Spread over three gradients, Borgo, Castello and Piano (the
Borough, Castle and Plain),
Colle di Val d'Elsa is famous
today for its production of fine handcrafted crystal, but it is
also an important tourist destination. The Borough is
entered through the monumental Porta Nova and winds its long
and narrow way in a sequence of fine 16th and 17th-century
noble houses to the magnificent, though unfinished, Palazzo Campana, which marks the entry to the Castle, the oldest part of Colle.
Here, the atmosphere suddenly changes: narrow paved lanes, fascinating tower-houses (amongst these stands the one where
Amolfo di Cambio was born), steeply sloping streets and flights of steps. Piazza del Duomo is overlooked by the Praetorial Court, the seat of the Archaeological Museum, the Cathedra, the Bishops's Palle, housing the Museum of Sacred Art, and the picturesque Via delle Volte, the most characteristic corner of the town.
Passing little churches and 13th-century buildings, one reaches the Rampart with its fine view over the Plain on which the most modern part of Colle is built. This area, too, is not lacking in points of interest, such as the Churches of Saint Augustine (13th century in origin, but rebuilt in the '500 by Antonio da Sangallo) and the daring modern seat of the Monte dei Paschi di Siena Bank (1983) designed by Giovanni Michelucci.
At
Colle di Val d'Elsa, there is tourist accommodation available in hotels, agriturismos and residence self-catering accommodation.
