La Chiesina

Come and visit the perfect example of an authentic small Tuscan town, Casole d’Elsa which has earned the prestigious Orange Flag Award for being a fantastic tourist attraction and an environment of relatively undisturbed beauty. Visitors have a wealth of beautiful villas with guest reviews and other holiday rental accommodation available to them in the Casole d’Elsa area where they can relax and enjoy the breathtaking views of the surrounding countryside.

While entering the town for a day of exciting exploration, tourists will see the some of the remaining walls and two watch towers surrounding it that were designed by the famous military architect, Francesco di Giorgio in the 15th century.

Located in the Province of Siena,Colle di Val d’Elsa is a pretty medieval town that is not far from the historic via Francigena and was, therefore, a pit-stop for travellers and pilgrims for centuries. Like many cities in Tuscany, it was once a centre of artistic and artisanal production but, unlike most of its neighbours, remains that way to this day. It continues to be the Italian capital of crystal and, as such, has been nicknamed the “Bohemia of Italy.” In fact, Colle di Val d’Elsa accounts for 95% of all Italian crystal glass production and 14% of the global production of crystal, which is an incredible feat.

Due to this scale and the economic importance of the craft in the town, it remains central to life for locals, with the first Sunday of each month playing host to a crystal market in town and open-air demonstrations of glass-making (from around 3pm) in the historical centre of the city on Via della Misericordia. In addition, there is also a rather special museum dedicated to the craft, the Museum of Crystal of Colle di Val d'Elsa, which puts these incredible objects on display. If you have found a holiday rental in Siena and are spending time exploring the province, set aside some time to get a little bit off the beaten tourist path and come enjoy the peace and beauty of this amazing town and its rich cultural history. You might even pick up a piece of crystal as a special and lovely souvenir of your time in this beautiful part of the world.

Food is an important part of Tuscan life and culture and, as such, is an important part of vacations in Tuscany. While we have plenty of articles on typical products, foodie experiences, wineries, tours, classes and restaurants, it is always best to hear these things directly from the locals and, so, we have rounded up a list of some of the best and most informative food bloggers in Tuscany. Just find a vacation rental in Tuscany, take note of your favourites, follow them and start planning your culinary getaway to this foodie capital of the world!

Here are more of our favourite food bloggers in Tuscany but be sure to read our previous post for more of our picks as well.

The exciting town of Colle Val d’Elsa in Tuscany would be an excellent stopover for a day or two during your holiday to Tuscany. It won the prestigious Orange Flag Award for its unusual yet beautifully constructed town. The top of Colle Val d’Elsa is called Colle Alta and the bottom, more modern part of the town is called Colle Bassa. Tourists can walk up and down to both sections but there’s an inbuilt lift to carry you up and down if you wish! There’s a fantastic range of holiday rentals in the River Elsa valley close to the town itself where tourists can rest after a few days of enjoyable exploration!

If you have found a vacation rental in Tuscany and are planning on exploring the region, you can't forget to thoroughly discover the culinary landscape. Food and wine are integral to the Tuscan experience and we have discussed wines and vineyards and wine shops on this blog on several occasions. However, we thought that it was only fitting to finally put together a guide to the wines of Tuscany; the ones you won't want to miss and where to find them. Here is our guide to more of the Tuscan wines that you need to try!

5. Bolgheri

Bolgheri is a wine area located in the Province of Livorno that has become internationally known since 1974, when, in an event organised by Decanter, a 6-year-old Sassicaia won over an assortment of Bordeaux wines.