Hotel La Foresteria, Volterra ***
Pisa, Tuscany  The Hotel La Foresteria, Volterra - this is a delightful new hotel in a superb historic setting. This Volterra hotel lies just a kilometre from the Porta a Selci, one of the most important gates in to the old walled medieval centre of town. View hotel Double rooms from €44
Hotel San Lino, Volterra ****
Pisa, Tuscany  The Hotel San Lino in Volterra - this converted convent, originally constructed in 1480 has a superb position within the medieval walls of the city. This Volterra hotel has been beautifully renovated to ally the best of the old with the new. View hotel Double rooms from €55
Hotel La Locanda, Volterra ****
Pisa, Tuscany  Hotel La Locanda can be found right in the heart of the ancient town of Volterra whose enthralling history stretches right back to Etruscan times, when the town's population was twice what it is today. One of Tuscany's best-kept secrets, this enchanting hilltop town has a rich array of archeological treasures, attractive streets and spacious squares. View hotel Double rooms from €46
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Writers have fallen over themselves trying to evoke the stark beauty of Volterra on the page. For DH Lawrence 'it gets all the wind and sees all the world, a sort of inland island'. Stendahl endured the romantic disaster of his meeting with Matilde Dembowski in 'On Love'. And it is its rather stern and otherworldly atmosphere, clad in the yellow-grey 'panchino' stone, that has attracted the gloomier modern writers. Thomas Harris namechecks Volterra in 'Hannibal' while Stephanie Meyer sets her vampire novel New Moon in the city. Her family of vampire, the Volturi, live beneath the city and lure unsuspecting tourists to their deaths. Lest we overdo the doom and gloom though, let's stress that Volterra is an essential and very lovely addition to anyone's itinerary of Tuscany. It doesn't pull the crowds of a Florence, Siena or Pisa, and it's all the better for that. This was once a mighty power, the hill town dating from Etruscan times, but going into decline in the Middle Ages, and seeing the growth in those great engines of medieval Tuscan growth - banking and trade - rather passing it by. Volterra in fact has been in decline rather for the past 700 years and today occupies less than a third of its traditional area, houses and town walls being allowed to slide into the valley below. That though is history, and today the fabric of Volterra is being slowly rebuilt. There is much to see, and historically things begin with the Roman Theatre, dating from the first century BC and excavated in the 1950s. The Piazza dei Priori, with the Palazzo dei Priori, is one of Italy's loveliest town squares. The town council has been holding session at the Palazzo since 1257. The Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta is superb and neighbours the 13th century Baptistery. There is the Maschio or Medici Fortress, and the Guarnacci Etruscan Museum, with countless of funerary urns from the Hellenistic and Archaic periods. Other must-sees are Parco Archeologico, the Arco Etrusco and the Pinacoteca Comunale. To the left you'll find a selection of Volterra hotels, just to whet your appetite. See also Volterra hotels (full listings) and our Volterra hotel map. |
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