Volterra is a walled city in Tuscany with medieval and Renaissance buildings, a Roman theater, and Etruscan sites. It is one of the most suggestive mountain towns in Tuscany, but it generally has far fewer tourists than nearby San Gimignano.
Volterra Location
Volterra is in central Tuscany, a little south of San Gimignano and west of Siena (see Map of Tuscany). It is about 50 kilometers from Florence and just over 200 kilometers from Rome.
How to get to Volterra
The closest train station is in Poggibonsi, north of Siena, so to get there, you can take the train to Poggibonsi. Buses connect Volterra with Poggibonsi and other cities in Tuscany.
The closest airports are in Rome, Pisa and Florence, see map of airports in Italy.
Where to stay in Volterra
Here are a couple of good options:
- San Lino Hotel is a 4-star hotel in a former 15th century convent within the medieval walls.
- Villa Porta all’Arco is a 3-star hotel just outside one of the city gates, a short distance from the historic center.
Volterra Top Sights
- Roman theater , forum and baths : construction began on the Roman theater in the 1st century BC. Behind the theater there are remains of Roman baths dating from the 4th century AD. There are also remains of the Roman forum. During the Middle Ages, these sites were part of a garbage dump and were buried until excavations began in 1951.
- Piazza dei Priori : The main square is one of the most impressive in Tuscany. On the square is the 13th century Palazzo dei Priori, the oldest town hall in Tuscany. Also in the square are the 14th century Palazzo Vescovile and the back of the cathedral.
- Cathedral and Baptistery : The duomo, or cathedral, dates from 1120 when it was built on the site of an earlier church. It has a Romanesque façade and an entrance added in the 13th century. The interior was modified in the late 16th century in the Renaissance style and has a richly decorated ceiling and several chapels with frescoes or wood paneling and a 12th century marble pulpit. The octagonal Baptistery dates from the 13th century, although some parts may be older. Its façade is decorated with stripes of green and white marble and the dome dates from the 15th century.
- Medieval walls and gates : the 13th century walls enclose the historic center. There are six doors in the center walls, dating from the 13th to 16th centuries. Porta San Francesco still preserves traces of the original frescoes. From Porta San Felice there are views of the countryside beyond the city. Two sources have also been preserved. One of them, Fonte di Docciola, was used in the Middle Ages to provide water for mills and the wool industry. Near the San Felice fountain, built in 1319, there are remains of the Etruscan wall.
- Etruscan Sites : At the highest point in Volterra is the Etruscan Acropolis with panoramic views of the surroundings. The archaeological site is part of a park that includes the foundations of two Etruscan temples, Hellenistic period dwellings, a system of cisterns, and ruins of medieval towers. Porta All ‘Arco, the door of the Arch, has sides that possibly date from the 5th century BC. C. with the arch and the heads dating from the 3rd to the 2nd century BC. Etruscan tombs, carved from sandstone under the ground, can be found in various places.
- Museums : The Guarnacci Etruscan Museum , founded in 1761, was one of the first public museums in Europe. The great collection of artifacts is housed in the 13th century Palazzo dei Priori. The Civic Museum and Art Gallery are located in the 15th century Palazzo Minucci-Solaini and include paintings and works of art from medieval to modern times. A museum of sacred art is housed in the bishop’s palace.
- Medicea Fortress : The fortress, on top of the hill, consists of Rocca Antica and Rocca Nuova.
Twilight Saga New Moon in Volterra
Volterra is the home of the Volturi in the New Moon book, the second book in the Twilight series, and the action at the end of the story takes place here. Although the ending of the Twilight Saga: New Moon movie is set in Volterra, it was actually filmed in Montepulciano.
