Volterra is a charming town situated in the Province of Pisa, not far from Florence, Siena and the coast.
“He will turn to his brave sons who have fallen in all wars”.
Museum of Torture
The medieval town of Volterra was no accident. Diana and I chose this walled village on the hill so we could see the Museum of Torture after reading up on the towns history. And being the horror fan I am, I thought it would be great research for a story. Every exhibit piece displayed information about the dark history and use of these tools of torture.
The village has been known for centuries for the manufacture of alabaster .
The winery was between 30 or so minutes away from Volterra and I must say the drive was definitely part of the experience. The winding roads that incline, beautiful scenery at every turn and the weather was picture perfect. The town was also easy to find and we lucked out on the parking.
Volterra is not known to be touristy with its out of the way location and rustic scenery. Its history dates back before the 8th century and the Ancient Etruscan civilization who were later conquered by the Medici family.
The 2nd photo is the road that leads to the back entrance of the town. Volterra is so well preserved considering its age. No wonder they used this location to film one of the Twilight films. It almost has this vampiric feel to it.
Pictured in the 3rd photo, there is a string of little gift shops, restaurants and a strip of market vendors.
We stopped at a dessert booth to get a closer look at the cute Italian guy working there but soon became distracted by the alluring smell of sweets in front of us……..each buying an assortment of devilishly fabulous tasting chocolates.
Moving past the vendors we discovered different pathways that lead to several cobbled roads. We veered left down one of them to see where it would take us.
These veined roads and alleyways lead to various shops, restaurants and cafe’s. We were surrounded by stone walls adorned with antique lamps, hanging flower pots, and traditional tuscan doors. It was magical!
The choice of tempting boutique restaurants was overwhelming. Though we randomly picked one, we knew we couldn’t miss.
The gelato was to die for.
We continued our sightseeing into the piazza where you could visit such places as the Palazzo dei Priori ( the oldest municipal building in Tuscany ), the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta and other fascinating buildings of medieval architecture.
At the top of a steep road was an abandoned prison….so we thought. But upon approaching the entrance, we were told it wasn’t advisable to enter by what appeared to be someone visiting an actual inmate. As you can imagine, our curiosity was cut short!
We headed back to the boutique stores that surrounded the market that was filled with stunningly crafted alabaster figurines, others with handcrafted jewelry.
This small town with a gothic feel is a hidden gem.
Farewell, Volterra.
Our next destination……………San Gimignano!
