Tourist attractions Volterra

At the heart of the town, sober and austere palaces surround this square; inset with twin bays, the Palazzo Pretorio stands alongside a massive crenellated tower, which earned its nickname of Torre del Porcellino (piglet tower) on account of the ..

This square is reached through the Piazza della Cisterna . There are old palaces, seven towers and the sober collegiate church, giving this square a majestic appearance, almost solemn yet imbued with a Tuscan serenity: is it the light, the ochre col..

The square is paved with bricks in a herringbone pattern and is flanked by old houses built in the 13C and 14 C and by the tower of the Devil the twin towers of the Ardinghelli, the main Guelph family in the town. The square owes its name to its cent..

This Etruscan arch dates from the 4C BC and is made from huge quadrangular blocks. It has become one of the symbols of Volterra.

Monsignor Mario Guarnacci offered this very rich collection of Etruscan archaeological finds to the town. It shows in a chronological way objects coming from the Villanovan period (8C. BC) to the Hellenistic period (4C to the 1C), a phase of creativi..

This Romanesque Collegiate church of Cathedral was built in the 12C and is literally covered in frescoes inside: those by Bartolo di Fredi from Siena depict the Old Testament with a colourful yet naïve verve and are simply adorable! Opposite the li..

In the Palace of the People is the Great Council Chamber where Luppo Memmi of Siena painted a masterful Maestà while above are charming frescoes depicting the life of a married couple. There are also collections of paintings, mainly from the 12..

This palace from the 13C and 14 is also known as the new Palace of the Podestat. It is dominated by a high 54m tower, the Torre Grossa . Go up and see the view , stunning and superb over roofs the colour of bunt bread and the towers which rise up f..

Here there are interesting works of sacred art by Tuscan maestros such as Tattoo di Barolo, Luca Signor Elli, Dominica Ghirlandaio and Benvenuto di Giovanni. The highlight? Definitely the dramatic Descent from the Cross de Croix by Rosso (1495-1540..

The Romanesque church of San Michele has its facade on the square and it has a single tower. In the sanctuary is a terracotta by Giovanni Della Robbia depicting a Virgin and Child .

Noble palaces including the Minucci-Solaini palace attributed to Antonio Da Sangallo that today contains the art gallery , and the Vitti palace , whose superb Renaissance facade was designed by Ammannati, flank this curving street.

A must for cinema lovers: here in this palace in 1964 Lucchino Visconti shot some sequences for Sandra ... The palace belonged to the Vitti family, the owners of a marble, stone and alabaster factory which was the most renowned in Volterra. One of t..

In the Pisan Romanesque style, the cathedral has three naves with monolithic columns and a coffered ceiling depicting heaven and the Saints of Volterra. The Chapel of the Addolorata has a fresco by Benozzo Gozzoli, the Journey of the Magi , which se..

Built in 1283, it has an octagonal plan. The doorway is marble, the same as one of the sides which is decorated in bands of white and green marble.

This is a promenade which, from the Porta all'Arco, has superb views over the metal-bearing hills. Above stands the massive Fortezza , an old fortress from the 13C and 14C, comprising a keep and four angle towers. Today it has been converted into a ..

Between 1500 and 1520, the Franciscans built 33 chapels around their monastery, only 17 of which are still standing today. The chapels are miniature reproductions of the holy places in Jerusalem, and all contain superb painted terracotta pieces repre..

Immediately after the death of Vivaldo, a small chapel was built near the chestnut tree where his body was found. A church was built beside it in the 15C, whose first chapel contains St Vivaldo's body. Above the altar is a pleasant Nativity by Giov..

In the Museum of Sacred Art there are the works of Benedetto da Maiano, Giuliano da Maiano and Bartolomeo di Fredi ( Madonna of the Rose on a gold background). In the same palace is room containing several funerary urns and ceramics, all Etruscan ..

Lined by palaces and tower houses, Via San Matteo is a long and bustling street.

This charming small square is reached through a vaulted passage to the left of the Collegiate church. The loggia of the Baptistry to the side is the remains of a 14C cloister: Domenico Ghirlandaio painted the fresco there in 1482 of a harmonious A..