who named it "Factory of crystal, glassware, and diverse objects for the table". He established relations with the famous Baccarat and its catalogue, and reached a production of over 800,000 pieces of cut glass per year. The factory received awards in the great Universal Exhibitions, and Cole became known as the Bohemia of Italy. The dawn of the 19th century held out great promise for Colle: its isolation was about to be ended by the arrival of the railway, and its industrial future seemed assured, not just by glass but also Masson's great iron foundry.But problematic labour relations and incomprehensible complications concerned with the Italian glass monopoly slowed development: from Shimd, the factory changed hands repeatedly, to Nardi, Filippo Lepri, Guido Balzamo Stella, Boschi…. At every stage, modifications and divisions gave rise to the diversified, highly variegated glass manufacturing industry that characterizes Val d'Elsa still today. This valley, with its quartziferous minerals and sands, its forests that long fed the furnaces, its torrents that provided energy, has begun to attract new attention, and not just on the part of scholars. Perhaps the history of glassware in Val d'Elsa may help to enhance recognition of its contemporary products and aid their promotion, marketing and design. In fact market success, the establishment of new forms and the development of traditional products often depend on a thorough, unbiased knowledge of the past, and in Tuscany, the past supplies a form of added value that is often missing in products from other areas that may be competitive in terms of technology or labour costs.