IL PIANO
9.
The four cantons
‘The four cantons’, an intersection of four buildings built during mid 16th century in place of the Guelph Portal which marked the access to the “Floor”.
The elevator and the bastion 11.
The bastion of Colle, that welcomes all tourists with a stunning view point, is reachable by a tunnel that was once an air raid shelter, dating back to second world war, that leads to the elevator realised by the Syntagma company with the collaboration of J.Nouvel, a French architect. In a niche of the tunnel leading to the lift is positioned Red Girl, a statue dressed in red under a sky of light bulbs made with blown crystal by Kiki Smith, formerly on display in the UMoCA spaces. In 2010 this contemporary American artist had been invited by Cai Guo-Qiang, the director of UMoCA, Under Museum of Contemporary Art, to exhibit in the openair museum staged under the vaults of San Francesco’s bridge in Colle. For the occasion Kiki Smith had chosen to exhibit three of the young women featured in ‘Pause’ - a work of hers presented in Japan. These female figures were set in these evocative spaces lit by a multitude of giant blown crystal light bulbs. At the end of the UMOCA project, two of these girls were donated each to a different town in the Val d’Elsa area.
Headquarter of the choir Bellini
10.
The headquarter of the Choral Company ‘Vincenzo Bellini’ is one of the most significant institutions of the city. This 16th century palace, belonging to the Ceramelli family was renovated - for the contemporary art event ‘Arte all’Arte 2000’ - by the Italian artist Alberto Garutti. The idea behind the renovation was to create a place where the reality of life of Colle di val d’Elsa can encounter art.
12.
Palazzo Masson
Where the ‘Porta al Canto’ once stood, Palazzo Masson now stands. Today it houses the headquarters of the institute ‘Ancelle del Sacro Cuore‘, a private school run by this religious order. Antonietta Masson had this palace built by Antonio Salvetti to give her grandfather Stefano, who was suffering an incurable illness, a healthier housing. The location was also perfect to control the ironworks firm of the family ‘Stefano Masson & C.’, which gave an important boost to the local economy during the mid-19th century.
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