Volterra is located in Tuscany in Italy. It is a microcosm for history of Italy. Which basically just means that everything is all rolled into one here. We can start with the Etruscans. The Etruscans settled here around 8th century BCE. Why some may ask would a culture that did not have the means we have today pick a place to live that is such a hard distance for walking? The answer is simple, defense. Volterra is the best mountain in the area for flat ground on the top, which makes it easy to live on, but still difficult to get too. Also you can see all around Volterra from any point so it was an easy place to defend. Volterra’s natural position made it almost impregnable. Also you can see the sea from Volterra and it was not such a distance to bring in goods. In Volterra to this date there is still a standing entrance gate made by Etruscans that grows strong and stronger by the day because it was made by sandstone. Unlike what you may believe sandstone grows stronger as it ages. The gate has three figureheads on it that are not longer recognizable but there are many theories on who they could have been. Some say they were gods and some say they were the faces of the lords of the Etruscan time.
Now there was a Roman period here but we are going to skip over that for another blog later. Were going to head into the Middle Ages. During the Middle ages the wall around Volterra became much smaller and much more condensed. They did this because it was easier to defend a smaller area. Though they still considered the outside area to be Volterra territory. Also the streets became more compacted and close together. Also this was for defense, the smaller streets would make it more difficult for army’s to travel within the city and Volterrians could drop things and pick off intruders really easily. A lot of the Middle Ages towers that once use to dominate Volterra you can no longer see standing tall. The towers to still exist but are much shorter now.
Through the Middle Ages they would take things from the past and reuse them. Like the Roman theater that is here in Volterra. In the Medieval times they took apart the theater a reused the goods for other areas around the city. Like the church and the baptisie. The marble Colum’s that once stood at the theater now guard the entrance to the church and baptirie. Etruscan grave markers are now embedded in the walls of the city because if it fit the Medieval men used it. Nothing was wasted. During the Medieval times the city was also divided into districts, which people felt very strongly about. Still to this day people associate with their districts. Now a days the city still looks like a medieval city, and the surrounding areas have kept its major features over the centuries. Living in Volterra is like traveling back in time.