Volterra

Who is in the region with the racing bike actually has to go to Volterra. An espresso on a piazza and soak up the flair of this beautiful old town. In addition, the view, which is due to the hillside location, terrific. Also all up (and also Ab-) rides are among the delicacies in the region.

Volterra is an interesting Tuscan town in the Province of Pisa, perched on a hill of over 500 m. above sea level, with spectacular views towards the Val d'Era and the plane of Cecina.
It can be reached from Saline on the SR 68, a road characterized in the final stretch by tight bends and an increasing slope (the average is 4-5%); in the last 9 km the road looks towards wide valleys dominated by the arid "Balze" (gullies and cliffs, characterized by the erosion of clay soils) or fields of wheat and Mediterranean vegetation.
Volterra is renowned for its alabaster, always mined and carved in this city; but it is more known and worth visiting for the traces left by history through the centuries.
Some remains of its Etruscan origin survive still now: the city-walls with their gates (the Porta dell’Arco is the best preserved), the Acropolis, some cisterns and hypogea, as well as the several archaeological findings (now in the Guarnacci Museum).
The Roman period has left a nice semicircular theatre.
But the urban structure and most of the buildings of the historic center date back to medieval times: the main square, Piazza dei Priori with its Palazzo dei Priori , (the town hall), noble palaces and towers, the Medicean Fortress and the cathedral dedicated to the Virgin (Santa Maria Assunta), besides parish churches, monasteries, chapels, oratories...

Links for info about Addresses, Timetables, Tickets:
- Palazzo dei Priori (Piazza dei Priori No. 1): comune.volterra.pi.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/IT/IDPagina/283
- Guarnacci Etruscan Museum (Palazzo Desideri Tangassi Via Don Minzoni n ° 15): comune.volterra.pi.it/musei/museo-etrusco-guarnacci
- Roman Theater (Via Francesco Ferrucci):
volterratur.it/en/come/etruscans-land/volterra/the-roman-theatre
- Medici Fortress (Rampa di Castello, 4):
volterratur.it/en/come/etruscans-land/volterra/the-medici-fortress
- Alabaster Ecomuseum (Via dei Sarti, Palazzo Minucci Solaini): volterratur.it/en/come/arts-culture/the-museum/ecomuseum-of-alabaster