Category: Tuscany

Today was Firenze—the Cradle of the Renaissance.  It lies along the banks of the Arno River which runs through it.  Florence was built on the site of an Etruscan settlement which became the Roman colony of Florentia in 59 B.C.E.  During the Medici period of the 15th and 16th centuries, it became a symbol of…

After breakfast today, we went back to the Chianti district to the town of Radda.  It was probably the smallest village we visited.  A walled, Medieval city, it has been inhabited since the 9th century.  Radda is the seat of the League of Chianti.  It is the only hilltop member of the League.  The 15th century Palazzo…

Today we explored the wine country of Chianti.  After breakfast, we headed first to San Gimignano, the city with 14 stone towers. The distance was only about 12 miles, but it took about 45 minutes to get there on our bus. Another Tuscan hill town, San Gimignano is known as the “Medieval…

Cortona is another walled Etruscan town about 60 miles from Colle.  It took 2 ½  hours to get there.  Cortona is the home of Bramasole of Under the Tuscan Sun.   Cortona overlooks Lake Trasimino—the lake of three islands, only one of which is inhabited. This is the fourth largest lake in Italy. It is on…

Unfortunately, it was raining as we took off for the medieval city of Siena, about 15 miles southwest of Colle. Siena is a gothic, brick hill town that has remained remarkably unchanged throughout the centuries.  It is divided into 17 districts, each with its own banner, symbol, and colors. These districts were…

Today we explored another town on the Elsa River. Casole lies about 10 miles away from Colle ei Val D’Elsa, but takes about 30 minutes to drive. On our way to Casole, we stopped at Caseificio Nuovo—a family-run cheese factory.  We learned that the economy of this area is mainly small…

I went with my Mills College Alumni Group to Tuscany for a week. We stayed in Colle di Val D’Elsa, on the map between San Gimignano and Siena, south west of Florence. From there we visited Casole d’Elsa, Siena, San Gimignano, Castellina, Castello di Monsanto, Cortona, Firenze, and Radda in…

Colle di Val D’Elsa, meaning “hill in the Valley of the Elsa River, is about an hour drive from Florence in the Tuscany region of Italy.  It is a medieval walled town on top of a hill which has expended into the valley.  Colle Alta, the medieval part, is where we stayed.…