The village itself is a very relaxing place to be to soak up the unique culture and atmosphere and beauty of Italy without the tourists and the crowds. However Casole is full of pleasures, art galleries, jewellers, three cafes, delis, two tiny chapels. Additional activities:
There are limitless possibilities for walking around the area. Fabulous countryside for walking lies all around in every direction from Casole.
During some of July and all of August there is a public swimming pool open in the village. A tennis court is available all through the season.
The bus timetable is quite limited from Casole so it is much easier to visit the local towns and cities like San Gimignano, Volterra, Siena, Florence, Mensano etc if you have a hire car.
Casole has it's own museum with renaissance art collection as well as archaeological section. There is also a tourist office located in the entrance of the museum. Occasional tours are arranged to nearby places of interest including the stunning Renaissance villa, La Suvera.
These can be arranged with our delightful Italian cook, Loredana Russo. Loredana is from Sicily and speaks fairly good English. Further details coming soon.
These can be arranged with a wonderful local teacher please contact Hannah for further details: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Enjoy a perfect day out with a guided tour of some of the wonderful local vineyards of Chianti nearby Casole. Linda translates into English after Nicola describes the perfect day visiting three local vineyards, having lunch and finally taking a dip in the Cecina River. Nicola is standing outside L' Osteria del Caffe Casolani in Casole d'Elsa is a wonderful little restaurant and wine merchant. He is very knowledgeable about the wines of the area. However if an organised group tour is not available you can sample plenty of excellent wines just right there in the Osteria.
We get lots of questions about travelling to and from Casole. It is not the most accessible place by public transport due to the fact that it does not have a train station and the buses run to and from the nearest large town (Colle di val d'Elsa) only four times a day. From Colle you can get connections onward to Siena, Poggibonsi, Firenze (Florence) and Volterra.
Most people fly to Pisa when coming from the UK and Europe but visitors from further afield might come via Rome or Florence (Firenze).
Casole to Colle val d'Elsa - Bus number 126 |
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Depart from Casole | Arrive in Colle | Duration |
06:37 | 07:07 | 30 min |
07:37 | 08:07 | 30 min |
11:40 | 12:03 | 23 min |
15:12 | 15:42 | 30 min |
Colle val d'Elsa to Casole - Bus number 126 |
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Depart from Colle | Arrive in Casole | Duration |
11:13 |
11:40 |
27 min |
14:00 |
14:31 |
31 min |
14:43 |
15:09 |
26 min |
18:29 |
19:00 |
31 min |
Approximately every 10 minutes in both directions.
For further bus information to and from Casole take the link to the region of Siena online bus service search
For information about travelling from Colle to Volterra take the link to the 770 Bus timetable
BUS FROM FLORENCE (FIRENZE) TO CASOLE:
The Florence bus station is right by the main train station (Santa Maria Novella) so that is convenient.t is the 131 line, but be sure to get on the 'ordinary' bus (corsa ordinaria) which stops at Poggibonsi and Colle. Do not get on the Rapid bus as it shoots straight to Siena. This line generally leaves at 40 minutes past every hour and takes about an hour and a quarter/half depending on traffic.
From Colle you can either get a taxi (only 15 km to Casole) or you can get the bus number 126 - the timetable is above.
BUS FROM COLLE TO VOLTERRA:
To get to Volterra you would have to get the early bus from Casole to Colle. In Colle you can get a bus at 9:45 direct to Volterra (50 mins). There is a return bus from Volterra at 14:45 (which would leave you stranded in Colle all afternoon, though the old part of Colle is worth a visit) or at 17:13, which would be just in time for the 18:29 back to Casole.
The nearest train station is Poggibonsi. You can get from Poggibonsi to Casole by taxi or if you take the bus you have to change at Colle di val d'Elsa.
TRAIN FROM PISA TO POGGIBONSI: Take a train from Pisa Airport to Pisa Centrale (usually these go about 3 times an hour). Then take a train from Pisa Centrale to Empoli (The train will be heading for Florence but get off at Empoli). At Empoli take the train to Poggibonsi. (This train will be heading for Siena but get off at Poggibonsi) Generally there are lots of trains running so you don't have to plan too precisely.
An online train journey planner is available at trenitalia.com
The cost of a taxi is usually around €1,40 per km.
Poggibonsi is 23 km from Casole,
Colle is 15 km from Casole
San Gimignano is 22 km
Siena is 42 km
Pisa is 88 km
Volterra is 23 km
Bruno Bellini can be booked in advance to pick up from varous locations, including Florence, Pisa and Colle val d'Elsa to bring you to Casole. Bellinibruno.com
If arriving by car please note our check in time is after 4:30 pm and check out is by 10 am.
There is a hire firm/taxi firm in San Gimignano that has a web site in English:
If arriving by car it is easier to set your 'Sat Nav' to Via Roma, 10 rather than Via San Michele, 16 as the latter is 'unknown' to the GPS and it will take you right into the village. Please note if arriving after 8 pm DO NOT drive into the village - as you will probably received an automatic fine. It is pedestrian only after 8 pm. The best place to unload luggage is in the Piazzetta at the end of Via San Michele. Having unloaded please re-park in the main village car park which is at the junction at the very bottom of Via Roma. Unfortunately this is about 5 minutes walk from the Centre. There are some parking places on Via Roma but is cleaned once a week and no parking is allowed that morning, so cars not removed on street cleaning day could be towed.
PISA: Lucky House B&B This is on a good bus line between the airport and the historic city centre.
FLORENCE: The Balcony Hotel Modestly priced and very pleasant and central