Volterra — a walk through Etruscan time

Just 14 kilometres from our Prime Residence, Volterra rises on a windswept hilltop above the Cecina valley — a town where Etruscan walls, Roman ruins and medieval lanes all share the same few square kilometres. It is the easiest of day trips from Tuscany Forever, and one of the most rewarding.

Etruscan origins

Long before Rome, Volterra was Velathri — one of the twelve great city-states of the Etruscan confederation. You can still walk stretches of the original Etruscan walls and pass beneath the Porta all’Arco, an arch that has guarded the city for some 2,400 years. The Guarnacci Museum holds one of the finest collections of Etruscan art anywhere, including the slender bronze figure known as the Ombra della Sera, the „shadow of the evening”.

What to see

Volterra rewards slow wandering, but a few sights stand out:

• The Guarnacci Etruscan Museum and its funerary urns
• The medieval Piazza dei Priori, ringed by stone palazzi
• The Roman theatre, beautifully preserved below the walls
• The cliffs known as Le Balze, where the hillside drops away into eroded ravines

Alabaster, the city’s craft

Volterra has carved translucent alabaster since Etruscan times. Workshops around the centre still shape it by hand, and the Ecomuseo dell’Alabastro tells the story of the trade. A small carved piece makes a fitting souvenir of a town defined by stone.

When to visit

Late August is special: for Volterra A.D. 1398, the whole town steps back into the Middle Ages with costumes, crafts and food. Otherwise, go for the light — early morning or the golden hour before sunset, when the stone glows and the valley views stretch all the way to the hills around our residences.

Ask our reception to help you plan the day — and pair it with a tasting at one of the nearby vineyards.