Valdelsa or Val d'Elsa is the valley of the river Elsa, in Tuscany, central Italy. The valley is divided into two traditional regions: Alta Valdelsa ("Upper Valdelsa"), in the province of Siena, Poggibonsi being the largest town in the area; and Bassa Valdelsa, in the Metropolitan City of Florence, Empoli being the largest town (although technically the latter is in the Valdarno). Other centers in the valley include Castelfiorentino, Certaldo, Colle di Val d'Elsa and San Miniato.
The economy is now mostly based on high quality, small-quantity agricultural productions, and tourism.
The Valdelsa was a center of the Etruscan civilization, as shown by a wide range of findings in the area, including several necropolises.
In the Middle Ages, it was crossed by the Via Francigena, a pilgrimage road connecting France and Northern Europe to Rome, and therefore saw an economic and religious development. There were numerous churches, convents and pleban churches, while its strategical role is testified by the presence of a series of towers and fortified boroughs, mostly from the 10th and 11th century, built by noble families such as the Alberti and the Cadolingi. The valley entered under the influence of the growing power of the Republic of Florence in the 13th-14th centuries. Under the Medici, the economic role of Valdelsa lost importance, since the rulers of Florence exploited it as a merely agricultural area.
San Gimignano is a small walled medieval hill town in the province of Siena, Tuscany, north-central Italy. Known as the Town of Fine Towers, San Gimignano is famous for its medieval architecture, unique in the preservation of about a dozen of its tower houses, which, with its hilltop setting and encircling walls, form "an unforgettable skyline". Within the walls, the well-preserved buildings include notable examples of both Romanesque and Gothic architecture, with outstanding examples of secular buildings as well as churches. The Palazzo Comunale, the Collegiate Church and Church of Sant' Agostino contain frescos, including cycles dating from the 14th and 15th centuries. The "Historic Centre of San Gimignano" is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The town also is known for saffron, the Golden Ham, and its white wine, Vernaccia di San Gimignano, produced from the ancient variety of Vernaccia grape which is grown on the sandstone hillsides of the area.
The province of Pisa is a province in the Tuscany region of central Italy. Its capital is the city of Pisa. With an area of 2,448 square kilometres (945 sq mi) and a total population of 421,642, it is the second most populous and fifth largest province of Tuscany. It is subdivided into 37 comuni.
Certaldo is a town and comune of Tuscany, Italy, in the Metropolitan City of Florence, in the middle of Valdelsa. It is about 35 kilometres (22 mi) southwest of the Florence Duomo.
Castiglion Fiorentino is a small, walled city in eastern Tuscany, Italy, in the province of Arezzo, between the cities of Arezzo and Cortona. It is known for its annual festivals and its Etruscan archeological site.
Colle di Val d'Elsa or Colle Val d'Elsa is a town and comune in the province of Siena, Tuscany, central Italy.
Montecatini Val di Cecina is a small hilltown and comune in the province of Pisa in Tuscany. Located approximatively 60 kilometres south of Pisa, the medieval town sits on the Poggio la Croce hill overlooking the Cecina Valley and the larger hilltown of Volterra, which lies just 15 km away.
Greve in Chianti is a town and comune (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Florence, Tuscany, Italy. It is located about 31 kilometres (19 mi) south of Florence and 42 kilometres (26 mi) north of Siena.
Barberino Val d'Elsa is a frazione of Barberino Tavarnelle which was until December 2018 a sovereign comune (municipality).
Firenzuola is a comune (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Florence in the Italian region Tuscany, located about 40 kilometres (25 mi) northeast of Florence.
San Casciano in Val di Pesa is a comune (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Florence in the Italian region Tuscany, located about 15 kilometres (9 mi) southwest of Florence.
Casole d'Elsa [ˈkaːzole] is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Siena in the Italian region Tuscany, located about 50 kilometres (31 mi) southwest of Florence and about 25 kilometres (16 mi) west of Siena.
Castellina in Chianti is a comune (municipality) of c. 2,800 inhabitants in the province of Siena, in the Italian region Tuscany, located about 35 kilometres (22 mi) south of Florence and about 15 kilometres (9 mi) northwest of Siena. It is part of the Chianti Hills, between the valleys of the Arbia, Pesa and Elsa rivers.
Tuscany is a region in central Italy with an area of about 23,000 square kilometres and a population of about 3.8 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence (Firenze).
Colle di Val d'Elsa Cathedral is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Colle di Val d'Elsa, Tuscany, Italy. Anciently a pieve of the Holy Saviour, it is now dedicated to Saints Albert and Martial. Formerly the episcopal seat of the Diocese of Colle di Val d'Elsa from its creation in 1592, it is now a co-cathedral of the Archdiocese of Siena-Colle di Val d'Elsa-Montalcino.
Siena is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Siena.
The Gherardinis of Montagliari are one of the most prominent historical Noble family from Tuscany, Italy. Through the Amideis, the family was of Roman descent. Between the 9th and 14th centuries, they played an important role in Tuscany. Its influence was also felt in the Veneto and Emilia regions between the 16th and 18th centuries, and during the Italian Risorgimento as well as in today's Italian politics and economy. The family’s restless and fighting nature has aroused the curiosity of many historians of the Middle Ages. Originating from feudal tradition, it was one of the founding families of the Republic of Florence.
The Diocese of Colle di Val d’Elsa was a Roman Catholic diocese located in the town of Colle di Val d'Elsa in Tuscany, Italy, in the province of Siena. The diocese was established by Pope Clement VIII on 5 June 1592, in the bull "Cum Super Universas", with territory taken from the Archdiocese of Florence, the Archdiocese of Siena, the Diocese of Fiesole, and the Diocese of Volterra. The new diocese was made a suffragan of the metropolitanate of Florence. On 18 September 1782 the diocese gained additional territory from Diocese of Volterra. In 1986, it was suppressed.
San Giovanni Battista is a Romanesque-style, Roman Catholic pieve, or rural parish church with baptistery, located in the village of Mensano, in the comune of Casole d'Elsa, Tuscany, Italy.
Ferdinando Morozzi was an Italian mathematician, cartographer and architect.
Filippo di Antonio Filippelli (1460–1506) was an Italian Renaissance painter in Tuscany.