The Co-cathedral of SS. Marziale and Alberto in Colle Val d'Elsa
Towards the "Piano"
As you come out of the Co-cathedral, we offer you two itineraries that enable you to trace the transformations undergone by the town from the period of the ancient parish churches to the buildings constructed after Colle was raised to the rank of city and diocese. Besides their fundamental contributions for the building of the cathedral, the great families of Colle, starting in the sixteenth century, worked to give a new face to streets and palaces, following the artistic taste of Florence in that period, characterized by ashlar masonry. The first route moves towards the "Piano" (plain) passing by way of the Bastion, the spot where protection for the city is invoked with the Holy Nail. Coming out of the Co-cathedral and proceeding left on Via del Castello, you can admire the Palazzo dei Priori, now the seat of the Civic and Diocesan Museum which houses numerous works originally in the cathedral. A little farther along is the Teatro dei Varii, thought to be the ancient hostel which sheltered Saints Faustinus and Jovita, then Palazzo Bertini and finally Palazzo Dini, rebuilt in the second half of the sixteenth century by the Dini family whose members, financers of various chapels in the cathedral, often held public and ecclesiastical office. It is worthwhile stopping in the church of Santa Maria in Canonica, then continue on towards the Bastion, walking past Palazzo Galganetti, . . .