Volterra (the GPS: 43.4006°N, 10.8585°E, the PI province, Tuscany, the specific hilltop town (555m altitude) 60km south of Pisa) is the most archaeologically comprehensive and simultaneously the most specifically undervisited single major Tuscan historic town: while San Gimignano (the most touristically famous single Tuscan hilltop town) receives approximately 3.5 million annual visitors, Volterra, which has a 2,600-year older significant Etruscan history, a more specifically complete single Etruscan museum collection, and a more specifically authentic single Tuscan town atmosphere, receives approximately 350,000 annual visitors (the single largest visitor-density differential between a significantly important and a significantly tourist-facing Tuscan town). The Volterra travel guide provides the specific archaeological program, the specific alabaster craft experience, and the specific practical logistics that make Volterra the most specifically rewarding single Tuscan day trip alternative to the standard San Gimignano-Siena tourist circuit.
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Volterra Guide: Etruscan Heritage, Alabaster, and the Asylum
The Guarnacci Etruscan Museum
The Museo Etrusco Guarnacci (the GPS: 43.4008°N, 10.8583°E, Via Don Minzoni 15, Volterra): the most specifically important single Etruscan museum in Italy (the specific collection (approximately 700 Etruscan cinerary urns (le urne cinerarie etrusche, the specific alabaster and terracotta funerary containers whose specific bas-relief decoration (the mythological scenes, the battle scenes, and the specific funerary banquet scenes) constitute the most specifically comprehensive single Etruscan funerary art program in any Italian museum)). The most specifically famous single Guarnacci object: the Urnetta degli Sposi (the "Urn of the Spouses", the specific terracotta bipartite urn (2nd century BCE) depicting the specific married couple (the elderly couple reclining on the specific klinai (the funeral couch) with the most specifically tender and the most specifically human single Etruscan portrait expression): the most frequently cited single object in the Guarnacci collection (the specific Rainer Maria Rilke (the German poet) 1904 letter to a friend describing the specific Urn of the Spouses as "the most profoundly human and the most specifically moving single sculpture I have ever seen" is the most internationally disseminated single Volterra cultural reference). Admission: €12 (included in the Volterra Card, the combined ticket for the 4 main Volterra museums and the Roman Theater at €18).
Volterra: tours & tickets
Compare guided tours, skip-the-line tickets and day trips for Volterra.
See availability & prices →We may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.The Alabaster Craft
The Volterra alabaster craft (l'artigianato dell'alabastro volterrano, the specific alabaster carving tradition (the lavorazione dell'alabastro, the specific hand-carving of the specific Volterra alabaster (the marmo alabastrino volterrano, the specific calcium sulphate dihydrate (the gypsum alabaster) quarried in the specific Volterra hills since the Etruscan period (the specific Etruscan alabaster cinerary urn production documents the oldest single Volterra alabaster craft use))): the most specifically Volterra-unique single Italian artisan product (the Volterra alabaster industry employs approximately 600 artisans in 40+ workshops, the most concentrated single Italian alabaster craft community). The specific alabaster workshop visit: the Cooperativa Artieri dell'Alabastro (Piazza dei Priori 5, the most visitor-friendly single Volterra alabaster cooperative with the specific live demonstration (the dimostrazione dal vivo) of the specific alabaster carving technique at no extra charge beyond the buy): the most specifically educational single Volterra craft experience at 10:00-13:00 and 15:00-18:00 (Monday-Saturday).
Q&A: Volterra Guide
How do I get to Volterra from Florence?
The specific Volterra transport from Florence: there is no direct train to Volterra, the most practical single Florence-Volterra public transport: the Trenitalia from Firenze SMN to Cecina (1h05m, approximately €10) → the Autolinee Toscane bus from Cecina to Volterra (45 minutes, approximately €3): total 1h50m, approximately €13 one-way. The alternative: the Trenitalia from Firenze SMN to Pontedera (40 minutes, approximately €7) → the Autolinee Toscane bus from Pontedera to Volterra (50 minutes, approximately €3). The most practical single Florence-Volterra connection: the rental car (the 80km drive from Florence via the FI-PI-LI and the SS68: approximately 1h15m).
