Three thousand years of history. This is Volterra, an ancient sedimentation of civilisation.

Its land is full of minerals; salt and its precious alabaster made it rich; the Etruscans founded it; here, the Romans built what is now one of the best-preserved theatres in Italy. The Middle Ages left the legacy of the town’s power with its tower houses, mighty walls, the Palazzo Pretorio and the majestic Palazzo dei Priori buildings. It was conquered by Florence and the Medici family endowed it with a mighty fortress. The Renaissance dotted it with noble palaces and together with the unification of Italy came the roads and a psychiatric hospital.

Volterra, this city of earth that rises up from the land, is well worth a stop, even just for a stroll in its historical centre.

If you have time and want to discover more, you can’t miss the Etruscan Museum: here you will find the famous Evening Shadow, a small anthropomorphic sculpture considered one of the world’s most important archaeological finds. In Palazzo Minucci-Solaini, the Pinacoteca di Volterra gallery holds some true masterpieces, including the renowned Deposition by Rosso Fiorentino and the altarpiece of Christ in Glory by Domenico Ghirlandaio. If you’re fascinated by Volterra’s alabaster, regarded as Europe’s finest, you should visit the Ecomuseum or get lost in the Medieval city’s streets, searching for the last alabaster carvers.

You can reach Volterra by car: it is about 29 km from Gambassi Terme, following the Via Volterrana through one of Tuscany’s most captivating landscapes.