Duomo di Volterra ๑ Cathedral Santa Maria Assunta ๑ Baptistery San Giovanni ๑ Battistero di San Giovanni ๑ The Roman Theater ๑ Etruscan Acropolis ๑ Palazzo Priori ๑ Volterra ๑ Toscana ๑ Tuscany ๑ Italy ๑ travel ๑ map ๑ info ๑ what to see in ๑ how to go to ๑ opening hours ๑ address ๑ advices ๑ curiosity ๑ recipes ๑ accommodation ๑ photos

 

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Volterra

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About Volterra

 

Volterra is rather small city famous for the extraction and processing of alabaster. The city has a great center of Etruscan origin (of this era is the Gate Arch which beautifully preserved and the Porta Diana (Door Diana) which keeps the blocks of the strains, and most the walls built with cyclopean blocks of local stone, also many tombs used for the burial of the dead), with Roman ruins and medieval buildings like the Cathedral and the Palazzo dei Priori on the square in the main center of Volterra.

The name Volterra is obviously of Etruscan origin and later adapted to Latin volaterrae Velathri (it is an ancient name of the Etruscan Volterra) was part of the Etruscan confederation. The king (and high priest) was called lucumone.

Volterra is situated on the high part of the hill and from there you could have a beautiful picturesque view to down. Al around the high city there are walls of Etruscan origin. Here you could find the famous Arc Gate that once was a part of the ancient walls of the fifth century BC.

 

What to see in Volterra?

volterra-duomo-travelmapitaly.comDuomo di Volterra (The Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta)

The Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta is the cathedral of Volterra. Rebuilt after the earthquake of 1117 it was expanded in the second half of the thirteenth century. The cathedral in the transept shows a classic style decoration, including bezel set with the technique of ornamentation flattened pre-Romanesque style and diamonds that right in the middle sloping ceramic basins.

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Baptistery of San Giovanni (Battistero di San Giovanni)volterra-baptistery-travelmapitaly.com

It is situated in front of the Cathedral Duomo di Volterra. It is characterized by a coat of white and green striped marble decorated with a Romanesque portal craftsmen attributable to employees by Nicola Pisano.

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volterra-roman-theater-travelmapitaly.comThe Roman Theater

The Roman Theater in Volterra was unearthed in the fifties from archaeological excavations in the town of Vallebuona E. Fiumi. The monument is dated to the late I-st century BC and its construction was financed by the wealthy family of Volterra Caecina. The theater was partially excavated in the natural slope of an elevation, in analogy to the Greek theater.

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Etruscan Acropolisvolterra-etruscan-acropolis-travelmapitaly.com

It is a vast area in Piano di Castello where you can read through the various layers of the birth and development of the city from the prehistory to the fifteenth century. It appears visible the foundations of two buildings identified as temples A and B separated by a road intertemplare that surrounds and defines in part the place of worship.

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volterra-palazzo-dei-priori-travelmapitaly.comPalazzo dei Priori

Initiated by the desire of Pannocchieschi Hildebrand, Count Palatine of the Empire in 1208 and concluded in the middle of the thirteenth century is the oldest Tuscan town hall which now is the palace of the municipality.

The facade is decorated with glazed terracotta plaques representing coats of arms of Florentine families: the fifteenth-century Florentine Volterra was governed by commissioners following the entry into the orbit of the city of the lily





How to go to Volterra?

Volterra is situated on the way from Cecina to Colle di Val d'Elsa but there are an trains passing there.

  • By Bus

You can get the Bus from San Gimignano to Volterra - 4/day  2 hours, change in Colle di Val d'Elsa. Buses arrive in Piazza Martiri della Libertà.

  • By Car

You can easy reach the city by car but remember that the main city is compact and you should leave the car on the free parking lots outside the walls. The most central and only underground one is at Piazza Martiri della Libertà. A very comfortable parking lot is the one in Viale Francesco Ferrucci.

  • By Air

If you visit Italy with Airplane take in consideration that the most close Airports are in Pisa and Firenze (Florence). The distance to both of them is almost the same.

For more information visit the Pisa Airport and Florence Airport web site.

 

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Map of Volterra

 

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