2 Best Sights in Volterra, Tuscany

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Liz Humphreys

Driving in the old town is forbidden. There are several parking lots around the perimeter of the city walls, the most convenient of which is the underground parking lot at Piazza Martiri della Libertà. Begin your exploration of Volterra from Piazza Martiri della Libertà and take Via Marchesi to Piazza dei Priori. It's lined with an impressive collection of medieval buildings, including the imposing Palazzo dei Priori, the seat of city government for more than seven centuries. Across the piazza is the Palazzo Pretorio topped by the Torre del Porcellino, named after the sculpted little boar mounted at the upper window. Walk down Via Turazza along the side of the Duomo to the triangular Piazza San Giovanni, and head out the left corner of the piazza to steal a look at the ancient Porta all'Arco Etrusco.

Allow at least three hours to see the town. Off-season, it's best to make an early start in order to have time in the museums before they close. The whole town can easily be seen in a day, although its distance from everything else makes it a good stopover as well.

Museo Diocesano di Arte Sacra

The religious art collection housed in the Bishop's Palace was collected from local churches and includes an unusual reliquary by Antonio Pollaiolo with the head of St. Octavian in silver resting on four golden lions. There's also a fine terra-cotta bust of St. Linus by Andrea della Robbia (1435–1525/28). Two paintings are noteworthy: Rosso Fiorentino's (1495–1540) Madonna di Villamagna and Daniele da Volterra's (1509–66) Madonna di Ulignano, named for the village churches in which they were originally placed.

Art Museum
Piazza XX Settembre, Volterra, 56048, Italy
0588-87733
www.museodiocesanovolterra.com
Sight Details
€5
Closed Mon.–Wed. early Jan.–early Apr. and Mon. early Apr.–Oct. and Nov.–early Jan.

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Pinacoteca

One of Volterra's best-looking Renaissance buildings contains an impressive collection of Tuscan paintings arranged chronologically on two floors. Head straight for Room 12, with Luca Signorelli's (circa 1445–1523) Madonna and Child with Saints and Rosso Fiorentino's later Deposition. Though painted just 30 years apart, they illustrate the shift in style from the early 16th-century Renaissance ideals to full-blown Mannerism: the balance of Signorelli's composition becomes purposefully skewed in Fiorentino's painting, where the colors go from vivid but realistic to emotively bright. Other important paintings in the small museum include Ghirlandaio's Apotheosis of Christ with Saints and a polyptych of the Madonna and Saints by Taddeo di Bartolo, which once hung in the Palazzo dei Priori.