City of the Crystal: There were 2 old hamlets on top of the hill, S. Caterina and the Castle belonging like most of the Etruscan Tuscany to the IVth C b.c. The earliest written documents go back to Xth C, but only at the end of XIIth C. the village had its independent identity. In the early 1300 the first water canalizations for mills and paper factories along the river Elsa began. Colle witnessed important battles for Tuscany like the one in 1269 and 1479. In XVIth C. Colle changed its aspect. The Usimbaldi family changed the paper production into glass and then crystal production. Today the 15% of the worldwide crystal and the 95% of the Italian crystal comes from Colle. Colle Alto is a real architectural pearl.

Churces para ver:

* Catedral of Colle Val d'Elsa
* Iglesia de San Mary in Canonica
* Iglesia de San St Pietro
* Iglesia de San Agostino
* Iglesia de Santa Caterina
* Iglesia de Fabbricciano
* Iglesia de San Biagio
* Convent di San Francesco
* Santuario de la Santa Mary delle Grazie
* Abadía de Santa Maria Assunta a Conèo
* Iglesia de Santa Maria Assunta a Spugna
* Santuario de la Beata Vergine del Renaio
* Iglesia de los Santos Ippolito y Cassiano a Conèo
* Iglesia de San Marziale
* Iglesia de San Bartolomeo a Campiglia

Edificios civiles

# Torre de casa de Arnolfo di Cambio (see Arnolfo tower too, palazzo vecchio)
# Palacio de Pretorio
# Palacio de Campana
# Palacio de municipalidad o el palacio de Priors

Colle val d'Elsa