Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Sights
Though it's a relatively small town, Volterra has a lavish array of museums, churches and
archaeological sites. If you plan on visiting a number of these, it's worth purchasing a
bigli-
etto cumulativo
, which gives admission to the Museo Etrusco Guarnacci, the Pinacoteca
Comunale and the Ecomuseo dell'Alabastro (adult €10, student and child €6, family €20).
Museo Etrusco Guarnacci
(Via Don Minzoni 15; adult/student €8/6; 9am-7pm mid-Mar-Oct, 10am-4.30pm Nov-mid-Mar)
One of
Italy's most impressive collections of Etruscan artefacts is exhibited here. These were un-
earthed locally and include a vast collection of some 600 funerary urns carved mainly from
alabaster and tufa and displayed according to subject and period. The best examples (those
dating from later periods) are on the 2nd and 3rd floors.
Highlights include the Urn of the Sposi, a strikingly realistic terracotta rendering of an
elderly couple; a crested helmet excavated from the Tomba del Guernero at nearby Poggio
alle Croci; and the
L'Ombra della Sera
(Shadow of the Evening), an elongated bronze nude
figurine that bears a striking resemblance to the work of the Italian sculptor Alberto Giac-
ometti.
MUSEUM
Cattedrale di Santa
Maria Assunta
(Duomo di Volterra; Piazza San Giovanni; 8am-12.30pm & 3-6pm Sat-Thu, 4-6pm Fri)
Built in the
12th and 13th centuries, the
duomo's
interior was remodelled in the 16th century and fea-
tures a handsome coffered ceiling. The Chapel of Our Lady of Sorrows on the left as you
enter from Piazza San Giovanni has two sculptures by Andrea della Robbia and a small
fresco of the
Procession of the Magi
by Benozzo Gozzoli.
vanni)
features a small marble font (1502) by Andrea Sansovino.
CATHEDRAL
Pinacoteca Comunale
ART GALLERY
(Via dei Sarti 1; adult/student €8/6; 9am-7pm mid-Mar-early Nov, 10am-4.30pm early Nov-mid-Mar)
Occupying the Palazzo Minucci Solaini, this modest collection of local, Sienese and
Florentine art includes Taddeo di Bartolo's lovely
Madonna Enthroned with Child
(1411)
