Volterra

55 km from the Hotel Prategiano in Maremma Tuscany: Volterra is situated in the province of Pisa and lies between the Valley of Era and Cecina. Built on a hilly ridge and surrounded by two defensive walls, one Etruscan and the other Medieval, it is one of the most important centers of Tuscany. Its monuments testify 3,000 years of civilization.

Built on a hilly terrain at the turn of the river valley and was one of the Cecina, the city was an Etruscan settlement that was later conquered by the Romans. Volterra has been for centuries the fulcrum of the Catholic religion in the area, given the presence of the Episcopal Diocese, that there is today. Famous for its city walls, the Etruscan times it was restored during the Middle Ages, still keeps the door Dell'Arco, dating back to the Etruscan period. In addition to the special walls the city is dismayed to historical monuments such as the Roman theater, rediscovered in the 50s through an archaeological excavation carried out in the area; Sources Spa, the Augustan age; The Palazzo dei Priori, located in the historic center of the village; The Medici fortress, built by Lorenzo De Medici (Lorenzo the Magnificent). Volterra was for centuries the economic hub - religious of Tuscany, thanks to the alabaster that characterizes the works Tuscan craftsmanship. Its architectural features and the favorable location offer the opportunity to enjoy the hilly landscape that surrounds it, staying in a climate very medieval and very suggestivo.Situata in the province of Pisa, built on hilly ground at the turn of the river valley and was that of Cecina, the city was an Etruscan settlement that was later conquered by the Romans. Volterra has been for centuries the fulcrum of the Catholic religion in the area, given the presence of the Episcopal Diocese, that there is today. Famous for its city walls, the Etruscan times it was restored during the Middle Ages, still keeps the door Dell'Arco, dating back to the Etruscan period. In addition to the special walls the city is dismayed to historical monuments such as the Roman theater, rediscovered in the 50s through an archaeological excavation carried out in the area; Sources Spa, the Augustan age; The Palazzo dei Priori, located in the historic center of the village; The Medici fortress, built by Lorenzo De Medici (Lorenzo the Magnificent). Volterra was for centuries the economic hub - religious of Tuscany, thanks to the alabaster that characterizes the works Tuscan craftsmanship. Its architectural features and the favorable location offer the opportunity to enjoy the hilly landscape that surrounds it, staying in a climate very medieval and very charming.

Volterra has avoided the stress of contemporary life and visitors who come to Volterra have the immediate impression of stepping into the past.

Volterra is prevalently medieval, but one can still find evidence of the Etruscan period in monuments such as: the Porta all'Arco (the Etruscan gate) which dates from the 4th century B.C. and the Acropolis, the defensive walls which are still visible in parts of the town. The Roman period is attested by the important remains of the Teatro di Vallebona which date back to the Augustan period, the Baths and an enormous rectangular water cistern.

The Middle Ages are not only visible in the urban structure of Volterra, but in its buildings too: the Palazzo dei Priori, a 13th century building; the Palazzo Pretorio, with its crenellated Tower of the Little Pig; the pair of towers of Buonparenti and Bonaguidi family; the house-towers of Toscano family; the Cathedral (12th century); the Baptistry (13th century) streaked with Volterran stone; the conventual Church of San Francesco with its adjacent chapel of the Croce di Giorno; the Church of San Michele and San Alessandro.

Apart from its monuments, art and history, Volterra also offers a magnificent view of the gentle undulating hills of the surrounding landscape abruptly interrupted in the West by the Balze mountain crags.