Volterra

We made it into Volterra on a market morning, which means the city was packed to it's edges with vendors and buyers. Emma managed to score some really cute boots out of the deal, but it kind of hampered our sightseeing for the morning.

Volterra may have recently gained fame as the city of the Volturri in "Twilight" but it also happens to be one of many Italians favorite small cities. It was an Etruscan city prior to the Romans occupying it, and there is a great deal of history for such a small space. In fact they are considered to have the third best Etruscan collection in the world, right behind the Vatican and the British Museum. In addition to jewelry, surprisingly advanced tools, and other artifacts, the Etruscans left behind a great deal of funeral urns, hundreds of which are housed in the Etruscan museum. The Etruscans were known for their remarkable blend of cultures and "modern" art of the realist style.

Some of the funeral urns.



This is the ceiling of the stairway rotunda in the Etruscan museum, the detail was incredible.





This Roman theatre lies on the edge of town perfectly positioned to be a dump when out of commission, which is exactly how it managed to be preserved until the past century. You can see the levels of entrances on the stage. The first floor was for humans, second for heros, and the third (now missing floor), was for gods. Behind the theatre are also Roman baths which are being excavated. All this overlooks a Tuscan valley, truly beautiful.









Prior to Volterra gaining popular fame as a vampire hangout, it was still known as a city of the dead. Partially because of the Etruscan urn trade. It's naturally situated for carving near alabaster mines, as well as marble mines. The city is full of alabaster workshops.





At the TI center in the middle of town they have a canvas "wall" for Twilight fans. Emma has now been immortalized in Volturra. They are doing pretty well cashing in on the new tourists, even offering a 25 euro "Twilight" tour, we passed.



This is the "Twilight" doorway in the Piazza. If you've read the books, you'll know what I mean.

















This is the Etruscan arch on the edge of town. You can see how worn the sculptures are. This arch was so important to the town that during WWII when the Nazi's wanted to blow it up the townspeople ripped up the street under it and blocked the arch so that it wouldn't be a viable roadway, and therefore not important enough to bomb. The idea worked, and after the Nazi's were ousted the townspeople uncovered the arch and replaced the paving stones. Just another layer of history in this town that has been occupied for at least the past 3,000 years.











As an interesting side note the town has also converted a Medici palace into an ultra high level prison for Mafiosa from the south of Italy. It holds only about 16 "residents" at a time. The idea is that in the north they are separated from any connections they may have, and the guards and employees can't be as easily influenced.

All in all it was a beautiful, typical Tuscan town. We really enjoyed seeing all the sights and experiencing all the history.