Volterra

Here in Volterra we dip perfectly into its medieval atmosphere. Its origin is still today wrapped of many secrets. The author Gabriele D'Annunzio called it "the city of the wind and the stone", because of stone there are the roads, of stone its towers and buildings and also its simple city wall. Its legends are connected with the origin of a still today mysterious people: the Etruscans or Tyrrenoi like it called by the Greeks and from their 3000 years history, thanks also its isolation, retains traces and certifications of each historical period. You can discover traces of the city wall, which surrounded once nearly completely, the stately "Porta all'Arco", the "Nekropolis of the Marmini" and innumerable, archaeological pieces of founds kept in the Etruscan museum "Guarnacci". A witness of the importance, which had Volterra during the Roman age, is "the Teatro Romano di Vallebona" (end of the 1.century B.C.).

In the heart of Tuscany, at the time of the Etruscan civilisation, Volterra was the place where the working of alabaster started and the area become the traditional and sole centre of production. The alabaster industry is a typical manifestation of the artistic taste of the Italian craftsman and of a tradition which is renewed over time. The manufacture of this snow-white stone, by its special softness, is easier than marble. At Villa Palagione you can take part in courses such as: alabaster, Italian language, cultural treasures of Tuscany, painting, music, riding, Tuscan cuisine...