Among the many titles that can be given to Colle di Val d’Elsa, the one to which the residents hold on is that of the “City of Crystal”. Since 1331, the production of glass has constituted one of the most typical elements of the city, which then evolved in 1900 into the production of crystal.
The city was defined as the Bohemia of Italy in the past centuries and the majority of the sector’s companies are now still gathered in this area, which represent 95% of the whole Italian production of crystal.
The art of glass in Tuscany has been present in Tuscany since Etruscan times, while the importance of the glass production areas in the Val d’Elsa was already known since medieval times by the minor taxes disciplined by the serious reform of 1337.
At that time, the taxes were set for the furnaces of Colle di Val d’Elsa for the manufacturing of glasses and other glass vases. The modern glass industry was set rather later due to the work of some French and Germans who moved from Alsace to Colle to establish the first glassworks.
To get to know the history of the Colligiana glass industry we recommend that you don’t miss out on a visit to the Museum of Crystal, the only structure of its genre, where it’s possible to appreciate the unique ancient and contemporary pieces, shaped by the hands of Colligiani grinders and artists and where it is possible to enter into the heart of a furnace to understand how this precious material is worked, furthermore the upper town, the oldest, is dotted with small craft workshops, where grinders and engravers shape unique objects and pieces that can be bought at the production price.

Author: Lisa Cresti

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