Volterra (;

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

: ''Volaterrae'') is a walled mountaintop town in the

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; it, Toscana ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of about 3.8 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence (''Firenze''). Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, art ...

region of

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. Its history dates from before the 8th century BC and it has substantial structures from the

Etruscan __NOTOC__ Etruscan may refer to: Ancient civilization *The Etruscan language, an extinct language in ancient Italy *Something derived from or related to the Etruscan civilization **Etruscan architecture **Etruscan art **Etruscan cities **Etruscan ...

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

, and

Medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the Post-classical, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...

periods.

History

Volterra, known to the ancient

Etruscans The Etruscan civilization () was developed by a people of Etruria in ancient Italy with a common language and culture who formed a federation of city-states. After conquering adjacent lands, its territory covered, at its greatest extent, rou ...

as ''Velathri'' or ''Vlathri'' and to the Romans as ''Volaterrae'', is a town and ''

comune The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''province''). The can also ...

'' in the

region of

. The town was a

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...

settlement of the

Proto-Villanovan culture The Proto-Villanovan culture was a late Bronze Age culture that appeared in Italy in the first half of the 12th century BC and lasted until the 10th century BC, part of the central European Urnfield culture system (1300-750 BCE). History Proto-V ...

, and an important

center (''Velàthre'', ''Velathri'' or ''Felathri'' in

, ''Volaterrae'' in

Latin language Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...

), one of the "twelve cities" of the Etruscan League. The site is believed to have been continuously inhabited as a city since at least the end of the 8th century BC. It became a

municipium In ancient Rome, the Latin term (pl. ) referred to a town or city. Etymologically, the was a social contract among ("duty holders"), or citizens of the town. The duties () were a communal obligation assumed by the in exchange for the privi ...

allied to Rome at the end of the 3rd century BC. The city was a bishop's residence in the 5th century, and its episcopal power was affirmed during the 12th century. With the decline of the episcopate and the discovery of local

alum An alum () is a type of chemical compound, usually a hydrated double salt, double sulfate salt (chemistry), salt of aluminium with the general chemical formula, formula , where is a valence (chemistry), monovalent cation such as potassium or a ...

deposits, Volterra became a place of interest of the

Republic of Florence The Republic of Florence, officially the Florentine Republic ( it, Repubblica Fiorentina, , or ), was a medieval and early modern state that was centered on the Italian city of Florence in Tuscany. The republic originated in 1115, when the Flo ...

, whose forces conquered Volterra. Florentine rule was not always popular, and opposition occasionally broke into rebellion. These rebellions were put down by Florence. When the Republic of Florence fell in 1530, Volterra came under the control of the

Medici The House of Medici ( , ) was an Italian banking family and political dynasty that first began to gather prominence under Cosimo de' Medici, in the Republic of Florence during the first half of the 15th century. The family originated in the Muge ...

family and later followed the history of the

Grand Duchy of Tuscany The Grand Duchy of Tuscany ( it, Granducato di Toscana; la, Magnus Ducatus Etruriae) was an Italian monarchy that existed, with interruptions, from 1569 to 1859, replacing the Republic of Florence. The grand duchy's capital was Florence. In th ...

Culture

The main events that take place during the year in Volterra are * Volterra gusto * Volterra arte * Volterra teatro

Main sights

* Roman Theatre of Volterra, 1st century BC, excavated in the 1950s * Piazza dei Priori, the main square, a fine example of medieval Tuscan town squares *

Palazzo dei Priori The Palazzo dei Priori or comunale is one of the best examples in Italy of a public palace from the communal era (11th century). It is located in the central Piazza IV Novembre in Perugia, Umbria. It extends along Corso Vannucci up to Via Boncam ...

, the town hall located on Piazza dei Priori, construction begun in 1208 and finished in 1257 * Pinacoteca e museo civico di Volterra (Art Gallery) in Palazzo Minucci-Solaini. Founded in 1905, the gallery consists mostly of works by Tuscan artists from 14th to 17th centuries. Includes a ''Deposition'' by

Rosso Fiorentino Giovanni Battista di Jacopo (8 March 1495 in Gregorian style, or 1494 according to the calculation of times in Florence where the year began on 25 March – 14 November 1540), known as Rosso Fiorentino (meaning "Red Florentine" in Italian) ...

. * Etruscan Acropolis and Roman Cistern. The acropolis on the citadel dates to the 8th century B.C., while the impressive cistern is from the 1st century B.C. *

Volterra Cathedral Volterra Cathedral ( it, Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta, or ''Duomo di Volterra'') is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Volterra, Italy, dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. It is the seat of the bishop of Volterra. History The present ...

. It was enlarged in the 13th century after an earthquake. It houses a ciborium and some angels by

Mino da Fiesole Mino da Fiesole (c. 1429 – July 11, 1484), also known as Mino di Giovanni, was an Italian Renaissance sculptor from Poppi, Tuscany. He is noted for his portrait busts. Career Mino's work was influenced by his master Desiderio da Settignano and ...

, a notable wood ''Deposition'' (1228), a masterwork of Romanesque sculpture and the Sacrament Chapel, with paintings by

Santi di Tito Santi di Tito (5 December 1536 – 25 July 1603) was one of the most influential and leading Italian painters of the proto-Baroque style – what is sometimes referred to as "Counter-Maniera" or Counter-Mannerism. Biography He was born in Flor ...

Giovanni Balducci Giovanni Balducci, called Il Cosci after his maternal uncle, (c. 1560 — after 1630) was an Italian mannerist painter. Biography Born in Florence, Balducci was trained by Giovanni Battista Naldini. Under the guidance and supervision of Vasar ...

and

Agostino Veracini (Niccolò) Agostino Veracini (14 December 1689 – 18 November 1762) was an Italian painter and engraver. He was the second son of Benedetto Veracini, also a painter. Agostino was the cousin of Francesco Maria Veracini, the violinist and compos ...

. In the center of the vault are fragments of an ''Eternal Father'' by

Niccolò Circignani Niccolò Circignani (c. 1517/1524 – after 1596) was an Italian painter of the late-Renaissance or Mannerist period. Biography Born in Pomarance, he is one of three Italian painters called Pomarancio. His first works are documented from th ...

. Also noteworthy is the Addolorata Chapel, with a terracotta group attributed to Andrea della Robbia and a fresco of ''Riding Magi'' by

Benozzo Gozzoli Benozzo Gozzoli (4 October 1497) was an Italian Renaissance painter from Florence. A pupil of Fra Angelico, Gozzoli is best known for a series of murals in the Magi Chapel of the Palazzo Medici-Riccardi, depicting festive, vibrant processions wi ...

. In the nearby chapel, dedicated to the Most Holy Name of Jesus, is a table with Christ's monogram, allegedly painted by

Bernardino of Siena Bernardino of Siena, OFM (8 September 138020 May 1444), also known as Bernardine, was an Italian priest and Franciscan missionary preacher in Italy. He was a systematizer of Scholastic economics. His preaching, his book burnings, and his " bon ...

. The rectangular bell tower is from 1493. * Volterra Baptistery of San Giovanni, built in the second half of the 13th century. * Fortezza Medicea (Medicean Fortress), built in the 1470s, now a

prison A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, correc ...

housing the noted restaurant, Fortezza Medicea restaurant. * Guarnacci Etruscan Museum, with thousands of funeral

urns An urn is a vase, often with a cover, with a typically narrowed neck above a rounded body and a footed pedestal. Describing a vessel as an "urn", as opposed to a vase or other terms, generally reflects its use rather than any particular shape or ...

dating back to the

Hellenistic In Classical antiquity, the Hellenistic period covers the time in Mediterranean history after Classical Greece, between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the emergence of the Roman Empire, as signified by the Battle of Actium in ...

and Archaic periods. Main attractions are the bronze statuette " Ombra della sera" (), and the sculpted effigy, "Urna degli Sposi" () of an Etruscan couple in terra cotta. * The Etruscan Walls of Volterra, including the well-preserved Walls of Volterra (3rd-2nd centuries BC), and Porta Diana gates. * The

Villa di Spedaletto, outside the city, in direction of

Lajatico Lajatico is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Pisa in the Italian region Tuscany, located about southwest of Florence and about southeast of Pisa. Lajatico sits in mainly hilly terrain at variable elevations from above sea level) ...

* There are excavations of Etruscan

tombs A tomb ( grc-gre, τύμβος ''tumbos'') is a repository for the remains of the dead. It is generally any structurally enclosed interment space or burial chamber, of varying sizes. Placing a corpse into a tomb can be called ''immuremen ...

in the Valle Bona area. * Volterra Psychiatric Hospital, Founded in 1888 until 1978, it was reopened for public and will be once more used for psychiatric purposes.

Transport

Volterra has a station on the Cecina-Volterra Railway, called "Volterra Saline – Pomarance" due to its position, in the ''

frazione A ''frazione'' (plural: ) is a type of subdivision of a ''comune'' (municipality) in Italy, often a small village or hamlet outside the main town. Most ''frazioni'' were created during the Fascist era (1922–1943) as a way to consolidate territ ...

'' of

Saline di Volterra Saline di Volterra is a village in Tuscany, central Italy, administratively a frazione of the comune of Volterra, province of Pisa. At the time of the 2001 census its population was 1,218.

Notable people

Persius Aulus Persius Flaccus (; 4 December 3424 November 62 AD) was a Ancient Rome, Roman poet and satirist of Etruscan civilization, Etruscan origin. In his works, poems and satires, he shows a Stoicism, Stoic wisdom and a strong criticism for what he ...

, (34-62), the Roman satirist of Etruscan stock *

Pope Linus Pope Linus (, , ''Linos''; died c. AD 76) was the bishop of Rome from c. AD 67 to his death. As with all the early popes, he was canonized. According to Irenaeus, Linus is the same person as the one mentioned in the New Testament. Linus is ment ...

, who, according to the ''

Liber Pontificalis The ''Liber Pontificalis'' (Latin for 'pontifical book' or ''Book of the Popes'') is a book of biographies of popes from Saint Peter until the 15th century. The original publication of the ''Liber Pontificalis'' stopped with Pope Adrian II (867� ...

'', was born in Volterra, and was the successor to

Peter Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a sur ...

. *

Lucius Petronius Taurus Volusianus Lucius Petronius Taurus Volusianus (died c.286 AD) was a Roman citizen, apparently of equestrian origins, whose career in the Imperial Service in the mid-Third Century AD carried him from a relatively modest station in life to the highest public ...

, ''

consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states throug ...

'' with the Emperor

Gallienus Publius Licinius Egnatius Gallienus (; c. 218 – September 268) was Roman emperor with his father Valerian from 253 to 260 and alone from 260 to 268. He ruled during the Crisis of the Third Century that nearly caused the collapse of the empi ...

in AD 261 and

Urban Prefect The ''praefectus urbanus'', also called ''praefectus urbi'' or urban prefect in English, was prefect of the city of Rome, and later also of Constantinople. The office originated under the Roman kings, continued during the Republic and Empire, and ...

in AD 267-268 * Meshullam da Volterra, (d. 1508), an Italian-Jewish businessman who traveled to the

Land of Israel The Land of Israel () is the traditional Jewish name for an area of the Southern Levant. Related biblical, religious and historical English terms include the Land of Canaan, the Promised Land, the Holy Land, and Palestine (see also Isra ...

and surrounding Jewish communities. His works provide concise and important details about the nature and conditions of Ottoman Jewry. *

Daniele da Volterra Daniele Ricciarelli (; 15094 April 1566), better known as Daniele da Volterra (, ), was a Mannerist Italian painter and sculptor. He is best remembered for his association with the late Michelangelo. Several of Daniele's most important works ...

, (1509-1566), Mannerist painter * The poet

Jacopo da Leona Jacopo da Leona, also spelt Iacopo was an Italian medieval jurist and poet who died in 1277. A notary by profession, he became a nobleman's secretary and later a judge. Sixty of his sonnets survive. Life and work Beginning life as Jacopo del ...

was a judge at Volterra in the 13th century. * The Maffei family of Volterra produced the apostolic Secretary Gherardo Maffei and his three sons: the eldest Antonio Maffei, who was one of the assassins in the Pazzi Conspiracy against the

in 1478; second the humanist

Raffaello Maffei Raffaello Maffei (17 February 1451 – 25 January 1522) was an Italian humanist, historian and theologian; and member of the Servite Order. He was a native of Volterra, Italy, and therefore is called Raphael Volaterranus or Raphael of Volterra; a ...

called "Volterrano" who also served in the Curia; and youngest Mario Maffei, who was also a scholar and followed his father in the curia. * Emilio Fiaschi (1858-1941), sculptor Patroclus corpse MAN Firenze

In popular culture

* Volterra features in ''

Horatius Horatius may refer to: People Roman era * several ancient Roman men of the '' gens Horatia'', including: ** Quintus Horatius Flaccus, the poet known in English as Horace ** one of the Horatii, three members of the ''gens Horatia'' who fought to the ...

'', a poem by

Lord Macaulay Thomas Babington Macaulay, 1st Baron Macaulay, (; 25 October 1800 – 28 December 1859) was a British historian and Whig politician, who served as the Secretary at War between 1839 and 1841, and as the Paymaster-General between 1846 and 1 ...

. *

Linda Proud Linda Proud (born 1949) is a British author of historical fiction. She is best known for ''The Botticelli Trilogy'', which is set in late fifteenth-century Florence. Early life and career Proud was born in Hertfordshire and was an only child. As ...

's ''A Tabernacle for the Sun'' (2005), the first volume of ''The Botticelli Trilogy'', begins with the sack of Volterra in 1472. Volterra is the ancestral home of the Maffei family and the events of 1472 lead directly to the Pazzi Conspiracy of 1478. The protagonist of the novel is Tommaso de' Maffei, half brother of one of the conspirators. * Volterra is an important location in

Stephenie Meyer Stephenie Meyer (; née Morgan; born December 24, 1973) is an American novelist and film producer. She is best known for writing the vampire literature, vampire romance series ''Twilight (novel series), Twilight'', which has sold over 100 mill ...

's ''Twilight'' series. In the books, Volterra is home to the

Volturi The following is a list of characters in the ''Twilight'' novel series by Stephenie Meyer, comprising the books ''Twilight'', '' New Moon'', '' Eclipse'' and ''Breaking Dawn'', as well as ''The Twilight Saga'' film series adaptations. Major ...

, a clan of rich, regal, powerful ancient vampires, who essentially act as the rulers of the world's vampire population. (However, the relevant scenes from the

movie A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

were shot in

Montepulciano Montepulciano () is a medieval and Renaissance hill town and ''comune'' in the Italian province of Siena in southern Tuscany. It sits high on a limestone ridge, east of Pienza, southeast of Siena, southeast of Florence, and north of Rome b ...

.) * Volterra is the site of

Stendhal Marie-Henri Beyle (; 23 January 1783 – 23 March 1842), better known by his pen name Stendhal (, ; ), was a 19th-century French writer. Best known for the novels ''Le Rouge et le Noir'' (''The Red and the Black'', 1830) and ''La Chartreuse de P ...

's famously disastrous encounter in 1819 with his beloved Countess Mathilde Dembowska: she recognised him there, despite his disguise of new clothes and green glasses, and was furious. This is the central incident in his book '. * Volterra is mentioned repeatedly in British author

Dudley Pope Dudley Bernard Egerton Pope (29 December 1925 – 25 April 1997) was a British writer of both nautical fiction and history, most notable for his Lord Ramage series of historical novels. Greatly inspired by C.S. Forester, Pope was one of the mos ...

's Captain Nicholas Ramage historical nautical series. Gianna, the Marchesa of Volterra and the fictional ruler of the area, features in the first twelve books of the eighteen-book series. The books chart the progress and career of Ramage during the Napoleonic wars of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century, providing readers with well-scripted articulate details of life aboard sailing vessels and conditions at sea of that time. * Volterra is the site where the novel ''Chimaira'' by the Italian author

Valerio Massimo Manfredi Valerio Massimo Manfredi (born 8 March 1943) is an Italian historian, writer, essayist, archaeologist and journalist. Biography He was born in Piumazzo di Castelfranco Emilia province of Modena and, after getting a degree in Classical Arts at ...

takes place. *

's ''The Ancient Curse'' is also set in Volterra, where a statue called 'The Shade of Twilight' is stolen from the Volterra museum. * Volterra is featured in Jhumpa Lahiri's 2008 collection of short stories ''Unaccustomed Earth''. It is where Hema and Kaushik, the protagonists of the final short story "Going Ashore," travel before they part. * Volterra is featured in

Luchino Visconti Luchino Visconti di Modrone, Count of Lonate Pozzolo (; 2 November 1906 – 17 March 1976) was an Italian filmmaker, stage director, and screenwriter. A major figure of Italian art and culture in the mid-20th century, Visconti was one of the fat ...

's 1965 film ''

Vaghe stelle dell'Orsa ''Sandra'' ( it, Vaghe stelle dell'Orsa, lit=Glimmering stars of the Great Bear) is a 1965 drama film directed and co-written by Luchino Visconti, and starring Claudia Cardinale, Jean Sorel, and Michael Craig. A modern-day retelling of the Electr ...

'', released as Sandra (Of a Thousand Delights) in the United States and as Of These Thousand Pleasures in the UK. *Volterra's scenery is used for Central City in the 2017 film

Fullmetal Alchemist (film) is a 2017 Japanese science fantasy action film directed by Fumihiko Sori, starring Ryosuke Yamada, Tsubasa Honda and Dean Fujioka and based on the manga series of the same name by Hiromu Arakawa, covering the first four volumes of the original ...

directed by Fumihiko Sori. *The 2016 video game '' The Town of Light'' is set in a fictionalized version of the notorious Volterra Psychiatric Hospital. * "Volaterrae" is the name given by Dan and Una to their secret place in Far Wood in

Rudyard Kipling Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( ; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)''The Times'', (London) 18 January 1936, p. 12. was an English novelist, short-story writer, poet, and journalist. He was born in British India, which inspired much of his work. ...

's ''Puck of Pook's Hill.'' They named it from the verse in Lord Macaulay's ''Lays of Ancient Rome'': :::From lordly Volaterrae, :::Where scowls the far-famed hold :::Piled by the hands of giants :::For Godlike Kings of old. * Volterra and its relationship with Medici Florence features in the 2018 second season of '' Medici: Masters of Florence''.

Twin cities

Volterra is twinned with: * Mende,

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

Wunsiedel (; Northern Bavarian: ''Wåuṉsieḏl'' or ''Wousigl'') is the seat of the Upper Franconian district of in northeast Bavaria, Germany. The town is the birthplace of poet Jean Paul. It also became known for its annual Festival and the Rudolf ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

Sandomierz Sandomierz (pronounced: ; la, Sandomiria) is a historic town in south-eastern Poland with 23,863 inhabitants (as of 2017), situated on the Vistula River in the Sandomierz Basin. It has been part of Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship (Holy Cross Provi ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

References

Notes Bibliography *Bell, Sinclair and Alexandra A. Carpino, eds. (2016) ''A Companion to the Etruscans.'' Blackwell Companions to the Ancient World. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons. *Haynes, Sybille (2000) ''Etruscan civilization: A cultural history.'' Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum. *Pallottino, Massimo (1978) ''The Etruscans.'' Bloomington: Indiana University Press. *Sprenger, Maia, and Bartoloni, Gilda (1983) ''The Etruscans: Their history, art and architecture.'' Translated by Robert E. Wolf. New York: Harry N. Abrams. *Turfa, Jean MacIntosh, ed. (2013) ''The Etruscan World.'' Routledge Worlds. Abingdon, UK: Routledge.

External links

* * {{Authority control Cities and towns in Tuscany Hilltowns in Tuscany Villanovan culture