Residence a Volterra

Residence a Volterra

Volterra plays a unique role within the unlimited panorama of the Italian art cities. Volterra is a prehistoric town endowed with a magical charm. To breathe the mysterious atmosphere embracing Volterra, you simply need to reach the top of the hill where it stands, “Piano di Castello”: from the Acropolis to the Medicean Fortress you can detect the growth of the town during the centuries, from prehistory throughout to Renaissance. The historical charm is combined with the beauties of nature, which offers a unique heritage between morphology, vegetation and fauna. Even nowadays Volterra is still surrounded by walls which date back to the 3rd century and represent the maximum development of its urban structure.

On the ancient “pratus episcopaus” you can admire the Piazza dei Priori, the Medieval central square of the town. The typical tower houses and a series of palaces were built over the centuries around the square. Among these there are: Palazzo dei Priori, Palazzo Vescovile, Palazzo Pretorio next to the Torre del Porcellino, Palazzo Incontri and Palazzo del Monte Pio.

The imposing Palazzo dei Priori is the most ancient town building still existing in Tuscany. The façade, incredibly well-preserved, has three lines of double lancet windows and also bears the “Cannata Volterrana”, the local unit of measurement, decorated with glazed terracotta plates in Robbiano style. The palace houses an extraordinary picture gallery including works by Signorelli, Ghirlandaio, Rosso Fiorentino and Daniele da Volterra. From the tower top you can also admire the unique view of the houses roofs and the surrounding territory, reaching the Amiata mount, the Apuan Alps and sea of Piombino and La Spezia. While walking in the centre of Volterra visitors should not miss the tower houses of Buomparenti, the crossroad bearing the same name and the fascinating Matteotti street. The Etruscan period (during which Volterra reached its peak) gave also birth to the great Porta all’Arco (Arch Door) and the Necropolis of Marmini, including many archaeological finds kept in the town Etruscan Museum.

The Vallebona theatre, built during the Augustan Age, symbolizes the role of the town during the Roman period. In addition to the Etruscan Museum and the Town Picture Gallery, Volterra also has an important Museum of sacred art including goldsmith's works of art, paintings, 3rd century sculptures of the Sienese school of art, antiphonary miniatures. Many craft shops and exhibitions give the possibility to discover the peculiarities of alabaster craft work, one of the many reasons for which the town is known all over the world.

Volterra also offers a magnificent view of the gentle undulating hills of the surrounding landscape abruptly interrupted in the West by the Balze (crags). A unique scenery that is the result of the geologic stratification effect and the continuous erosion, which is thought to have inspired Dante in his depiction of Hell in his Divine Comedy

The Area and other locations:
The Wine Road of Tuscany
Firenze 100 from the Residence
Pisa 60 from the Residence
Siena 90.5 from the Residence
Populonia 41 from the Residence
Volterra 42.3 from the Residence