Colle di val d’Elsa

When I first came to Colle di val d’Elsa I arrived on foot, having walked all the way from San Gimignano. This time it was easier, except for parking the car.

Colle di val d’Elsa is less famous than either San Gimignano or Siena but that’s not to say that it is without merit. It’s another attractive, small Tuscan town. This time made slightly less photogenic by the extensive maintenance work being performed on the main square.

View over Colle di val d'Elsa, Tuscany, Italy

Away from the centre I found a long, dark passage that led to a lift. It went to a viewing platform and another part of town. The glass lift seems slightly surreal sat glinting in the sun above a landscape that has likely remained largely unchanged for hundreds of years.

I immediately recognise a path, now slightly lower than me, where I first arrived in the town four years ago. Now above me are the typical narrow, cobbled streets.

Lift mechanism and view over Colle di val d'Elsa, Tusc

I push up the hill, past some churches but mainly residential areas. I decide that the best is probably back down the hill and return to the square and the car.

Next stop: Monteriggioni.