggioni is on the top of a gentle hill cultivated with vineyards and olive groves; it preserves the thirteen-century structure of a fortified castle. Colle Val d’Elsa’s historical centre straddles two hills and offers a combination of medieval and renaissance palaces, retaining an authentic feel, unspoilt by tourism. It was an important manufacturing centre from the early middle ages, and today the old tradition of glass-making survives in a cluster of crystal-making artisanal factories, which export all over the world. Further south we find the peaceful medieval villages of Radicondoli and Casole d’Elsa, while the area south/east of Val d’Elsa going towards Siena comprises the Montagnola Senese a beautiful wooded area with small farms, olive groves, and parts of arable land in the rich tones of “terra di Siena”.
