When we visited Volterra last year, we passed by Colla Val d’Elsa which seemed to be a beautiful medieval town. We didn’t have a chance to stop then to visit it, but this past weekend, taking advantage that we were in the area for the medieval fair at Monteriggioni we decided to spend a day exploring Colle. It was a very pleasant discovery.

Colle Val d’Elsa is about 15 minutes from Monteriggioni which is where we were staying, right below the castle at the Residence La Rosa. The residence is very nice and small with only a few rooms and two apartments. We got the small apartment for 2 nights. The place is very close to Monteriggioni but being between the castle and the Firenze-Siena roadway took away from some of the tranquility we were expecting to find. The owners, father and son Aldo and Paolo were welcoming and nice, offering us a bottle of wine they produce on the farm.

We had no problems finding parking once we arrived in Colle, there were several parking lots right below the historical center (since Colle means hill you can clearly understand the old town is foun on a hill). The modern part of the town spreads out in the surrounding valley.

We followed a path from the parking lot up toward the Porta Nuova, or New Door, that guards the city’s entrance from Volterra. Imposing, with two large round towers and medievals walls to the side and a moat! It seems we have stepped back in time but we are brought back to our time as a car comes out of the medieval door .

Once we enter through the gates we find ourselves in the first section of the old town called Borgo and as we walk along the main street our suspicions are confirmed: this is really an undiscovered treasure, clearly well maintained and conserved. It is small but well organized to welcome visitors, with several maps and informational signs throughout, public restrooms near Porta Nuova and access for disabled persons.

As we walk and pass numerous medieval and Renaissance palaces, we notice many of them still display the emblems (and a small plaque indicating the name) of the important families in the city that have made up its history. The town is full of history, its strategic position made it important for both Florence and Siena to possess during the times of warfare between the two cities. The town is well know for the famous battle of Colle (unfortunately no English version yet).

At the end of the town is the Renieri-Portigiani palace that displays a large Medicean emblem and which is now seat of the city government.

From here starts the second part of the old city, the “Castello” or Castle, built on a nearby hill and connected today by a wide stone bridge (called ponte del Campana, or Bell Bridge) but which back then represented an ulterior form of defense.
Walking along via del castello you end up the Bastione di Sapia, a bulwark from which you can enjoy a large panoramic view of the city below and of the surrounding countryside. It is said that Sapia Salvani, a noble woman from Siena, observed from this terrace the defeat of her own fellow citizens during the battle of Colle. In the Divine Comedy, Dante has us find her in Purgatory, and a sign on a nearby building reminds us of these phrases.

There are many sites of interest and we soon found out ourselves that we had underestimated the time we needed to spend there. A few we would like to signal out are: the tower of Arnolfo located toward the end of via del Castello where Arnoldi di Cambio was born, likely Colle Val d’Elsa’s most illustrious citizen; the Archeological Museum and the Crystal Museum which we will have to return to Colle to visit. The city, we soon learned, is the Italian capital of crystal and almost all Italian crystal objects sold worldwide are produced here. There are many shops in the town selling precious crystal objects. We were able to resist the shimmery light from those windows on this occasion.

We were instead attracted by the coloful window at Manufactum , where the owner, Doriana, was painting the ceramic items – very beautiful – that she creates along with her husband. We purchased a few souvenirs but there were various items that attracted our eye – on our next visit we will surely stop by again

Happy note for our lunch: we discovered what turned to be an excellent restaurant, il Frantoio , located within the Castle section. Its light lunch fixed menu was a good deal (18 euros), while the à la carte dishes prices might have been a little bit more compared to what other restaurants and wine bars we passed along the way advertised but the setting was suggestive, both elegant and rustic at the same time. Above all, the presentation of each course was impecable, serving modern interpretations of common Tuscan dishes and offering their own fresh bread and sauces. Service was excellent: it is always a pleasure to eat at a place where you feel they care about making a good impression on their clients

We hope to soon have a more detailed article on Colle val d’Elsa, in the meantime we highly recommend a visit to this small medieval town which is often overlooked but which has a lot to offer!

Photo by Pierpaolo Putignano

The last time I visited a zoo, I was a child.

I remember it was a zoo-safari: visitors crossed huge areas directly aboard their own cars, passing through fields where lions and monkeys made their home.

To my young eyes, these great fields were the savanna and reminded me of Tarzan movies. I couldn’t imagine what enclosures were and I certainly didn’t intend on walking through the big cats to ensure myself that these walls existed (I was a wise guy at the time).

I let my fantasy do its job and I looked at the animals full of delight.

More than thirty years later, I wanted to take advantage of the beautiful weather and photograpg something different. Somehow I decided to go to the Pistoia Zoo to take some shots.

The zoo is easily reachable from from Florence, it is just off the Pistoia Ovest (West) exit off the A11 highway that connects Florence to Pisa and the Tyrennian Sea. The zoo is just four kilometers from the highway exit with a large parking lot, but on weekends and holidays it is best to arrive early.

The zoo is located on the hills of Pistoia, covering a large natural area. Where it was possible, the natural habitats for the animals were recreated.

Currently, the zoo is working on preparing a large area for brown bears, the park’s newest attraction. In addition, the park has a souvenir shop, a restaurant and a tropical hall where reptiles are kept.

The thing that struck me the most was the great variety of animals hosted at the zoo, from the most common animals (pigs, guinea pigs, oxen, goats and donkeys) to more bizarre species (uistitì and ring tailed lemurs, made famous by Dreamworks’ Madagascar movie) or simply cute animals (such as the capibara, a sort of large water mouse, polar bears, big pelicans and the drowsy giant tortoise).

The zoo contains animals of rare beauty, such as the scarlet ibis, an amazing white peacock and a black swan.

An exciting small wolf pack is specially attractive to children, while the park’s favorite tend to be the felines: a couple of snobby lions, an elegant tiger and three magnificent jaguars.

Then there are the camels, ostriches, rheas, emus and alpacas that observe the public with a sweet but shy stare.

The giraffes and elephants (besides the peacocks) are those that have most accustomed to our human presence; in fact, they stretch out their necks and trunks towards the park’s visitors in search of a snack.

Nearby, the hippos sleep and a rhino, without a jeep to charge, stands to the side looking bored.

The tropical hall houses a big variety of snakes, including a python reticulatus, a cobra, a crotalus, the yellow anaconda as well as other reptiles such as alligators, caymans and snapping turtles.

There are giant cockroaches and millipedes and a real champion of the camouflage game, the stick insect which is invisible in its home.

Near the zoo’s exit, gibbons and wonderful aras wave goodbye.

At this point we just need to pay two euros to leave the parking area and return home only to realize that the whole day has passed.

It’s fair, at this point, to comment on the zoo experience.

It is a common opinion (highly agreeble) that animals must live free in their natural environment.

It is also true that the idea of what makes a zoo in these last thirty years has changed greatly. It is no longer a sort of “freak show” but rather a place where animals can be protected, a place where visitors can learn about biodiversity and the species that are present in that zoo.

To that end, the Pistoia Zoo organizes an initiative called “Incontri Bestiali (Bestial Encounters)” in which visitors (both children and adults) are informed about the necessities of those species that today are commonly found in our homes as pets in order to promote an appropriate and conscious management and to avoid their abandonment. The zoo also organized learning initiatives and visits with local schools.

It is also sad to think that in a not so distant future the zoo will be the only place where we will be able to find certain species, such as polar bears and tigers as they become extinct in their natural enviroment.

Maybe the children of today, which are not even used to seeing a common garden lizard, will also be able to learn about the biodiversity we are losing.

For any who might be interested in taking some photographs at the zoo, I offer some technical tips.

It is best to go to zoo bright and early (of course dependant on the zoo’s opening hours) or at dusk (taking into consideration that the ticket office closes an hour before the zoo does).

These are the times when most of the animals are more active.

It is best to use a reflex camera (SLR) with a telephoto zoom lens (this will allow focusing beyond the wire fences so that they practically invisible in your photos) and a polarizing filter since some animals can be only be vieved behind glass barriers.

Remember that animals are in constant motion, will not pose for shots or for the best light conditions, so try to use a fast shutter speed in order to capture the moment.

For further information about the Pistoia Zoo and the species hosted at the park, visit the official website at http://www.zoodipistoia.it