Casole d'Elsa has always formed a bulwark for the Sienese in a border area strenuously defended
against the people of Volterra and Florence owing to its strategical position in the upper Elsa
Valley, and it still has the air of a final outpost.
Romantic traces of fortifications emerge in several places, and noble houses gradually
adapted to the needs of man. One example is the Romanesque convent of the Servites, right
at the entrance to the village, and another the 14th-century palace of the old feudal lords of
Casole, the Porrinas, who were later ousted by the Sienese Republic. Most fascinating of all
is the splendid Collegiate Church of Santa Maria Assunta, almost all in brickwork,
consacrated in 1161 on the remains of a previously existing building and continuously
transformed and touched-up ever since. In the interior,
amongst other important items, one can admire works by
Rutilio Manetti, Marco Romano and Gano da Siena. There
are also fine paintings (Bernardino Mei, Girolamo del
Pacchia) hanging in the Sacred Art Museum in the nearby
Canon's house. Still immersed in the Middle Ages, one can
admire the Praetorial Court with its carved coats-of-arms, and
then the great Fortress dating back to 1352 (nowadays the
seat of the Town Hall), reinforced by two unequal towers.
The powerful walls encircling the village are still mostly
intact and include two circular towers designed by the great
Sienese architect Francesco di Giorgio.
Visits worth making round about
Casole d'Elsa are to the villages of
Mensano (once a mighty castle destroyed by the Florentines
in 1534) with the fine 11th-century Church of San Giovanni,
and Pievescola, with its remarkable Romanesque church with
a nave and two aisles.
At Casole d’Elsa, there is tourist accommodation available in hotels, agriturismos, residence self-catering accommodation, b&b, rooms for rent, holiday homes and historical villa.
