Sights in Volterra
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Ecomuseo dell'Alabastro
As befits a town that has hewn the precious rock from nearby quarries since Etruscan times, Volterra has its own alabaster museum, the Ecomuseo dell'Alabastro, which shares the same building as the Pinacoteca. On the ground floor are contemporary creations, including a finely chiselled mandolin and a bizarre fried egg, while on the two upper floors are choice examples from Etruscan times onwards and a re-created artisan's workshop.
From the top-floor windows, there are gorgeous views of the surrounding countryside.
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Cathedral
The cathedral was built in the 12th and 13th centuries. Highlights include a small fresco, the Procession of the Magi by Benozzo Gozzoli, behind a terracotta Nativity group tucked away in the oratory at the beginning of the north aisle. There is also an exquisite 15th-century tabernacle by Mino da Fiesole that rises above the high altar. Just west of the cathedral, the 13th-century baptistry features a small marble font by Andrea Sansovino.
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Le Balze
Le Balze is a deep, eroded limestone ravine about 2km northwest of the city centre that has claimed several churches since the Middle Ages as the buildings tumbled into its deep gullies. A 14th-century monastery, perched near the precipice, seems perilously close to continuing the tradition. To get there, head out through Porta San Francesco, the city's northwestern gate, along Via San Lino and follow its continuation, Borgo Santo Stefano, then Borgo San Giusto.
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Palazzo dei Priori
The 13th-century Palazzo dei Priori, the oldest seat of local government in Tuscany, is believed to have been a model for Florence’s Palazzo Vecchio. Highlights are a fresco of the Crucifixion by Piero Francesco Fiorentino on the staircase, the magnificent cross-vaulted council hall and a small antechamber on the 1st floor giving a bird’s-eye view of the piazza below.
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Parco Archeologico
To its west of Fortezza Medicea is the pleasant Parco Archeologico, site of the ancient Acropolis (open 10:30 to 17:30 mid-March to October). Little of archaeological interest has survived, apart from a few battered Etruscan tombs, but the park has swings and things for kids, and it's a good place for a picnic.
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Museo Etrusco Guarnacci
In terms of content, this is one of Italy’s finest Etruscan Museums. Much of the collection is displayed in the old-style didactic manner, though exhibits on the upper levels have been artfully enriched. The multilingual audioguide (€3) is worth the investment.
All exhibits were unearthed locally. They include a vast collection of some 600 funerary urns carved mainly from alabaster and tufa and are displayed according to subject and period. The best examples (those dating from later periods) are on the 2nd and 3rd floors.
Original touches are the Ombra della Sera bronze ex-voto, a strange, elongated nude figure that would fit harmoniously in any museum of modern art, …
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Palazzo Pretorio
The Palazzo Pretorio is from the same era as the Palazzo dei Priori. From it thrusts the Torre del Porcellino (Piglet's Tower), so named because of the wild boar protruding from its upper section.
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Museo Diocesano d’Arte Sacra
The Museo Diocesano d’Arte Sacra merits a peek for its collection of ecclesiastical vestments, gold reliquaries and works by Andrea della Robbia and Rosso Fiorentino.
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Roman Theatre
On Volterra’s northern edge lies the Roman Theatre, a well-preserved complex complete with a Roman bathhouse.
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Fortezza Medicea
The 14th-century Fortezza Medicea, later altered by Lorenzo Il Magnifico, is nowadays a prison (admission one felony).
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Baptistry
Just west of the cathedral is the 13th-century baptistry with a small marble font by Andrea Sansovino.
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Pinacoteca Comunale
The Pinacoteca Comunale houses a modest collection of local art.
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