Located in the heart of Valdelsa and caressed by the river that gives it its name, Colle di Val d’Elsa emerged in the Middle Ages in a territory straddling Siena and Florence, at the center of conflicts between the Guelphs and Ghibellines, and became a city in 1592 following its elevation to an episcopal seat.

Colle Musei is an integrated itinerary that begins at the San Pietro complex, home to the Museo Civico e Diocesano, which serves as the ideal gateway to the city. The route winds through the streets and alleys of the Borgo di Santa Caterina and the Castello.

Descending to the lower part of the city, in the area once occupied by the nineteenth-century Schmidt Crystal and Glassworks Factory, visitors can admire the Museo del Cristallo. The various sections of the museum illustrate the production process of glass over the centuries. From the small furnaces of the fourteenth century to Colle’s nineteenth-century glass industry, leading to the full realization of lead crystal in 1963. Contemporary productions by major Colle-based companies, designed by renowned international designers such as Joe Colombo, Cini Boeri, and Ettore Sottsass, are also on display. These iconic vases and glasses have become part of important museum collections.