Colle Val D'Elsa

Not far from Florence, one of the most famous of the Tuscan valleys is the Val d'Elsa, sometimes known as Valdelsa.

One of the many towns of the Val D'Elsa is Colle Val D'Elsa.

This was just a pleasant evening drive for us, but we did find a very good small restaurant, nothing fancy, but offering a great meal.

Trattoria Marechario on di'Barretta Marghertia. The restaurant was friendly, incredibly cheep and the food great.

Entrance to the upper town

Colle di Val d'Elsa is a town of about 20,000, and is renown for its production of crystal glassware. There are two parts to tis town, the lower section, called the Piano (where the glassware is produced) and the upper section, the Colle Alta. The Colle Alta has nore to see in terms of retaining its original look. If you are in the area, and it is a pleasant drive through the vineyards and the hills.

You can enter the Borough through the Porta Nova, and then walk along the anrrow streets. There are 16th and 17th houses along the way. At the top, the Piazza del Duomo is the centre of town. Walk further and reach the Rampart with offers a view over the valley.