Volterra lies in a region of much-eroded hills some 50km/30mi from the coast of the Maremma and 65km/40mi southeast of Pisa.
History
Excavations have shown that the hill between the rivers Cécina and Era was already occupied by a settlement in prehistoric times. This was succeeded by the Etruscan town of Velathri, a member of the Etruscan League of twelve cities, which covered an area about three times the size of the present town. In the third century B.C. the town became a Roman municipium under the name of Volaterrae. In the Middle Ages it was a free commune, which contrived to retain its independence until it was brought under Florentine protection in 1361. It is famous as a center of alabaster- working, a craft which was revived in the 19th century.
Immediately northwest of Volterra are the Balze, a barren and inhospitable terrain of hills scarred and gullied by erosion. As a result of the continuous wearing away of the soil numbers of Etruscan tombs, a section of the ancient walls and a medieval church have been carried away in quite recent times.
Opposite the facade of the cathedral in Volterra is the baptistery, a two story building on an octoganal plan erected in the 13th century but subsequently much altered. The side facing the cathedral is clad with bands of white and green marble and has a Romanesque doorway with figural decoration. The interior, roofed with an early 16th century dome, is plain. There is a beautiful font by Andrea Sansovino (1502) carved with reliefs.
To the north of the cathedral, at the intersection of Via Roma and Via Ricciarelli, is the 13th century Casa-Torre Buonparenti. There are other characteristic medieval tower houses to be seen in the vicinity - Torre Martinoli (13th century), Casa Nannatti e Miranceli, Torre Buonnaguidi (12th century). In Via Ricciarelli are the Palazzetto della Sbarba (No. 24) and the Casa Ricciarelli (Nos. 34-36; note the small windows for children below the main windows).
On the highest point of the hill is the massive fortezza, one of the mightiest Renaissance strongholds in Italy (now a penal establishment; not open to the public). The Rocca Vecchia (Old Castle) at the east end was built in the 14th century, the Rocca Nuova (New Castle) in 1472-75 for Lorenzo de' Médici. The central round tower of the New Castle (built 1472 onwards) is known as the Maschio (Male), the semi-elliptical tower of the Old Castle as the Femmina (Female).
Around the town are considerable remains, picturesquely overgrown with ivy, holm-oaks and stunted cypresses, of the walls built by the Etruscans to defend the prosperous city of Velathri. The topography of the site meant that the walls enclosed an area of very irregular outline much larger than that of the medieval town, extending for a considerable distance to the north and northwest. In some places the walls rise as high as 11m/36ft. There is a particularly fine stretch by the little Church of Santa Chiara.
The village of Larderello lies on Monte Cérboli (691m/2,267ft), a little off the road from Volterra to Massa Maríttima. The soffioni (jets of steam of volcanic origin) which come to the surface here, sending white columns of vapor into the air, are put to use in two ways; the boric acid and other substances which they deposit in large underground reservoirs of water (lagoni) can be recovered, and the steam is harnessed to produce power.
Leaving the Piazza dei Priori on Via Ricciarelli, we continue past the church of San Lino and San Francesco to the Porta San Francesco; a little north are the remains of the Etruscan town walls (Mura Etrusche).
Near the Piazza dei Priori stands the Palazzo Minucci-Solaini, which houses the Pinacoteca (picture collection), with works by Ghirlandaio, Signorelli and other painters. The same palace contains the Municipal Museum (Museo Civico).
Address: Palazzo Minucci-Solaini / Pinacoteca e Museo Civico, Via dei Sarti 1, I-56048 Volterra, Italy
Opposite the Palazzo dei Priori in Volterra is the 13th century Palazzo Pretorio, which until 1511 was the seat of the capitano del Pópolo. It incorporated a number of earlier buildings, and is dominated by the battlemented Torre del Podestà. On top of the tower is the figure of an animal, popularly known as Porcellino (Piglet).
At the west end of the Citadel in Volterra extends the Archeological Park. In 1926 the remains of an ancient acropolis with the foundations of two temples (second century B.C.) and a cistern have been excavated here.
The Gallería Pittórica (Picture Gallery) in Volterra has works by Florentine, Sienese and Volterran artists. Of particular interest are Rosso Fiorentino's "Descent from the Cross" (1521), Luca Signorelli's "Annunciation" and "Virgin and Child with Saints" (1491), two triptychs by Taddeo di Bártolo (14th-15th century). Benvenuto di Giovanni's "Nativity" (1470) and Ghirlandaio's "Christ with Saints" (15th century).
Address: Palazzo Minucci-Solaini / Pinacoteca e Museo Civico, Via dei Sarti 1, I-56048 Volterra, Italy
Hours:
March 16 to November 1: 9am-7pm
November 2 to March 15: 9:30am-2pm
Always closed on: New Year's Day (January 1), Christmas - Christian (December 25)
From the Porta San Francesco in Volterra we follow the Via Volterrana and in 100m/110yd turn right into Viale Francesco Ferrucci, which runs along the north side of the town walls to the Roman Theater (Teatro Romano) dating from the A.D. first century, which has been excavated from 1951 onwards.
Address: Roman Theater, Viale Ferrucci, I-56048 Volterra, Italy
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Larderello, Italy
Volterra, Pisa
