The City
Volterra is situated in the province of Pisa and lies between the valley of Era and Cecina. Built on a hilly Pliocene ridge 545 metres a.s.l. surrounded by two defensive walls, one Etruscan and the other Medieval, it is one of the most important centres of Tuscany, for its monuments which testify 3,000 years of civilisation and for its traditional craftsmanship in alabaster whose product are one of Italy’s leading crafts.
Useful links :
• Click here to get directions
• 4 unmissable things to do in Volterra
• 18 May 2020 Group tour San Gimignano, Volterra & Wine Tasting Shore Excursion from Livorno
The settlements in Volterra date back to the Neolithic period and excavations reveal the presence of the Villanovian culture from which the Etruscan civilisation flourished in the 8th century B.C.
Volterra becomes one of the twelve Lucumos of the Etruscan nation in the second half of the 3rd century B.C. and is later taken by the Romans becoming an important Municipium.
At the rise of Christianity, Volterra is soon to follow the new faith and at the fall of the Roman Empire in 476 A.D., it is already the centre of a vast diocese. After the Barbaric domination and the Bishops’ rule, the free “comune” is affirmed and from the first half of the 12th century, Volterra begins to formulate its own laws.
But this autonomy is not to last for long. Freed from the rule of the Bishop-Count and the Belforti family (1361), Volterra then has to fight against the hegemonic politics of Florence.
Open to rebellion (1429), shrewd endurance, compromise and apparent friendship only serve to delay the ultimate defeat which comes about in 1472 over the issue of the alum quarries within the Volterran territory.
Volterra is not yet touched by the stress of contemporary life and visitors who come to Volterra have the immediate impression of stepping in the past, of being in a particular place with his narrow Medieval streets and the enigma of its Etruscan origins.
Volterra is prevalently Medieval and yet cherishes abundant evidence of Etruscan period :
- the Porta dell’Arco (the Etruscan gate) which date from the 4th century B.C. ,
- the Acropolis, the defensive walls which are still visible in parts of the town.
The Roman period is attested by the important remains of the Teatro di Villabona which date back to the Augustan period, the Baths and an enormous rectangular water cistern.
The Middle Ages are not only visible in its urban structure but too in its buildings, its house-towers and churches: the Palazzo dei Priori, a 13th-century building, the Palazzo Pretorio, whit its crenellated Tower of the Little Pig, the pair of towers of Buonparenti and Bonaguidi family, the house-towers of Toscano family, the Cathedral (12th century), the Baptistery (13 century) streaked with Volterran stone, the conventual Church of San Francesco with its adjacent chapel of the Croce di Giorno, the church of San Michele and of San Alessandro.
All the attractions in Volterra
Museums
• Museo Etrusco Guarnacci
Via Don Minzoni, 15
Open every day (excl. 1/1 e 25/12)
(16/3-2/11) 9.00 – 19.00
(3/11-15/3) 9.00 – 14.00
• Pinacoteca e Museo Civico – Palazzo Minucci Solaini
Via dei Sarti 1
Open every day (excl. 1/1 e 25/12)
(16/3-2/11) 9.00 – 19.00
(3/11-15/3) 9.00 – 14.00
• Museo dell’Opera del Duomo di Arte Sacra – Palazzo Vescovile
Via Roma 1
• Biblioteca Comunale e Archivio Storico – Palazzo Vigilanti
Via Don Minzoni
• Palazzo Incontri Viti
Via dei Sarti 41
• Archeological Areas
Acropolis – Via di Castello
Necropolis – Località “Marmini”
Roman Theatre – Porta Fiorentina
Where to Sleep
We’ve pre-picked the best hotels, apartments hostels and bed and breakfasts to make your stay as enjoyable as possible.
• Top 5 Apartments in Volterra
• Top 5 Hotels in Volterra
• Top 5 B&B in Volterra
- B&B Podere Rivoltino di Sopra
- Villa Sant’Anastasio Luxury Agriturismo
- Villa Loghino
- In Canto Sul Poggio
- Agriturismo Santa Adriana
18 May 2020 Group tour San Gimignano, Volterra & Wine Tasting Shore Excursion from Livorno
Any questions? Write us
Follow us on Facebook
Comments